Even Tuesday nights offer a chance to get a musical education in New Orleans. After more than a decade hosting her “Soul Power” radio show on WWOZ FM and rocking quite a few parties around New Orleans, DJ Soul Sister delves into another medium this year with her “Musically Speaking” free film screening series. In partnership with local grassroots organization Press Street’s Charitable Film Network, New Orleans’ “Queen of Rare Groove” offers a different musically-themed film each Tuesday evening at Press Street’s homebase, the Antenna Gallery in the Bywater / St. Claude neighborhood.
The Musically Speaking series actually began almost a year ago at Cafe Istanbul inside the New Orleans Healing Center, but this year moved to co-presenter, Press Street’s headquarters at 3718 St. Claude Ave. Each month, Soul Sister selects one film to feature each week on Tuesday evenings, many of which are accompanied by a talk-back or Q&A with people involved in the film in some capacity. In fact, the opening film screening of the series, “Thunder Soul” featured a talk-back with six original members of the famous yet unsung Kashmere Stage Band – the subject of the film.
Whether the films are documentaries, fiction or even b-movies, each selection educates audiences on a myriad of music history. And as she is the the Queen of “Rare” Groove, you can expect to see films you have likely never seen before – for free. Hosted in an quaint and intimate space, the “Musically Speaking” films are always free of charge and usually come with some complimentary refreshments as well.
July’s “Musically Speaking” film schedule is below:
Tuesday, July 2
NO FILM TONIGHT
Tuesday, July 9
The Clash: Westway to the World
(2000, 60 min.)
Westway to the World is the only full, unexpurgated story of one of rock music’s legendary acts. Blasting away from the parochial concerns of the London punk scene of the late 1970’s, the Clash explored and expanded musical boundaries like no act before, experimenting with reggae, rap, and dance music during their short, but influential seven years in existence. This documentary, directed by filmmaker Don Letts, combines rare performance footage with interviews from the entire band, including leader Joe Strummer, who passed away just two years after this film’s release.
Tuesday, July 16
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
(2002, 116 min.)
In Detroit, Michigan, 1959, Berry Gordy gathered the best musicians from the city’s thriving jazz and blues scene for his new record company: Motown. For the next 14 years these players became the heartbeat on classics like “My Girl,” “Baby Love,” “Ooo Baby Baby,” “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” “Dancing In The Street,” and every other hit from Motown’s Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, the unheralded group of musicians played on more Number One hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles combined, making them the greatest unknown hit machine in the history of popular music. Two decades after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the musicians, known as the Funk Brothers, reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story. With Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne, Gerald Levert, and more.
Tuesday, July 23
Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser
(1988, 90 min.)
Expanding on footage of Thelonious Monk’s 1967 tour shot by Christian Blackwood, Charlotte Zwering (Gimme Shelter) has created the definitive filmic portrait of the master bop pianist-composer, digging deep into the life of the famously eccentric pianist-composer. Straight, No Chaser fleshes out Monk’s character considerably – from his harmonic theories to his use of quarter–tones (produced by hitting two adjacent piano keys simultaneously and occasionally even striking the boards with his entire forearm or his foot), to his mysterious relationship with his patron, baroness Nica de Koenigswarter. Monk’s music, naturally, is at the center of this canny portrait, giving fans cause to rejoice since most of the movie’s performances had been previously unavailable in any form.
Tuesday, July 30
Freestyle – The Art of Rhyme
(2005, 75 min.)
A celebration of the role of MC in the hip hop culture, this film documents the history and art of freestyle rap, featuring mainstream icons such as Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, as well as underground heroes like Common, Black Thought (the Roots) Chali Tuna (Jurassic 5), Mikah 9 (Freestyle Fellowship), and Mos Def (Black Star), not to mention commentary from a historical perspective by Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan of the legendary Last Poets.
“Musically Speaking” Film Series, curated and hosted by DJ Soul Sister
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 7:00 p.m. showtime
Venue: Antenna Gallery
3718 St. Claude Ave. (map)
Neighborhood: Bywater / St. Claude
Admission: FREE
Ages: All Ages , 18+ recommended
More about “Musically Speaking”
Charitable Film Network co-hosts Soul Sister’s “Musically Speaking” film series, and organizes and hosts Press Street’s Art House film series. CFN is a diverse community of media-makers, dedicated to connecting and collaborating with non-profits, artists, and activists on programs that benefit the community–at–large. Info: www.press-street.com/film
*August’s schedule will be posted here when it is released.
