FYI
They Died Before 40 - New Jazz Documentary at Metropolitan Room
Where:
Metropolitan Room
34 West 22nd Street
New York, NY
212-206-0440
When:
Wed, January 14, 2015
1:00 pm
About
New Jazz Film to Make History
They Died Before 40, a new documentary, features eight jazz musicians, most of them relatively unknown, who have made important contributions to the music. They all died before reaching the age of 40; four of the eight died before reaching the age of 30! Seven died before 1944 and one died in 1956.
The rhythm section consists of Fats Waller, piano (died at 39 in 1943); Chick Webb, drums (died at 34 in 1939); Charlie Christian, guitar (died at 25 in 1942); and Jimmy Blanton, bass (died at 23 in 1942). The two tenors are Herschel Evans (died at 29 in 1939) and Chu Berry (died at 33 in 1941). The two trumpeters are Bunny Berigan (died at 33 in 1942) and Clifford Brown (died at 25 in 1956).
The film presents music of each artist that represents his great talents and his important contributions to the music. Interspersed is biographical information, expert commentary, photos and other material related to each. It is hoped that more people will explore their music and learn about their lives. In addition, as an important aspect of the film, music historians talk about how their lifestyles contributed to their deaths and how they died. At the end of the film a scroll lists about 20 other jazz musicians who died before the age of 40.
Howard Fischer at 212-864-1479
Reservations -
http://metropolitanroom.com/event.cfm?cart&id=183987
