Coming to Los Angeles’ ArcLight Documentary Series tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21: SONG OF LAHORE
Andy Schocken and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s look at Pakistani traditional musicians’ forays into globally-inflected jazz made its bow at Tribeca this Spring. Other fest screenings include Sydney and Melbourne.
Until the advent of Sharia law, the Pakistani city of Lahore served as the nation’s seat of culture, with local musicians kept busy performing in concerts or on the soundtracks of the popular regional film productions collective known as Lollywood. Taboos on artistic expression essentially wiped away generations of musical heritage and appreciation, so much so that even as religious restrictions have since been somewhat lessened, aging traditional musicians find themselves at a loss for a local audience. In response, Sachal Studios was founded to provide a sense of both community and potential livelihood for this fading music culture, but despite founder Izzat Majeed’s best efforts, it too struggles – until he decides to reach beyond Pakistan to try to engage a global audience. Inspired by memories of the US State Department’s Jazz Ambassadors program, a Cold War era cultural diplomatic initiative that saw the likes of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Dave Brubeck travel around the world, Majeed has his musician’s record a version of Brubeck’s popular jazz standard, “Take Five.” When a video of their take goes viral, they find themselves thrust into the global spotlight, invited to New York City for a cross-cultural concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Schocken and Obaid-Chinoy’s likeable film is most interesting as it profiles the musicians on their home turf, struggling to adapt their music, and their expectations for their offspring and the local audience, with the times. Once they arrive in America, the film loses steam as it documents fairly repetitive culture and music clash in the rehearsal room as members of the ensemble struggle to keep up with Jazz’s Wynton Marsalis, who looks exasperated enough to cancel the show. Nevertheless, the pay-off, a sold out performance, features some memorable moments, including a playful dueling flutes sequence which underscores the musical exchange at the heart of the film.
what (not) to doc 