Sights and Sounds: Eric Clapton, 1960s San Francisco Sound, Duke Ellington

A fantastic film showcasing highlights from Eric Clapton's series of shows staged at London's Royal Albert Hall in the early 1990s is coming to movie theaters on May 17, as well as a DVD title revisiting the "San Francisco Sound" of the 1960s and a reissue of two Emmy-nominated programs celebrating the legacy of Duke Ellington are showcased in my column this week.

Artist: Eric Clapton
Title: Across 24 Nights (Warner Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins
Tell me more: In 1990 and 1991, singer-songwriter/guitar master Eric Clapton played a record-breaking 24 nights at London's Royal Albert Hall. These unique concert events featuring blues, rock and orchestral sets are revisited via Eric Clapton: Across 24 Nights; the global cinema event arrives on Wednesday, May 17 with an encore showing on Sunday, May 21. Eric Clapton: Across 24 Nights features standout performances from the run of shows staged more than 30 years ago, and the restored visual and audio quality of the performances shines throughout the outstanding performances. A who's who of top-tier guests are featured performing with Clapton, further elevating the magic of the film. Early highlights of the film include an inspired take on the Cream classic "Crossroads," reggae-tinged take on the Bob Marley and the Wailers favorite "I Shot the Sheriff" featuring drummer Phil Collins, ambitious rocker "White Room," a funk-flavored "Tearing Us Apart" (elevated by the guest vocals of Katie Kissoon and Nathan East's bass playing), and a three-song run where blues greats including Jimmy Vaughan, Albert Collins, Johnnie Johnson, Jerry Portnoy and Buddy Guy share the limelight. When Clapton and his bandmates team up with conductor Michael Kamen and the National Philharmonic Orchestra, Clapton standards take on a new life that frequently reveals new emotional and sonic layers. Indeed, a lavish take on "Holy Mother," poignant "Wonderful Tonight" (the latter showcasing Clapton's nuanced guitar playing and strong lead vocals) and soaring "Layla" are truly memorable via the symphonic readings featured in the fast-moving film. To see a movie theater location near you and purchase tickets to Eric Clapton: Across 24 Nights, visit www.ericclaptoncinema.com.

Artists: Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Santana, Quicksilver Messenger Service
Title: A Night At The Family Dog/Go Ride The Music/West Pole (Mercury Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Santana

Tell me more: Anyone wanting to travel back in time to glimpse the musical forces that launched the so-called "San Francisco Sound" in the late 1960s is in luck. Mercury Studios has just released an essential two-DVD set featuring "A Night At The Family Dog" (1970), "Go Ride The Music" (1969) and "West Pole" (1969); the trio of Ralph J. Gleason psychedelic-drenched television documentaries feature the groundbreaking artists who forged a new sound. Watching the three documentaries is a bona fide treat; the viewer will get to see freewheeling performances from Santana, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and others. Among the terrific performances from Jefferson Airplane featured on "Go Ride The Music" are a tuneful "We Can Be Together," rollicking "Volunteers" and reworked "Somebody To Love." Quicksilver Messenger Service showcases their rootsy Americana brew via the Gram Parsons-flavored "Somebody's Crying" and winning "Subway." "A Night At The Family Dog" finds Carlos Santana and his band firing up a sonic firestorm via "Soul Sacrifice," while the Grateful Dead performs a version of Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle" and their own "China Cat Sunflower" segueing into "I Know You Rider." Additionally, artist interviews shed additional insight into the important period in music history. Collectively, the three specials that fill the two discs provide an eye-opening look back at the late 1960s. Information: mercurystudios.co.

Artist: Duke Ellington
Title: Love You Madly + A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral (Mercury Studios)
You might like if you enjoy: Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, 20th century jazz
Tell me more: Jazz lovers will want to add the new title "Love You Madly + A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral" to their music library. Indeed, history comes alive via the new DVD which features two programs focused on jazz icon Duke Ellington. "Love You Madly" is a 1965 profile of Ellington, who was acclaimed for his role as a composer, pianist, conductor and bandleader. In addition to insightful interviews, there is performance footage captured at a number of different locations; musical selections featured on that program include "Take The 'A' Train," "In My Solitude" and "Sophisticated Lady." The hour-long "A Concert of Sacred Music" is a historic program filmed on location at the premier performance on Sept. 16, 1965; Ellington put together the program for the consecration of the Grace Cathedral, which was finally ready after decades of stop-start reconstruction following the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The individual selections fuse classical, jazz, spirituals, blues, gospel and dance. Highlights include "In The Beginning, God," "Ain't But The One," "The Lord's Prayer" and "David Danced Before The Lord." Although next year will mark the 50th anniversary since Ellington's death, the jazz great's music and legacy is sure to endure; "Love You Madly + A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral" goes a long way to make sure discerning music aficionados gain a greater appreciation of Ellington. Information: mercurystudios.co.

Robert Kinsler

Media release - 'Ella Fitzgerald: Just One Of Those Things' Virtual Cinema release starts June 26

Eagle Rock Entertainment presents a virtual cinema release of

'Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things'

~STARTING JUNE 26, 2020~
~TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

New York, NY (June 4, 2020)--This summer, Eagle Rock Entertainment is delighted to announce the virtual cinema release of Ella Fitzgerald: Just One Of Those Things -- the much heralded, critically acclaimed documentary about the one-and-only “First Lady Of Jazz.” Tickets and trailer available now at Eventive.

Originally scheduled to be released this past April in cinemas nationwide, the theatrical run of Just One Of Those Things was cancelled due to COVID-19. Now, Eagle Rock invites movie lovers to see the film from home, even while supporting their local movie theaters. TV viewing apps are also available for AppleTV, Roku and AndroidTV.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Leslie Woodhead and produced by novelist Reggie Nadelson, Ella Fitzgerald: Just One Of Those Things reveals an intimate history of a beloved icon. Featuring never-before-seen footage, the film includes interviews with Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Itzhak Perlman, Norma Miller, the late Andre Previn, and a rare conversation with Ella Fitzgerald’s son, Ray Brown Jr.

Ella Fitzgerald is a cherished American figure: her brilliant singing included unsurpassed scat vocalizations. She covered most of a century, excelling in Swing, Pop, Bebop and redefined the Great American Songbook. Her tenacity allowed her to break barriers and chart a powerful course as a woman of color in the male-dominated music business. She fought for Civil Rights. She earned 13 Grammys, the NAACP Equal Justice Award, and the American Black Achievement Award, among others, and sold over 40 million albums throughout her six-decade career.

Ella Fitzgerald: Just One Of Those Things gives viewers a chance to get to know and understand Ella. Losing her mother at the age of 15, Ella endured life in an abusive reform school before escaping to the streets of Harlem. Penniless and alone during The Great Depression, her fate changed in 1934, after she won one of the first amateur nights at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. She made a brilliant career even as she suffered racism, poverty, sexism. Ella, as everybody knew her, was the rare female bandleader when she was only nineteen. She worked with Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Benny Goodman. But like so many professional women, she struggled to reconcile her role as a world-famous performer and her private life. Married to Bebop’s innovative bassist Ray Brown, she didn’t have the time to enjoy a domestic life with him and their son, Ray, Jr. Throughout the documentary, we follow Ella as she endures these conflicts -- her trials and her triumphs -- gaining a clearer music of this woman, and what fueled her timeless voice.

Now, in these trying times, Ella’s spirit resonates more than ever. As stated in this clip by Tony Bennett in the film, “She never made a political statement except the one that I heard her say... was only three words, and it was the most complete definition of the ignorance of the world and the way they treat African Americans. She said ‘Tony, we’re all here.’ In three words, she said the whole thing.”

“Her Majesty’s reign in jazz warmly celebrated”
– Mojo

“This profile explores the jazz great’s extraordinary journey across give decades, covering some of the most tumultuous years of American history.”
– Daily Mail