Short Summary
In the 1980s, avant garde jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins approached me about making a film together. He asked me to design it and be one of the four violinists on it, as well as the moderator. We worked on the project together for close to a year. Leroy booked a date in Long Island at the now defunct IMAC (Intermedia Arts Center, Huntington, LI) and John Blake, Jr., Billy Bang, Leroy and I met at IMAC to film it. Billy showed up with open wounds on his face and hand from a fistfight the night before at a bar in NYC. We had quite the time trying to find makeup for his dark skin tone in an all-white town. His "Michael Jackson" look with a white glove was to cover the wound on his hand. During the shoot, just before the group jam on "Now's the Time," a thief broke into the engineer's room, hit him over the head, and stole his wallet, so the engineer chased the thief for blocks to get his wallet back as his head dripped blood down the sidewalks of Hungtinton. It was quite the day! After filming, Leroy and I commuted back and forth from NYC for many months to complete the edits.
When the documentary was completed, Leroy wasn't interested in doing anything to make it available to the public. I later found out that he'd received grant money and, having satisfied the requirements of the grant, had shelved the now completely edited film. We were each given a BETA master. Now that I am the only artist alive out of the four of us (Leroy 2007, Billy 2011, and John 2014), it's more important than ever to digitize this documentary, reformat it for the internet, and make it available to the public.
What I Need & What You'll Get
The money you donate will be used to:
- Convert the BETA master to digital.
- Edit the film into titled sections.
- Output to digital streaming.
- Make the film available to the public.
Based on how much I'm able to raise, I'll determine its next steps in the world, but at the very least, will be able to preserve the footage before it disintegrates. Contributors will have the first opportunity to view the film once it's converted and posted to a private channel on Vimeo.
The Impact
I won't be able to take any of the steps outlined above to preserve a slice of string history without your assistance.
- The discussions on this video reveal how each player created their own unique approach to improvisation on the violin.
- Each player is featured in a free improvisation.
- Some of the topics we covered shocked and surprised us!
Risks & Challenges
I admit that this documentary has been knocking at my door since filming it in 1988. Life has been on the fast track ever since. John Blake Jr.'s death on 08/15/14 shook me up. I realized that time is of the essence. I only hope that the BETA tape hasn't degraded and that that we get a clear picture when translated to digital. I already know which company I'd like to use to accomplish this conversion. I just need the funding.