Make It Funky (film) (2005)

Original title

Make It Funky!

Directed by

Michael Murphy

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 50m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 2 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary traces the history of New Orleans music and its influence on genres like rhythm and blues, funk, and jazz. It features a 2004 concert, archival footage, and interviews with musicians from New Orleans and rock stars who credit the city's sound.

celebratoryeducationalnostalgiclivelyinformativereverentupliftinghistorical

What happens

Make It Funky! is a 2005 American documentary film directed, written and co-produced by Michael Murphy. Subtitled in the original version as "It all began in New Orleans", the film presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk and jazz. The film was scheduled for theatrical release in September 2005, but was pulled by distributor Sony Pictures Releasing so that they did not appear to take commercial advantage of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Using an April 27, 2004 concert at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans as the backdrop, the film also includes archival performance footage, still photographs, and interviews with many musicians and others involved in the early years and heyday of New Orleans music. The film is narrated by Art Neville, and the interviewees include local music pioneers Allen Toussaint, Lloyd Price, Irma Thomas, and Aaron Neville, contemporary New Orleans musicians Kermit Ruffins and Trombone Shorty, as well as rock musicians Bonnie Raitt and Keith Richards, who describe the influence of New Orleans music on their careers. The opening screen text states "the story of how this music was made reflects a struggle for social and racial equality between black and white America. It is also a story of how music can unite, uplift, and in the case of New Orleans, create a sound that influenced the world." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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