Classicalite recently unfurled the latest addition to the Alan Roth jazz doc canon: The Breath Courses Through Us, a picture-perfect window into the avant garde four-piece the New York Art Quartet.
Staying on the Roth and the NYAQ beats, stlls have surfaced for the May 18 New York City premiere at Jonas Mekas' Anthology Film Archives in the East Village (32 Second Avenue).
As Roth explained to us via email: "One of the joys of working on projects like this is getting to know and become friends with all these musicians. I had a real nice connection with Baraka over the years, and I looked forward to the day when each or all could be at some of the screenings to speak after the film. It was a joy to listen to Workman at the Library of Congress screening."
Of course, it's a bittersweet look, too.
"Now," as Roth writes, "we've lost two."
Featuring the late saxophonist John Tchicai and the late poet laureate of both Newark and jazz Amiri Baraka--who joined trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Reginald "Reggie" Workman and a dancing Milford Graves on drums at the South Sea Port reunion gig thrown by Thurston Moore--we've seen Roth's screener.
And the entire asymmetric production is a brilliant look...all 75 minutes of it. It's so great seeing Steve Lacy on screen, followed by jazz historian Ben Young's more critical approach.
Look for the cameo from the Great Dane, himself, guitarist and bandleader Pierre Dørge, as well.
Anthology Film Archives will host the Sunday, May 18 premiere alongside Michael Snow's N.Y. Eye & Ear Control.
Screening starts at 7:30.
