The documentaries that focus on music run the gamut from smooth jazz to rock and roll to an intimate look at a musical songstress.
“Smooth World,” which has its World Premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival, is described as an exploration of the critically loathed world of Smooth Jazz that has evolved into a joy-filled paradise for senior citizens. Facing extinction, its artists and fans band together to find a new leader who can save the Smooth World.
Personally, I think limiting the genre to senior citizens is, well, limiting. I love Coltrane and Brubeck, but smooth jazz is just as creative and just as valid as jazz but may actually have more fans who appreciate the soothing stylings of people like sax player Dave Koz, who is the focal point of this documentary.
Koz, by the way, played a sold-out concert with his Summer Horns last June in Newport Beach.
“I have heard all the jokes, I’ve heard all the stereotypes about smooth jazz: it’s elevator music, music for old people,” states Koz in “Smooth World.” “But what the rest of the world doesn’t know is that our world of smooth jazz is like a hidden gem world.”
The film makes the case that the music is uplifting, even spiritual.
“If I’m having a bad day, it makes me feel like I’m having a great day. It’s extremely therapeutic for me. The whole vibe is let’s have a good time,” said one smooth jazz devotee in the film.
Smooth jazz had its heyday in the 80s and 90s, then stations like 94.7 The Wave in Los Angeles – a popular purveyor of smooth jazz – shifted from that format to more R&B in the early 2010s. Now, there are a few radio stations that play smooth jazz, although Sirius Radio does have its Watercolors channel, a fancy name for Smooth Jazz.
After the screening on Wednesday, Oct. 21, there will be a live Q&A with Director Mickey Duzyj, Dave Koz, Cory Wong, Smooth Jazz Radio DJ Pat Prescott, and Leatrice Allen (superfan).
Other musical films: “Broken English” that traces rock icon Marianne Faithfull’s six-decade journey through music, fame and reinvention in an intimate documentary, blending reality and imagination as she makes her final artistic statement; “Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart,” a look at the multi-platinum, Grammy, Emmy-winning and Oscar and Tony-nominated Songwriter/Recording Artist who spent 50 years reinventing himself over and over (Kenny Loggins and director Dori Bernstein will host a Q&A after the screening); “Otra,” a new-age Latino musical; “Yuja,” a cinematic journey inside pianist Yuja Wang’s personal world that offers an intimate look at the virtuoso pianist as she navigates the pressures of global stardom and personal doubt. The film confronts the intense public scrutiny surrounding her stage fashion, as well as broader experiences with sexism and racism within the classical music industry.
Then there is “Emerging from the Shadows: Rediscovering the Legacies of Weinberg and Korngold,” which asks, “How do artists keep creating even in the darkest of times?” This documentary uncovers the poignant stories of Mieczyslaw Weinberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, two 20th-century composers of profound artistry whose legacy has only recently been rediscovered after being overshadowed in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
After the film, stay for a Q&A with Director/ Writer Veronika Emily Pohl, and Producer/ Talent Kristina Reiko Coooper.
And then there is “Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of The Hollywood Vampires” that screens on the festival’s closing night at the Lido Theatre. The film chronicles the legendary 1970s celebrity drinking club and its modern resurrection as a rock supergroup by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry. The documentary explores rock history, brotherhood, and the enduring legacy of late musical icons who lived hard and played harder. After the screening, there will be a Q&A with Director Daniel E. Catullo III and members of the Hollywood Vampires.
Visit www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com for screening times and ticket information.
