Biopic pays tribute to Jazz pioneer Bolden
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Caribbean L BQ ife, May 17–23, 2019 53
By Kam Williams
Buddy Bolden (1877-1931)
was born in New Orleans,
where he took up the cornet
at an early age. His unique
approach to the instrument
involved a novel form of
improvisation while playing
a combination of gospel,
blues and ragtime.
Well before the emergence
of Louis Armstrong,
Buddy was a popular bandleader
credited with creating
a new genre of music:
jazz! Sadly, this genius has
mostly been forgotten by
history because no recordings
or arrangements of his
songs survived.
However, thanks to legendary
trumpeter Wynton
Marsalis in collaboration
with writer / director Dan
Pritzker, we now have Bolden,
a brilliant biopic painting
a poignant portrait of what
Buddy’s life might have been
like. Marsalis composed,
arranged and played on the
soundtrack, relying on what
scraps of his subject’s work
he could unearth.
Similarly, Pritzker cobbled
together a speculative
storyline based on the few
facts available about Bolden.
What we do know is that his
career ended in 1907 when
he was committed to the
mental institution where he
would spend the last of his
days in obscurity.
Bolden is basically a flashback
flick unfolding from
the surreal perspective of a
patient struggling to make
sense of his life. The film
stars Garry Carr who delivers
a riveting performance
as black man whose spirit
has been broken by racism
and a host of other maladies
flowing from that oppression.
Don’t miss this overdue
tribute to a forgotten jazz
pioneer!
“Bolden”
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for sexuality,
graphic nudity, profanity,
ethnic slurs, brutal
violence and drug use
Running time: 108
minutes
Production Companies:
King Bolden LLC
Distributor: Abramorama
Tommy Brown and Omar Gooding on the movie set of “Bolden!,” which began pre-production
fi lming in the spring of 2007. https://www.imdb.com
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