PIANO BLUES - A MARTIN SCORSESE FILM

As I review films for a living, people have often asked me, “Has Clint Eastwood ever worked with Martin Scorsese?”. In turn, I would say "Yes", and then give them the name of the following 85-minute musical documentary made in 2003. True stories – both of them.


Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues - Piano Blues


THE STORY:
Clint Eastwood is on a mission with his urban producer friend, Martin Scorsese. A mission, unlike their respective cinematic careers, which involves them chronicling the history of a true American art form – Piano Blues.

For those of you not in the know, this type of musical performance has developed over time, grounded in both gospel and country music, and innovated by both jazz and rock and roll. These facts don’t make Clint’s day, though - pun intended - and so he embarks on a journey to interview many old-time blues singers, all of whom explain to Clint about their musical heritage, their inspirations, what this type of music means to them, as well as demonstrating to Clint on a piano the ol’ plink-plonk the do-wai-dah.

So, who does Clint get to interview? Ray Charles, Dr. John, Marcia Ball, Pinetop Perkins, Dave Brubeck, Jay McShane, and many, many more. OK, just one or two more, but I have forgotten their names.

But wait! There's more! To complement this eclectic recount of yesteryear on the ‘Ol’Joanna’, there's also a shed load of still photography, along with numerous vintage performances from blue singers of times past. Like Ray Charlies, Jay McShane (OK, I know that I have mentioned them before, but I want to mention them again, OK!), Otis Span, Art Tatum, Joe Turner, Oscar Peterson, Nat King Cole (Nat was a pianist before he was a singer), Duke Ellington, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Charles Brown, Thelonious Monk, plus a few others I have forgotten the names of as well.

Listen, I'm sure you're wondering to yourself why I keep forgetting people's names, right? Hmmm? Well, I got ‘the blues’, baby. And what is ‘the blues’ exactly? The blues is whatever you want it to be. It can be a nursery rhyme, it can be a patriotic ballad, and it can be a rhythmical duet too. But when you instill this distillation of intuitive melody from the tips of your fingers to the ebony and ivory of the piano keys, symbiotically you are expressing yourself with passion, grace, and an emotional fervor, which is one-half song and one-half mood.

Well, kind of.

THE REVIEW:
'Visceral'... that is what I thought to myself after watching this documentary hosted by Clint Eastwood. OK, I have to admit, upon first viewing, I was not expecting this type of documentary from the likes of Eastwood and Scorsese! Instead, I half expected Clint to walk in through a door and stick someone’s head in a vice, before torturing them until they told him what they thought ‘the blues’ was all about.

Fair dues, this was most probably a jovial expectation on my behalf. But still, it could have been fun.

So what did I get instead of Clint with a vice? Mmm? Clint with a melody. That's what. Effortlessly, he would sit down by the side of a prospective interviewee and then ask this person a series of simple questions. Such as (1) When did you first start playing the blues? (2) What does the blues mean to you? And (3) Who inspired you to play the blues? In turn, Clint would receive a diverse mix of mumbles, sputters, and groans, all resulting in a tale of yesteryear, an obscure reference, or a poignant tale of x, y, and z.

So, if you do not like hearing stories told by people who look like they broke bread with Christ, then this is not a documentary for you! Personally speaking, I thought that ‘Piano Blues’ was a fairly good documentary, telling a story in a somewhat supple manner, while showcasing many musical talents in a very fractured way. 

Admittedly, sometimes a musician cannot put their point across very clearly, and yes, the music does tend to overpower the overall narrative! But that is the blue ‘baby’ – and you have to love the blues to really love this film.

Some of my favourite things in 'Piano Blues' were: (1) Ray and Clint singing ‘Bears to you’ – as they did in Clint’s 1980 film, ‘Any Which Way But Loose’. (2) Anything Ray Charles says and does... as he’s a legend. (3) The reference to Clint’s 1982 film, ‘Honkytonk Man’. (4) Some of the vintage clips, as they really capture a slice of yesteryear – like the ones of Fats Domino, Nat King Cole, and Professor Longhair. (4) Dr. Johns' matching mustard colored hat and shoes. Whatever he said sounded nice as well, even though I did not understand it. (5) The duet with Dave Brubeck and Jay McShane – that was class. And (6) The relaxed style in which the documentary seemed to evolve... and not in a contrived way either.

Overall, 'Piano Blues' is what I would call a specialist film of a sub-genre of music. It’s informative to a degree, and it expresses itself with the showing and not the telling. So if you like Clint, Ray, the blues, or music films in general, this is one to watch... one hundred percent.

THE RATING: B+