A TUBA TO CUBA
Jazz -- what is it; what are it's roots and history? After seeing TUBA TO CUBA, I am an enraptured student of jazz and look forward to delving deeper into the depth and breadth of it.
This is a beautiful, uplifting film to sit back and soak in. It's filled with some of the best music one might even wish to hear, along with culture, history, and relationships born from an exaulted creative place, beyond words. The roots of jazz can be traced back to African-American roots in 1835 when slaves would gather in Conga Square, New Orleans, to play music and dance on Sundays. In a city with an eclectic mix of immigrants from Haiti, Spain, African, France, Britian, and more, jazz continued to develop and flourish.
In the early 1960's, Larry Borenstein asked Sandra and Allan Jaffe, a tuba player from Philadelphia, if they wanted to manage Preservation Hall, a traditional jazz music venue in the French Quarter of New Orleans. They did. The Jaffes hired elderly jazz legends, many who were struggling with poverty, racism, and illness and had no place to play or make a living.
A TUBA TO CUBA documents the journey of the Jaffe's son, Ben, (now the leader of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band), as he and his bandmates travel to Cuba in search of the music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. The American jazz musicans jam with Cuban musicians in several locations, and discover distinct, captivating sounds, and a unique, rich history in each locale. They are humbled, awed, and inspired, and as a viewer, I was too.
As Charlie Gabriel says, "Musical conversation cancels out complication."
Jazz -- what is it; what are it's roots and history? After seeing TUBA TO CUBA, I am an enraptured student of jazz and look forward to delving deeper into the depth and breadth of it.
This is a beautiful, uplifting film to sit back and soak in. It's filled with some of the best music one might even wish to hear, along with culture, history, and relationships born from an exaulted creative place, beyond words. The roots of jazz can be traced back to African-American roots in 1835 when slaves would gather in Conga Square, New Orleans, to play music and dance on Sundays. In a city with an eclectic mix of immigrants from Haiti, Spain, African, France, Britian, and more, jazz continued to develop and flourish.
In the early 1960's, Larry Borenstein asked Sandra and Allan Jaffe, a tuba player from Philadelphia, if they wanted to manage Preservation Hall, a traditional jazz music venue in the French Quarter of New Orleans. They did. The Jaffes hired elderly jazz legends, many who were struggling with poverty, racism, and illness and had no place to play or make a living.
A TUBA TO CUBA documents the journey of the Jaffe's son, Ben, (now the leader of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band), as he and his bandmates travel to Cuba in search of the music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. The American jazz musicans jam with Cuban musicians in several locations, and discover distinct, captivating sounds, and a unique, rich history in each locale. They are humbled, awed, and inspired, and as a viewer, I was too.
As Charlie Gabriel says, "Musical conversation cancels out complication."