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“Music in Mali” documentary
Music In Mali: Life Is Hard, Music Is Good: Via Afropop Worldwide, I came across information on this recently completed documentary about Malian music (filmed before the tragic fighting and repression in that great country). The film is produced by Kanaga System Krush (KSK) Records, but at this point, I don’t have any information on any screenings or […]
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Doc Pomus documentary
UPDATE (May 13) Just came back from the first-ever screening of the documentary, A.K.A. Doc Pomus at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema as part of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. What a great film. It did an excellent job of capturing the spirit of Doc’s life (as well as the music and the stories. I […]
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Benda Bilili! documentary opens Oct 14
A highly acclaimed documentary on the remarkable Congolese group, Staff Benda Bilili will open at the TIFF Lightbox on Oct. 14. The film was the first documentary to ever open the Cannes Festival, where it received a standing ovation. The group has achieved great international success in the last couple of years (but sadly hasn’t […]
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Documentary on Zimbabwean music in North America nears completion
A couple of years ago, I was contacted by Doug & Laurel Epps in Colorado who asked permission to use a couple of my photos of Thomas Mapfumo in concert. They were making a documentary on the beginnings of Zimbabwean music in North America and its spread. Now after four years of work, it’s almost […]
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Bo Diddley documentary (1966)
An excellent 20 minute documentary on the late Bo Diddley, made in 1966: See also Part 2, Part 3 A number of scenes were shot in Toronto’s Le Coq d’Or (or “The Le Coq d’Or” as it was often called). The club was home to Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks for many years. A bit […]
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Toronto Rock & Roll Stories: Great documentary on Toronto’s rock & roll scene in the 50’s & 60’s
This March, Bravo screened a highly recommended three part documentary on the early Toronto rock & roll scene in the 1950’s and 60’s: Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories, directed by Bruce McDonald. From the early roots of r&b and soul, to the raunchy atmosphere of the Yonge Street bars, and the original Club […]