"Jazz Nights, A Confidential Journey" Film Screening @ Mr Musichead Gallery

7420 Sunset Boulevard,Los Angeles CA 90046

16 March, 2022

Description

"Jazz Nights, A Confidential Journey" Film Screening @ Mr Musichead Gallery SPECIAL JUST JAZZ LIVE CONCERT SERIES FILM SCREENING OF "JAZZ NIGHTS, A CONFIDENTIAL JOURNEY" @ MR MUSICHEAD GALLERY Jazz Nights Film Screening @ Mr Musichead Gallery with an introduction by film director Hal Masonberg and Q & A with the director and the musicians. Featuring a live music performance from Jon Dalton: www.jondaltonjazz.com About The Film “At the heart of creative music, there is the language of life, truth, love, tragedy and expression. The therapeutically shared musical catharsis that emanates from Jazz was intimately captured with rich color, texture and solid sound storytelling. A documentary for all to see!” –LeRoy Downs “JAZZ NIGHTS” is a window into the jazz musician’s everyday life and way of thinking. By following the stories of Los Angeles native musicians such as Geoff “Double G” Gallegos, Shaunte Palmer and Emile Porée, you can witness the beauty of how thriving the LA music scene is. Kudos to Hal Masonberg for this work of art. Highly recommended!” – Anthony Fung “Hal Masonberg’s sensual, understated documentary Jazz Nights: A Confidential Journey (2016) makes a case for jazz returning to the night. And not just the literal night but the night of alternative spaces of the L.A. underground and word-of-mouth, to music free from club and record label skulduggery and allowed to breath again.” -Matthew Duersten Jazz and the men and women who make it have often found themselves on the forefront of cultural turbulence and change. One could say it is part of the very DNA of jazz. That transformative intersection of music and society is intimately uncovered in the award-winning documentary JAZZ NIGHTS: A CONFIDENTIAL JOURNEY. JAZZ NIGHTS chronicles a group of L.A.’s top jazz musicians who, from 2011-2013, congregated in alternating configurations every Sunday night at an illegal, members-only, back-room hash bar hidden in the heart of Hollywood. Once a week, these expert musicians formed a circle, a coterie of non-verbal, intuitive communication. There were no pre-determined set lists, no rehearsals. Attendance was through word-of-mouth only. No advertising. The result was an all-out exploration – both personal and communal – of what it means to be an artist, to take risks, to embrace change, and to passionately follow one’s heart. The live music captured in JAZZ NIGHTS is at once emotionally exhilarating, meditative, sensual and hypnotic. Via in-depth interviews, these cutting-edge musicians explore their lives, influences, backstories, upbringings, inspirations, and cultural affiliations. The result is an evocative tapestry of live music, thoughts and memories, and a snapshot of a moment in time amidst an ever-evolving American landscape. “Jazz Nights: A Confidential Journey” is a splendid documentary that reveals a number of things – that jazz is not dead; that it is more than just an entertainment form but is really a spiritual path; that those who play it, even in a hash bar, are thoughtful, articulate, and a pleasure to listen to. The film makers got it right, balancing superb music with an ongoing and intelligent contemplation/narrative from the performers about jazz and its pursuit. Highly recommended.” –Dennis McNally “Enjoyed JAZZ NIGHTS: A CONFIDENTIAL JOURNEY immensely. The production qualities are very high, very well done, including excellent cinematography, which takes the viewer into the world of the artists and makes them part of the scene. I had such a strong feeling of direct engagement with the music and the artists, that there was nothing in between — especially loved that there was no narrator instructing what I should think and feel! “The audience, especially those relatively new to jazz (but not only) should gain incredible insight into this art form. It so effectively conveys many of the reasons jazz is so powerful and vital.” –Steve Isoardi, author The Dark Tree: Jazz and the Community Arts in Los Angeles “This a brilliant documentary of such special place and time. There’s always been the rivalry of Jazz from east coast to the west and I sense this to be the perfect reflection of how fine the west coast is. For this to take place in yet another grand aspect of L.A., a hash spot! Playing ones instrument in club of this size and with the air filled with the lush, reminds of what we’ve referenced as “contact high”, because Jazz music is also a perfect “contact high”, without a doubt. “The interviews in this film, for me, literally feed-the-film! I love it! This is like an inside look at the outside in/within = soul. My recent view of life without genres is something that is a reflection of Romare Bearden and Rusell Mills = COLLAGE. That’s where I feel comfort with most of the arts being a collaboration of collage. “I highly recommend digging fully into Hal’s artistry here in this fine film. Dig!!!” – Breeze Smit “Jazz Nights shows us musicians making music, and musicians talking about music-making. As a musician, I often find this sort of thing hard to pull off in a way that does justice to the music and the subject matter. Hal Masonberg swirls them together brilliantly, punctuating each scene with appropriate and insightful quotations from players, critics, and philosophers. My favorite line: “To be a criminal, you have to improvise. And so there is no better training for crime than jazz.” – David Gans About Director Hal Masonberg “As a regular audience member, I began audio recording these live gigs for the musicians themselves to reflect on, for me to relive, and for history to remember. As a filmmaker of over 20 years and a die-hard music fan, it became abundantly clear to me that this was not only the perfect subject matter for a truly great film, but that it would also serve as a rare opportunity for others to share in this consummate experience that was, until now, only known and available to a very select few willing to attend despite the risk of a Federal raid. “The caliber of musicianship, the setting, and the fortuity to capture this snapshot in time, spoke to my passions. I wanted to capture the vitality and fearlessness of these supremely intuitive musicians in the midst of such significant and historic cultural change. I also wanted to share the music itself, this supreme and powerful force that has come to embody not just the different traits and sensibilities of America –jazz’s country of origin– but the innumerable global influences that have worked their way into and enhanced this deeply vibrant and exploratory music. “This feels increasingly important to me as many music-lovers and musicians alike have voiced concern that jazz itself is struggling for attention and relevance in today’s modern world. As a result, I knew these L.A. Confidential gigs were potentially a fleeting moment in time and could disappear without warning. Good thing I chose to film when I did as JAZZ NIGHTS ended up documenting what turned out to be the FINAL GIGS played by these musicians at LACon. The hash bar has since been dismantled, leaving absolutely no trace of its existence. Learn more about the film and the director here -- http://jazznightsfilm.com