GROOVE - mit dem Saxofonisten BILL EVANS

In the organizer's words:

Tour documentary on Bill Evans from 2015

"It has nothing to do with religion, nothing to do with politics. Just with people." Warm but credibly conveyed words from American saxophonist Bill Evans after a 2015 tour through ten cities in Russia, including across Siberia. Cologne filmmaker Christoph Felder accompanied the icon of fusion music, once honored by Miles Davis, on this journey, visited him in advance at his American estate and delivers a cinematic portrait of the well-protected American on an excursion.

In addition to impressive wallpaper culture and technical rarities from the old days, the viewer and listener learns a lot about the perfectionist Bill Evans, who introduces changes and ideas into the evening program before every performance and never tires of facing the local press. Here he reveals things like his passion for golf, painting and fishing, an American man of flesh and blood, who is particularly inspired and impressed by the vastness of the country - traveling and the wide open spaces suit this musician, who was never satisfied with one style and therefore also honored the Rolling Stones or Willie Nelson.

The tour band is characterized by the dashing anthems from the funnel of the saxophone and the bluesy voice of Murali Coryell, the son of the legendary jazz guitarist Larry. With lead guitarist Mitch Stein, the latter also engages in great string battles, rocking out in an easily understandable electric sound. Dave Anderson and Joel Rosenblatt complete the quintet, whose camera and microphone rarely leave their side. Long passages of music have been extracted from the oversized pool of ten concerts, which contrast with the impressions of the visibly strenuous journey by plane, Trans-Siberian train and rattling old Lada. But the film also shows the faces of the Russian people, who often come from far away on foot or by bike to enjoy an experience that is in many cases a first or a first-time experience and attend a concert by a band that is completely unknown to them, from the smallest fan to the grandmother. And this foreign American sound conquers its audience. Almost all new listeners, completely unfamiliar with jazz and soul, get into the rhythm: The movie "Groove" is therefore much more than a compilation of concert recordings, but a contemporary document about American-Russian encounters of a special kind. The fact that Russian star saxophonist Igor Butman joins Bill Evans on stage for a duet is also a special musical treat for Evans connoisseurs. It's great that such productions can be created at all without any subsidies.

CHOICES

The film was shown in the official program of the New York Jazz Festival and Queen Film Festival