music

It was about a month ago that Sergio profiled an upcoming new documentary on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, one of the most famous classical music composers, who also happens to be of African descent, and a name that many are likely not familiar with. In addition to the Coleridge-Taylor project, you should know that there’s another documentary in [...]

Continue Reading Preview ‘Sonata Mulattica’ (Examines Obscure Legacy Of George Polgreen Bridgetower)

Tags: classical music composers, famous classical music composers, fetzer institute, film, ludwig van beethoven, music, samuel coleridge taylor, violin sonatas, work

As Sergio noted, this film has gotten lots of coverage here on SA; and all I can say is that, it had better be good!! I even highligted it as one of ten SA 2012 projects to look forward to and get excited about. Thus far, all the media released for it hasn’t discouraged, so [...]

Continue Reading ‘Iron Fist’ Extras: Watch Blacksmith Character Trailer + ‘Baddest Man Alive’ Music Video

Tags: alive music, iron fist, iron fists, lucy liu, Man, music, pam grier, quentin tarantino, Watch

Brits got to taste Sundance for the first time this year; apparently it was successful/encouraging enough that the Sundance Institute has announced a 2nd and 3rd year of Sundance London. Details via press release from Sundance below:  The O2, London, 22 October 2012 — Robert Redford, Sundance Institute and AEG Europe announced today that following the success [...]

Continue Reading Sundance Will Return To London In 2013 And 2014

Tags: american independent films, event, Festival, hrh the prince of wales, martha wainwright, music, sundance film festival, t bone burnett, uk premieres

He’s doing a good job of keeping his Nelson Mandela project under-wraps, even as production has been underway for a bit. Little info has surfaced about it, so we’ve had really nothing of substance to report.  I’m one of those who has had trouble picturing Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela (young and/or old), so I’m [...]

Continue Reading Idris Elba Goes To S. Africa To Shoot ‘Mandela,’ Directs Music Video As Well (Behind The Scenes)

Tags: directorial debut, film, idris elba, long walk to freedom, mtv base, music, nelson mandela, project, walk to freedom

Long-time readers of SA may remember our coverage of this broadway musical in 2010, specifically when it was rumored that the musical had drawn Hollywood’s interest – specifically, Justin Timberlake was reportedly interested in adapting the musical to film, likely as a starring vehicle for himself; and it was also rumored that director Oliver Stone, who was said to [...]

Continue Reading 1950s Broadway Rock & Roll Miscegenation Musical ‘Memphis’ Set Up For Film Adaptation

Tags: broadway musical, dewey phillips, director oliver stone, film, film adaptation, love, music, radio audiences, tony award nominee

It’s fair to say, though unfortunate, that composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is not a household name. Although, during his lifetime, he was, without question, one of the most famous composers in the U.K. and the U.S. However, this year being the 100th anniversary of his death, there has been a renewed interest in his music. Just [...]

Continue Reading Watch Film Clip From The Upcoming Documentary ‘Samuel Coleridge-Taylor In America’

Tags: charles kaufman, composer, henry wadsworth longfellow, music, nickelodeon theater, samuel coleridge taylor, song of hiawatha, taylor in america, time

It’s a family affair… a brand-spanking new video directed by Jada Pinkett Smith, featuring music by AcE (aka Trey Smith, from Will Smith’s first marriage), with vocals provided by Jaden Smith, and Willow Smith. The track is called Find You Somewhere. I’m not a big fan of Jaden’s rapping, but I can dig the overall [...]

Continue Reading Jada Pinkett Smith Directs Trey Smith, Jaden Smith & Willow Smith In ‘Find You Somewhere’

Tags: affair, family affair, featuring music, jada pinkett smith, Jaden, jaden smith, music, trey smith, willow smith

Details in press release below; trailer for film at the bottom of post… The Award Winning Documentary Film DOUBLETIME Coming to DVD and VOD on September 25, 2012 On Amazon instant, and as a DVD on Amazon.com, also in the iTunes store. Jump roping has moved off the sidewalks and onto the stage. Jumping rope is [...]

Continue Reading Award-Winning Doc ‘Doubletime’ Coming To DVD, VOD, Digital Download On September 25

Tags: african american tradition, chapel hill north carolina, columbia south carolina, dutch settlers, film, hip hop dance, hip hop music, music, rope

Our informed readers, who frequently alert us to worthwhile items we missed, didn’t tell us about this one! You guys are slipping!  Just over a month ago, indie pop artist Lana Del Rey released an almost 8-minute music video for a track called National Anthem, from her second studio album Born to Die. It was released [...]

Continue Reading Lana Del Rey Rewrites History w/ ‘National Anthem’ (JFK As A Black Man, Grinding In White House)

Tags: fordham university, homeless outreach, interscope records, jackie kennedy onassis, music, Name, private boarding school, professional musician, White

In reading the synopsis for this, I immediately thoughts of William Greaves’ 1968 momentous Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, and its layers of metatextual storytelling, inherent in the concept of the story: that of a documentary, inside a documentary, inside a documentary. But in this case, with Tango Macbeth (an official selection of the 2012 Roxbury International Film Festival [...]

Continue Reading Preview Meta-fictional Feature ‘Tango Macbeth’

Tags: documentary film crew, film audience, independent film festival, international film festival, Macbeth, music, Tango, tango dance, william greaves