Documentary, Music
Common sense says you can't make a living in America playing avant-garde improvisational jazz. But Ken Vandermark does it anyway. Among musicians, Vandermark's work ethic is almost mythic. The Chicago reed player has released over 100 albums with nearly 40 ensembles, spends over eight months per year on the road, and lives every other waking moment composing, arranging, performing—and trying to discipline his two hyperactive canines. Though Vandermark was the recipient of a 1999 MacArthur genius grant, he still spends most of his life in smoky clubs and low-budget recording studios, hoping people will plunk down hard-earned cash to hear his wholly non-commercial music. Following the artful cinéma vérité style of the internationally acclaimed Sheriff (Work Series #1), Musician (Work Series #2) forgoes all interviews and voice-overs. It is a fly-on-the-wall time capsule that expertly captures every subtle sound and texture of this most American of art forms.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Two Sisters
From the Woes of Work to Autonomy
The Problems of Work
Takumi: A 60,000 Hour Story on the Survival of Human Craft
Ula
Hi-De-Ho
Goldman Sachs, Masters of the World
Ella Fitzgerald - Live At The North Sea Jazz Festival
Seattle's Bikini Baristas
Keep Up the Good Work
Cost of Living
Do it Yourself
Lady Sings the Blues
Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar
Pig Tusks and Paper Money
Stolzes Sizilien - Aufbruch am Ätna
Zeitgeist
Blues in the Night
Jurassic Cash
Wes Bound: The Genius of Wes Montgomery
SIMILAR MOVIES
Two Sisters
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2002
Violeta and Vyollca Dukay live in the south of Kosovo, close to the border with Albania. Faced with a very high unemployment in their country since the end of the war, they became deminers. They’ve been going to the minefields every day for six years now. The unique and very strong relationship that exists between the two sisters helps them to overcome their fear and to keep hoping in spite of the precariousness of their situation and the risks they run each day to earn their living.From the Woes of Work to Autonomy
IMDB 0 | May , 2024
The documentary is a part of "Europe refuses to work" project. The goal of the project has been to gather together ideas and practices that are encouraging from the critique of work, which open up prospects for a more meaningful and sustainable world.The Problems of Work
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2010
Life is composed of seven-tenths work, one-tenth familial, one-tenth political and one-tenth relaxation. Here, the, is Scientology applied to that crucial seven-tenths of existence. Based on L. Ron Hubbard's book, The Problems of Work: Scientology Applied to the Workaday World, here is a visual presentation of the landmark discoveries contained in the book for immediate application. The Problems of Work contains the senior principles and laws which applie to every endeavor, every problem of work. For they are the discoveries which lay beare the core of these problems and explain the very fabric of life itself. Contained within this film is not only technology to bring stability to the workplace, but the magic processes to return joy itself to all of life. For this is Scientology.Takumi: A 60,000 Hour Story on the Survival of Human Craft
IMDB 9 | Mar , 2019
There is a popular theory that it takes at least 10,000 hours of focused practice for a human to become expert in any field. In Japan, there are craftspeople who go far beyond this to reach a special kind of mastery. These people are called Takumi and they devote 60,000 hours to their craft. That's 8 hours a day, 240 days a year, for over 30 years. It's an almost superhuman level of dedication to a life of repetition and no shortcuts. This film asks the question: Will human craft disappear as artificial intelligence reaches beyond our limits?Ula
IMDB 0 | May , 2023
‘This is the cradle of our beloved music. We need to verify our skills there’, said Michał Urbaniak to Polish jazz vocalist Urszula Dudziak to convince her to go and conquer the US with him. The film is a recording of the fascinating and tumultuous journey reported from off-screen by the artist herself.Hi-De-Ho
IMDB 8 | Feb , 1937
Young Cab Calloway's mother is concerned, because Cab spends his days listening to the radio, pretending to lead a miniature orchestra. A deacon passing by the apartment hears him singing and advises him go to his wife's gypsy tea room. As she reads the tea leaves, she sees situations which lead to Cab and his orchestra performing musical numbers.Goldman Sachs, Masters of the World
IMDB 0 | Nov , 2011
Ella Fitzgerald - Live At The North Sea Jazz Festival
IMDB 10 | Jul , 1979
Ella Fitzgerald - Live At The North Sea Jazz FestivalSeattle's Bikini Baristas
IMDB 6 | Mar , 2019
Take a deep dive into the booming, scantily-clad barista coffee shop scene in Seattle where sex sells - your morning coffee. But behind the intrigue of lingerie and java lurks a darker side, where female "bikini baristas" struggle with the troublesome and inappropriate behavior of their male clientele. At what cost are merchants willing to foster a culture of sexual harassment and use sex to push profit?Keep Up the Good Work
IMDB 8.5 | May , 2013
It is a fetish, a mantra, a secret religion to modern man: work. In times of the financial crisis and massive job reductions, this documentary movie questions work as our 'hallow' sense in life in a way that both humors and pains us.Cost of Living
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2022
As we live through the deepest cost of living crisis for over fifty years, archive footage of Yorkshire and the North East reflects recurring cycles of boom and bust, and the fury of generations whose essential needs for safe housing, secure work and full bellies go unfulfilled. Increased fuel prices, food banks and government tips for saving money bring a sense of déjà vu -- a past that feels uncomfortably contemporary.Do it Yourself
IMDB 0 | Jan , 1982
A short film on throw-away culture and TVLady Sings the Blues
IMDB 6.9 | Oct , 1972
Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, beginning with her traumatic youth. The story depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay, her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday's brightest moments is the vocalist's severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar
IMDB 0 | Jan , 1995
This riveting music documentary traces the history of Jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson, from his early days as Montreal's teenage Boogie-Woogie sensation through his meteoric rise to international celebrity with Norman Granz and the ground-breaking Jazz at the Philharmonic and beyond. In this award-winning autobiographical portrait, legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson narrates his story, from his beginnings in smoke-filled Montreal clubs to hallmark performances with jazz greats. Concert footage includes an unforgettable combo -- Nat King Cole with Jazz at the Philharmonic and the Oscar Peterson Trio Wall reunion. Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie are interviewed, among others. - Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Ella FitzgeraldPig Tusks and Paper Money
IMDB 0 | Jan , 1999
In Papua New Guinea, pig tusks and shell money are currencies which can buy most things. Henry Tokubak’s dream is to create the first bank where traditional money counts as legal tender.Stolzes Sizilien - Aufbruch am Ätna
IMDB 0 | Jul , 2017
Zeitgeist
IMDB 7 | Jun , 2007
A documentary examining possible historical and modern conspiracies surrounding Christianity, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the Federal Reserve bank.Blues in the Night
IMDB 6.2 | Nov , 1941
A struggling band find themselves attached to a fugitive and drawn into a series of old feuds and love affairs, as they try to stay together and find musical success.Jurassic Cash
IMDB 7 | Jun , 2022
Jurassic Cash is a documentary on the new business of dinosaur fossils, an incredible speculation in the auction world… And on the footsteps of our past.Wes Bound: The Genius of Wes Montgomery
IMDB 0 | Feb , 2023
Discover the story of a legendary jazz guitarist and composer from Indiana. Wes Montgomery was born in Indianapolis on March 6, 1923, and rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time. This first full-length documentary of Wes Montgomery is told through the eyes of his youngest child, Robert Montgomery.