[UPDATED] The Ponderosa Stomp has been educating and entertaining fans for nine years, and in that time it has spawned not only a music history conference, but also a film series.  The Stomp’s Clandestine Celluloid Film Series takes place Friday, September 24 and Saturday September 25 at One Eyed Jacks. The films shown are rarely seen and celebrate the same areas of music that the Stomp presents in concert. It includes films on New Orleans culture, heritage and music, such as Crescent City Shadows, a compilation of rare early New Orleans music and images spanning from the early 1900s to the ‘60s.

One of the highlights of Clandestine Celluloid is a sneak peek at Bayou Maharajah, showing at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. The screening is a special preview of the unfinished, feature-length documentary about the life and music of New Orleans piano legend James Booker. The movie documents Booker’s life from childhood piano prodigy to session musician, accomplished solo artist, and to his impressive continued legacy after his death in 1983. Filmmaker Lily Keber is using archive footage, photos and promotional material to produce a comprehensive telling of Booker’s life and contributions to music. Keber will also be in attendance at Friday’s screening to discuss the film, along with artist (and former OffBeat editor) Bunny Matthews, who will talk about his friendship with Booker.

The rest of the Clandestine Celluloid lineup is impressive as well, including several films by renowned documentarian Les Blank (don’t miss the seldom-screened, truly clandestine documentary about a 1970s-era piano player heralded by critics as one of the greatest rock documentaries); Teen A-Go-Go, about the 1960s Fort Worth rock ‘n’ roll scene; a documentary on Mississippi hill-country blues musician R.L. Burnside; and a truly not-to-miss screening of It’s What’s Happening, Baby!, a 1965 TV special featuring performances by some of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll, Motown and R&B artists at the time. This will be the first public screening of the special since its original 1965 airing, and it was never released on VHS or DVD either.

For more information and tickets, visit the Clandestine Celluloid Web site.

Update 4:13 p.m.

The name of the Les Blank documentary was removed, though it and its story can be found at LesBlank.com.