village blues (Soundtrack)

by e.g. bailey

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1.	village blues (Soundtrack) 19:13	info
2.	one AM arguement: village blues (featuring e.g. bailey) 04:19
3.	american nitemare (featuring Truthmaze) 04:45
4.	Amma Song (featuring Mankwe Ndosi, J. Otis Powell! + Rachel Flomo) 10:08

about

This is the soundtrack for an improvisational spoken word film, village blues, created in 2000. village blues is an improvisational exploration into a discovery between spoken word and film. village blues is an attempt to define this process and relationship. It is also an attempt to explore the possibilities, and perhaps test the limits, of improvisation within the filmmaking process. Therefore, we wanted to make this work an improvisational process, where all artists involved were inspired by a common element from which they were able to create their part of the whole. All these parts would then be brought together to simulate, or actuate, an improvisation. Often, inimprovisation, there is a common structure or theme, or a musical line, upon which artists improvise. Therefore, the goal was to bring this method to filmmaking and explore its possibilities.

The subject matter of village blues deals with the disintegration of interpersonal and social relationships within the Black community. It is based on three poems written by e. g. bailey. These pieces served as the common elements that unified the work of the participating artists. The inspiration of the poems have created two larger elements--the film and the soundtrack. The poems were given to each individual involved in the process--including the filmmaker, the actors, the musicians, the vocalists and producers. Each artist then completed their part of the work. And they were brought together and presented as a whole for the first time on opening night.

village blues has won awards for experimental film at the Worldstaff Houston International Film Festival and the Sarah Lawrence Film Festival, and has been shown in several film festivals around the Twin Cities and on MNTV, a showcase of MN filmmakers presented by KTCA.

"village blues, likewise, aims at no less than expressing what it's like being black and American." - Charles Bowe

"Powerful, if painful." - Mark Schuller

credits

released February 1, 2000

written and produced by e.g. bailey
music written and produced by
Jeremy Ylvisaker and Kitundu
Mastered by Hipgnosis

'one AM arguement: village blues'
performed by e.g. bailey

'american nitemare'
performed by Truthmaze

'Amma Song'
performed by Mankwe Ndosi,
J. Otis Powell and Rachel Flomo

This is supported by a grant provided by the MN State Arts Board through an appropriation from the MN State Legislature. In addition, this activity is supported in part by a grant from the NEA.

© 2000 Tru Rut Endeavors

license

about

e.g. bailey Minneapolis

Amiri Baraka says of E.G. Bailey's work, "He makes language live!."

Deemed a true innovator and visionary of the spoken word art form, he has been called one of the most prolific voices and talents in the Twin Cities.

A recipient of numerous grants, he is currently working with Amiri Baraka on a stage adaptation of Baraka's epic cycle of poems, Wise Why's Y's. ... more