This 2004 film can be described as both documentary and concert film. Shot at the world renowned Radio City Music Hall in New York City, marking the 100th anniversary of the recognition of the blues as a musical form, it documents a one-night-only gathering of dozens of musicians for a musical education benefit concert. What makes this film so entertaining and unique is the variety of artists as well as a telling of the history of blues music.
Well-known artists as Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Natalie Cole, Dr. John, Macy Gray, and Buddy Guy perform on the same stage with other well-known artists as well as lesser-known artists, such as Larry Johnson, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, and James "Blood" Ulmer. The songs performed run the gamut from the 1920s to more recent tunes.
Director Antoine Fuqua, producer Martin Scorsese, and musical director Steve Jordan put together a truly once-in-a-lifetime event and a one-of-a-kind history lesson of one of the most important music genres to come out of America, the blues.
One of the most important descriptions of the blues that I have ever heard is that it's not enough to know what notes to play ... you have to know why they need to be played.
To the blues aficionado, this will be a sheer joy to hear many songs from the long-ago history of the genre. To the casual listener or newcomer to the blues: watch, listen, enjoy, and learn.
This is the blues.
Terry
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