Film | February 24, 2009 - 10:09pm
Filmmaker Exposes Poverty, but Gives Vague Solutions
by Victoria Fox
“We are going toward a major explosion,” Philippe Diaz warns, “unless we change something drastically.”
In a phone interview about his film The End of Poverty?, currently playing at the Best of the African Diaspora Film Festival, writer-director Diaz was adamant that unchecked poverty plagues not only the developing world, but will also eventually crush the economies of developed nations. Diaz’s film takes a sweeping historical perspective to substantiate this claim, explaining poverty’s roots, current implications, and future effects.
To achieve its massive scope, the film relies principally on the testimonies of economists, scholars, and politicians, as well impoverished individuals in Africa and Latin America. Diaz’s film was a logical addition to the festival, which strives to highlight films that are not only conscious of African diaspora themes, but also risk being overlooked in conventional film circles.
Though relevant to the current economic landscape, Diaz encountered difficulty bringing his film to screen. “They tried for a long time to do a movie on the true historical and political causes [of poverty], but of course in Hollywood, no one is interested in doing that,” Diaz said. It was only through his own production company, Cinema Libre, that Diaz finally brought his film to fruition.
To explain poverty today, Diaz turns to the history of colonial exploitation and violence against resource-rich regions, beginning in 1492. “I was trying to explain that poverty is not something which happened recently,” he said.
Despite the end of mass colonialism, Diaz argues that nothing substantial has been done to reverse the patterns of exploitation that began centuries ago.
“The more we consume the more we have to plunge people into poverty to [maintain] balance,” Diaz remarked. He claims little has changed in 500 years, as developed nations are still dependent on cheap natural resources to dominate economically. Violent conquest has simply given way to a subtler neo-imperialism. While developing nations have independent governments, they are still subjugated by unfair treaties and insurmountable debt.
Though the film is detailed in its assessment of the historical causes and effects of poverty, it becomes disturbingly abstract when it begins to search for a solution. “We have to change the system,” Diaz stated. “These natural resources come from nature and therefore should be benefiting everybody, not just a few people or corporations.”
General as the solution “change the system” may seem, Diaz argues that it is necessary for developed nations to find tangible ways to overhaul their economic practices. Since resources are currently being consumed faster than the earth can replenish them, Diaz urges developed nations to act now, if not to aid the impoverished out of philanthropy, then to simply avoid their own economic collapse due over-consumption.
“You can’t dig a hole for generations and hope that one day you won’t fall in it,” he cautioned. “You can find tricks and play games to make it sound like it still works, but one moment it will not work anymore.”
The End of Poverty? is playing at 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Rose Cinemas (30 Lafayette Street at Duane Street).
Thursday, February 26, 2009
JAMAICAN MUSIC
Jamaican Music More than Marley in Movie
by Jacklyn Katz
Made in Jamaica is the kind of film that will make you want to dance and sway to the music.
A fusion of documentary and music video, the film will play Thursday night as part of the Best of the African Diaspora Film Festival. Beyond the soulful reggae music of Bob Marley, this film aims to highlight the struggles and the triumphs of Jamaica’s most notorious artists.
Director Jérôme Laperrousaz uses news footage, interviews, and performances to discuss the evolution of music and the music industry in Jamaica. As Laperrousaz sees it, the explosion of music in this country veils its citizens’ pain, heartache, and desire to succeed and survive. The film begins with the death of Bogle (Gerald Levy), a Jamaican dancehall performer. The violence and the strife surrounding these artists have served as inspiration for their emotional and explicit music as the film moves through its performers.
Third World, Gregory Isaacs, Lady Saw, Elephant Man, and Bounty Killer are just a few of the many artists included in this film who exemplify the diverse musical styles cultivated in Jamaica. For the most part, Laperrousaz is able to showcase each individual’s talents while demonstrating that each singer or musician is a part of a collective whole. But with the introduction of dancehall music, it is apparent that younger artists are using the foundations of reggae music to make their own way in the music world—the music is faster, louder, and at times raunchier than traditional reggae.
Laperrousaz introduces each artist in the film with a performance that is either from a concert or staged for the documentary. These staged performances add a unique dimension—they have an almost music-video quality—to sections of the film. But there are times when the filming of these mini music videos slows down the pace of the film—whether this is intentional or not is not always clear.
The construction of the film aside, it is incredible how much information is incorporated into this film. The film is not only a documentary about music and the history and transformation of reggae music, but also about the Jamaican people—their past, present, and future. Made in Jamaica is a raw and uncensored exploration of the Jamaican music scene. For those who aren’t familiar with reggae or dancehall music, the film certainly provides a crash course.
Made in Jamaica will play at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Rose Cinema (30 Lafayette St. at Duane Street). Tickets cost $8 for students.
by Jacklyn Katz
Made in Jamaica is the kind of film that will make you want to dance and sway to the music.
A fusion of documentary and music video, the film will play Thursday night as part of the Best of the African Diaspora Film Festival. Beyond the soulful reggae music of Bob Marley, this film aims to highlight the struggles and the triumphs of Jamaica’s most notorious artists.
Director Jérôme Laperrousaz uses news footage, interviews, and performances to discuss the evolution of music and the music industry in Jamaica. As Laperrousaz sees it, the explosion of music in this country veils its citizens’ pain, heartache, and desire to succeed and survive. The film begins with the death of Bogle (Gerald Levy), a Jamaican dancehall performer. The violence and the strife surrounding these artists have served as inspiration for their emotional and explicit music as the film moves through its performers.
Third World, Gregory Isaacs, Lady Saw, Elephant Man, and Bounty Killer are just a few of the many artists included in this film who exemplify the diverse musical styles cultivated in Jamaica. For the most part, Laperrousaz is able to showcase each individual’s talents while demonstrating that each singer or musician is a part of a collective whole. But with the introduction of dancehall music, it is apparent that younger artists are using the foundations of reggae music to make their own way in the music world—the music is faster, louder, and at times raunchier than traditional reggae.
Laperrousaz introduces each artist in the film with a performance that is either from a concert or staged for the documentary. These staged performances add a unique dimension—they have an almost music-video quality—to sections of the film. But there are times when the filming of these mini music videos slows down the pace of the film—whether this is intentional or not is not always clear.
The construction of the film aside, it is incredible how much information is incorporated into this film. The film is not only a documentary about music and the history and transformation of reggae music, but also about the Jamaican people—their past, present, and future. Made in Jamaica is a raw and uncensored exploration of the Jamaican music scene. For those who aren’t familiar with reggae or dancehall music, the film certainly provides a crash course.
Made in Jamaica will play at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Rose Cinema (30 Lafayette St. at Duane Street). Tickets cost $8 for students.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
SpringlineJamaica: Theo Beckford - Profile
SpringlineJamaica
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Theo Beckford - Profile
Theophilus Beckford was born in 1935, in Trench Town Kingston, Jamaica. His musical talents can most probably be attributed to his father, who played in the Jamaican Military Band, and the fact that he had access to the family piano. His family noticed his talent but still forced him to learn music first at Kingston's Boys Town School and then with two private tutors. By the 1955 he purchased his own piano, and played on calypso songs, aimed primarily at tourists, for Count Lasher and Lord Flea, with Jewish-Jamaican entrepreneur and proprietor of a downtown photographic supply shop Stanley Motta producing. The dominant music in Jamaica during the 50's was American rhythm and blues, and most local artists copied the sounds of New Orleans. Beckford has cited the Memphis jump-blues piano playing of Rosco Gordon as particularly influential on his style, with Fats Domino another major inspiration; he was also fond of singers Lloyd Price and Patti Page. In late 1956, Beckford started to develop a style that drew from R&B, but had a noticeably different rhythmic structure; instead of the fore-beat emphasis of boogie woogie, he used piano chords to emphasise the after-beat, the second and fourth beats of every measure rather than the first and third. 1956 also saw Beckford working with Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd. They were often spending long hours in the studio rehearsing and experimenting with this new rhythm. Eventually they produced 'Easy Snapping', which was recorded with the help of Clue J and the Blues Blasters. Dodd initially retained the song on acetate as a dub-plate for his Downbeat sound system, and it proved to be highly popular among the lawn dance crowd. Despite Beckford's pleas to release the record to the public, Coxsone held onto the tune for the best part of 3 years, before finally releasing the single in 1959. The song became an instant hit, skyrocketing to number one and remaining on the charts for an unparalleled 18 months. Many argue that ska and consequently Jamaican music began with this song. While the more conservative would argue that it is somewhere between ska and American R&B, its influence however is indisputable.As is always the way with these stories, Beckford saw little substantial evidence of "Easy Snappin's" success. He received no royalties for either the song's initial Jamaican release, or its re-release on the English Blue Beat label. Despite this he continued to release more tracks for Dodd, including "Georgia and the Old Shoes," "Jack and Jill Shuffle," and "Tell Them, Little Lady," but in the early '60s he severed his ties with Downbeat, as immortalized on the song, "Mr. Downpressor."Beckford then recorded vocal tracks for King Edwards, Duke Reid, and Prince Buster, and provided piano backing for many popular ska acts. He still did not see the financial reward he felt he deserved and in 1963 he formed his own King Pioneer label. Now in total control of his music he released some of his own Jamaican folk material, as well as records by Basil Gabbidon, Lloyd Clarke, and the Tennors. Although his adaptation of the folksong 'Boller Man A Come' was popular, most King Pioneer material failed to become hits.As ska gave way to rocksteady, and then became reggae, Beckford continued to get regular work as a session musician. He recorded for Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, and for Leslie Kong as one of the Beverly's All Stars house band. He also backed such vocalists as Toots & the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, and Eric "Monty" Morris. Beckford also became a musical arranger for Duke Reid, Joe Gibbs, Bunny Lee, and Leslie Kong; and, in 1978, played himself in a cameo for the film Rockers.By the mid-'80s though the digital revolution was taking hold. The need for session musicians in the studio was virtually nonexistent, and though he continued to perform live, Beckford was now finding it hard to make ends meet. By the end of his life he felt he was only surviving "by the grace of God and the assistance of a few friends."In 1991 things looked like they might be on the turn as he participated in The Beat Goes On: 35 Years In The Business Shows by Studio One in Kingston's National Arena, though nothing in the end was forth coming. The following year must have been especially hard for him as his old hit "Easy Snappin'" was used in a 1992 European TV ads campaign, and yet once again he received no royalties.In 2000, he was honoured in the King Omar's annual Tribute to the Great show, however again he could not revel in this appreciation for long. On February 19, 2001, Beckford went to the Callaloo Mews section of Kingston to settle a dispute, and after an altercation with an unidentified man he was killed by a hatchet wound to the head. He was 65.This as with so many is a rather sad end to a man who gave so much to Jamaican music and was perhaps never really appreciated in the way he should have been, but whom without his experimentation with rhythm we may never of had the reggae sounds of today.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Theo Beckford - Profile
Theophilus Beckford was born in 1935, in Trench Town Kingston, Jamaica. His musical talents can most probably be attributed to his father, who played in the Jamaican Military Band, and the fact that he had access to the family piano. His family noticed his talent but still forced him to learn music first at Kingston's Boys Town School and then with two private tutors. By the 1955 he purchased his own piano, and played on calypso songs, aimed primarily at tourists, for Count Lasher and Lord Flea, with Jewish-Jamaican entrepreneur and proprietor of a downtown photographic supply shop Stanley Motta producing. The dominant music in Jamaica during the 50's was American rhythm and blues, and most local artists copied the sounds of New Orleans. Beckford has cited the Memphis jump-blues piano playing of Rosco Gordon as particularly influential on his style, with Fats Domino another major inspiration; he was also fond of singers Lloyd Price and Patti Page. In late 1956, Beckford started to develop a style that drew from R&B, but had a noticeably different rhythmic structure; instead of the fore-beat emphasis of boogie woogie, he used piano chords to emphasise the after-beat, the second and fourth beats of every measure rather than the first and third. 1956 also saw Beckford working with Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd. They were often spending long hours in the studio rehearsing and experimenting with this new rhythm. Eventually they produced 'Easy Snapping', which was recorded with the help of Clue J and the Blues Blasters. Dodd initially retained the song on acetate as a dub-plate for his Downbeat sound system, and it proved to be highly popular among the lawn dance crowd. Despite Beckford's pleas to release the record to the public, Coxsone held onto the tune for the best part of 3 years, before finally releasing the single in 1959. The song became an instant hit, skyrocketing to number one and remaining on the charts for an unparalleled 18 months. Many argue that ska and consequently Jamaican music began with this song. While the more conservative would argue that it is somewhere between ska and American R&B, its influence however is indisputable.As is always the way with these stories, Beckford saw little substantial evidence of "Easy Snappin's" success. He received no royalties for either the song's initial Jamaican release, or its re-release on the English Blue Beat label. Despite this he continued to release more tracks for Dodd, including "Georgia and the Old Shoes," "Jack and Jill Shuffle," and "Tell Them, Little Lady," but in the early '60s he severed his ties with Downbeat, as immortalized on the song, "Mr. Downpressor."Beckford then recorded vocal tracks for King Edwards, Duke Reid, and Prince Buster, and provided piano backing for many popular ska acts. He still did not see the financial reward he felt he deserved and in 1963 he formed his own King Pioneer label. Now in total control of his music he released some of his own Jamaican folk material, as well as records by Basil Gabbidon, Lloyd Clarke, and the Tennors. Although his adaptation of the folksong 'Boller Man A Come' was popular, most King Pioneer material failed to become hits.As ska gave way to rocksteady, and then became reggae, Beckford continued to get regular work as a session musician. He recorded for Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, and for Leslie Kong as one of the Beverly's All Stars house band. He also backed such vocalists as Toots & the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, and Eric "Monty" Morris. Beckford also became a musical arranger for Duke Reid, Joe Gibbs, Bunny Lee, and Leslie Kong; and, in 1978, played himself in a cameo for the film Rockers.By the mid-'80s though the digital revolution was taking hold. The need for session musicians in the studio was virtually nonexistent, and though he continued to perform live, Beckford was now finding it hard to make ends meet. By the end of his life he felt he was only surviving "by the grace of God and the assistance of a few friends."In 1991 things looked like they might be on the turn as he participated in The Beat Goes On: 35 Years In The Business Shows by Studio One in Kingston's National Arena, though nothing in the end was forth coming. The following year must have been especially hard for him as his old hit "Easy Snappin'" was used in a 1992 European TV ads campaign, and yet once again he received no royalties.In 2000, he was honoured in the King Omar's annual Tribute to the Great show, however again he could not revel in this appreciation for long. On February 19, 2001, Beckford went to the Callaloo Mews section of Kingston to settle a dispute, and after an altercation with an unidentified man he was killed by a hatchet wound to the head. He was 65.This as with so many is a rather sad end to a man who gave so much to Jamaican music and was perhaps never really appreciated in the way he should have been, but whom without his experimentation with rhythm we may never of had the reggae sounds of today.
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