Link TV Music Documentaries Program Descriptions (alphabetical)
See the Program Schedule for times and dates.
Baaba
Maal
Baaba Maal is one of the great musical stars of Africa, who has been able
to bring Western and African music together in a seamless, natural blend.
His powerful vocals and tirelessly exuberant stage performances have won
him fans worldwide, and made his albums best sellers. This documentary
captures all the color and grace of his Fulani culture, as Baaba returns
to his hometown of Podor, Senegal, where, in his own words, and in the
words of his friends and co-workers, the story of how he came to be a
musician is revealed. For more information about Baaba Maal and his music,
please visit his official website.
Black And White In Colour
In the international music world, Vera Bila is hailed as the most significant
musical artist from the Czech Republic. At home, some recognize her as
an extraordinary musician, others view her with suspicion because of her
Romany (Gypsy) heritage. Surrounded by the husband she adores, and a loyal
entourage of amateur musicians who began as manual laborers, she tours
the capitals of Europe in a caravan that frequently breaks down. The film
reveals how she retains a deep attachment to Romany traditions both in
her music and her way of life.
Dawn In Granada
The proud and passionate music of Spain that is Flamenco, is also a way
of life. Thought to have been created by the Moors, Jews and Gypsies of
Andalousia, it has been preserved through generations of Flamenco dynasties.
"Dawn in Granada" provides a rare glimpse into this process, as dancer
Manuel Santiago Maya or "Manolete" as he is called, and singer Jaime Heredia
"El Parr�n" pass their art and their passion for it along to their daughters
Judea and Marina. It�s a tough master class.
The Devil�s Accordion
Colombia pulsates with the sound and rhythms of its popular music, called
Vallenato; and at its heart is the accordion. Meet Pacho Rada. He�s ninety-three
years old, and a pioneer figure of Vallenato. He's also the patriarch
of his rural town, Santa Marta, where he lives in a run down tin shack.
This film zooms in on Rada�s life, and out to embrace an entire vibrant
musical scene. It may be called "The Devil's Accordion" but it's Squeezebox
Heaven!
Hazel
Dickens: It�s Hard To Tell The Singer From The Song
From her childhood in West Virgina to today, Dickens has been the musical spokesperson
for coalminers and working people everywhere, Writing and singing some of the
hardest hitting songs in bluegrass and country music. This film showcases Hazel�s
songs, as she reminisces about her life and the road she has taken.
Festival in the Desert
The Festival in the Desert held outside Timbuktu has become the destination
of choice for World Music cogniscenti. Initially conceived as a way for the
nomadic Tuareg people to unite with their brethren who had been disbursed by
a now resolved political upheaval, it has transformed into a splendid event;
one that has attracted some of the best musicians that West Africa has to offer.
In a joint production with Link TV, Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre of Afropop
WorldWide sought out and filmed the spontaneous sessions that occurred in the
tents peppering the sand dunes around the festival site.
Israel Rocks
Get a glimpse of the Israel that doesn't make it into the news: Israel
as her musicians from every walk of life see her. From punks to patriots,
from poetry to politics, see another Israel revealed, as "Israel Rocks."
Johnny Clegg and Idir: Vis � Vis
In this compelling 1992 installment of the Vis � Vis series, Johnny Clegg,
former leader of the South African Band, Savuka, and currently fronting
an updated lineup of his original band Juluka, meets face-to-face with
Idir, a North African musician, via digital video link. Idir sings the
traditional music of his home, the Kabilia region of Algeria, while playing
along on flute and drums. The two share their music and experiences. Clegg
discusses the South African transition to Black government, and Idir speaks
the violet conflict between the government and Islamic fundamentalists
in his country. The film weaves conversation and music into a tapestry
that presents the issues and cultures that both divide and bind the diverse
African continent. To find out more about Johnny Clegg, and to buy his
music, click
here. For Idir, click
here.
Miriam Makeba
She's earned the name of "Mama Africa." Her rendition of "Pata Pata" and
"The Click Song" were the first great crossover hits bringing the music
of South Africa to the attention of the world. Running afoul of the oppressive
Apartheid regime, she was banished from her home, only to return after
its overthrow and by the invitation of Nelson Mandela. In her own words,
Makeba recounts the trials tribulations and triumphs of her long career.
The film also documents past and recent performances showing the diva
to be still in fine voice. For more information about Miriam Makeba, click
here.
Marc and Ann
A portrait of Ann
and Marc Savoy, the Cajun musical couple: Marc, accordion builder
and player, Cajun cook and outspoken defender of his culture, and Ann,
an adopted "Cajun" who authored Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People.
The film takes a personal look at the couple and their appreciation for
the Cajun culture in the face of encroaching American mall culture.
Memory of Ra�
A loving overview of the history of North African Ra� music, and how political,
religious and economic forces combined to make it what it is today. From
its birth in the city of Oran, Algeria, where it was originally sung by
women of questionable virtue, Ra� has become one of the world's most popular
kinds of party music. This documentary provides rare footage of the seminal
figures of Rai, including Bellemou Massaoud and Cheikha Remitti.
For more information about Ra� music, click
here.
Nusrat: A Voice from Heaven
The ecstatic devotional Sufi music from Pakistan is called Qawwali. One
of its most famous and inspiring artists was the late Nusrat Fateh Ali
Khan. His remarkable invention and emotion reached across cultural divides,
and made him one of the most celebrated musicians of his time. He recorded
many CDs, toured tirelessly, and worked with western artists like Peter
Gabriel and Eddie Veder. "A Voice from Heaven" is more than a tribute
to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. An exploration into the Sufi soul, it is also
a travelogue of sorts, that captures through vivid photography and live
performance the feeling, flavor and fervor of Qawwali music.
For more information, click
here.
Ravi
Shankar: Between Two Worlds
"God has been kind to me. The spiritual journey through music is the only
thing I feel has been important in my life", Ravi Shankar humbly declares
at the beginning of Mark Kidel's gentle portrait of one of the most influential
and brilliant musicians of the 20th century. Born into a Brahmin family
in 1920, Shankar moved to a dazzling Paris in the '30s to perform in his
older brother's dance company. Nine years later, he became the student
of the great master Baba Allaudin Khan, and from his pampered life of
five-star hotels and the glitterati, Shankar moved to a coconut-frond
bed in Khan's simple compound and severe asceticism. Seven years of the
master's strict discipline and tyrannical mentorship laid the foundation
for Shankar's incandescent, international career. With sepia-toned stills,
archival film footage of concerts, interviews, and surreal scenes of Benares's
burning ghats and pretzel-postured fakirs, Kidel weaves a fascinating
visual history of Shankar's extraordinary life. Then, of course, there
is the sublime music. Although the film's title suggests the cultural
bridge that Shankar created by presciently bringing classical Indian music
to the West, the transcendence on Shankar's face when he plays evokes
a bridge between two other worlds: the human and the divine. For more
information and links, click
here.
Tempo Rei
Legendary Brazilian musician Gilberto
Gil takes us back to his small town roots. Filled with music and great
visuals, the documentary shows Gil jamming with his old buddy Caetano
Veloso, other great Brazilian musicians, and how he started making
music and where it has led him.
