Keith Jarrett doc on C4 (UK)

[Mike Flynn]

Sorry for the minor spam-age but I really want to let you guys know about a superb jazz documentary on Keith Jarrett, that is being shown on terrestrial Channel 4 on Monday 20th of December - I went to a screening and it has some lovely archive footage of all of Jarrett's bands - some cool electric Miles Davis footage - plus a load of acoustic stuff featuring Peacock, Haden and Palle Danielsen among others - plus Jarrett is such a monster at improvising (possibly the Pablo Picasso of the piano) it's also really wonderful to get a big dose of a broad cross-section of his work - it's quite an awe-inspiring film.

It's on at 7.30pm GMT - hope at least a few of you will check it out - my neighbour (literally, my neighbour) is an old jazz trumpeter guy called Ian Carr who had a band called Nucleus in the 1960s and 70s (look them up, they were a UK version of Weather Report) and he was the main consultant on the doc - he's 71 now (Carr) and this is a real labour of love for him.

Cheers

Mike

[DaveBeny]

Yes, I am looking forward to this after reading about it in a Channel 4 magazine that came with yesterday's Sunday times. Any jazz on terrestrial TV is welcome!

I am impressed that Ian Carr is your neighbour! I have picked up a couple of the Nucleus reissues this year and they're great stuff! A definite WR/electric Miles thing going on!

I don't think it got mentioned on Talkbass, but did you catch the other jazz documentary that was on Channel 4 recently? I didn't like Branford Marsalis as a presenter, but liked the range of musicians that got screentime - Bill Frisell, Chicago Underground Trio, Soweto Kinch etc.

[Mike Flynn]

Yeah Ian is a cool guy - he knows everyone in jazz - he's mates with Jack DeJohnette and Joe Zawinul etc etc - he says he lost count of the times he saw Waether Report live - lucky bugger!!! Nucelus were a seriously hot band and when Ian was at the height of his playing powers he really was a brilliant trumpeter.

I did see the Marsalis thing - and yes, he was a bit annoying - but a lot of the music was really good, I like dave Douglas and pretty much everyone on that program was worth checking out - Branford is pretty conservative in his views - much like Wynton, but at least he acknowledges <b>electric instruments are ok!</b>.

You must check out the Jarrett thing - it's brilliant...

[DaveBeny]

BUMP for the UK posters that didn't notice this thread. The documentary is on Channel 4 tonight at 7.30pm. The VCR is set!

[DaveBeny]

A very interesting documentary! I particularly enjoyed the footage of Jarrett with Miles and his classic American and European quartets. It’s a shame that so much good archive jazz footage is locked away in vaults – surely there’s a market for this sort of stuff on DVD?

It’s a shame that his music has required such large personal sacrifices (i.e. his lost adolescence; obsessive-compulsive habits; chronic fatigue syndrome).

I was surprised at just how gaunt Gary Peacock looked in the interview segments, but I think he had some major surgery earlier this year – possibly for a brain tumour IIRC.

Pass on my thanks to Ian – he and Mike Dibbs have done a very good job.