“America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway”: Ann Arbor District Library.
Every Wed. (except Apr. 3), Mar. 20-May 8.
A weekly series of film screenings, followed by discussion led by U-M musicology professor Mark Clague. Part of a Tribeca Film Institute project (see March 13 listing).
Mar. 20: Feels Like Going Home, the 1st episode of the 2004 Emmy-winning series Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues, and a 17-minute segment from Say Amen, Somebody (George T. Nierenberg) featuring gospel pioneers Thomas A. Dorsey, Willie Mae Ford Smith, and Sallie Martin.
Mar. 27: Syncopated City (1919-1933), the 2nd episode of the award-winning TV series Broadway: The American Musical (Michael Kantor, 2004). 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Apr. 10: Swing: The Velocity of Celebration, the 6th episode of Ken Burns 2001 PBS series Jazz. Also, International Sweethearts of Rhythm (Greta Schiller & Andrea Weiss, 1986), an award-winning documentary about the little-known story of a multiracial all-women swing band that became a sensation in the 1940s.
Apr. 17: High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music (Rachel Liebling, 1994), a documentary about the history of bluegrass featuring Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs, and other bluegrass pioneers.
Apr. 24: Plugging In (1995), the 4th episode of the Emmy-nominated series The History of Rock n Roll. It covers developments from Dylan’s legendary electric debut at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival to the first major American performances by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, and the Who at the 1975 Monterey Pop Festival.
May 1: Latin Music USA, Episode One: Bridges (Daniel McCabe, 2009), an exploration of the development of Afro Cuban jazz and mambo in New York City dance halls and nightclubs, and an excerpt from From Mambo to Hip-Hop: A South Bronx Tale (Henry Chalfant, 2006) that explores the origins of hip-hop as a conscious alternative to gang culture.
May 8: A Space for Music, a Seat for Everyone: 100 Years of UMS Performance in Hill Auditorium (Sophia Cruz & Anna Prushinskaya, 2013), a new documentary that draws on concert recordings, news articles, and anecdotal interviews.
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6:30-8:30 p.m., Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Free. 327-4555. [map]
