Completed - ENGLISH, FRENCH - Documentary - 108 minutes
A portrait of Sunny Murray, the first drummer to play the Theory of Relativity!
Year of production : 2008 Director(s) : Antoine PRUM Writer(s) : Antoine PRUM Cast : Sunny MURRAY, Robert WYATT, François TUSQUES, Cecil TAYLOR, Henry GRIMES, Grachan MONCHUR III, Bobby FEW, Monnette SUDLER, Rasul SIDDIK, Sonny SIMMONS, Ted CURSON, Fritz NOWOTNY, Tony OXLEY, William PARKER, Ekkehard JOST Producer(s) : Paul THILTGES (PAUL THILTGES DISTRIBUTIONS), David GRUMBACH (PAUL THILTGES DISTRIBUTIONS), Stéphane BUBEL (LA BASCULE PRODUCTIONS)
The documentary feature Sunny’s time now recounts the public career of an outstanding avant-garde musician: American jazz drummer and composer Sunny Murray, one of Free jazz’s most influential figures in the 1960s and 70s. More than just a historical approach, the film depicts Murray’s current agenda by following him on his gigs while showing the daily struggle to perpetuate a musical genre that is to a certain extent still ignored by the public at large. By interviewing a number of important figures of the so-called “New Thing” scene who, at one time or another, have crossed Murray’s path from the beginning of the 1960s to this day, the documentary follows the changing symbiotic relationship between the libertarian music movement and the political events of an era when social claims found a particularly creative echo in the realm of music. With libertarian ideas wearing out and quieting down in the following decade, the most radical forms of musical expression were soon to disappear from the spotlight. But while the rock scene was quick to adopt a more pragmatic stance to suit its financial interests, the New Thing diehards ultimately found themselves excluded from the big production and distribution networks. In its attempt to capture the main protagonist's life and career, the film will also dwell on the small and near-clandestine community of unrepentant Free Jazz aficionados who go on worshipping the gods of their musical youth. Their unfaltering support has permitted this music scene – of which Sunny Murray is one of the few still active figures – to live on.
Country(ies) : LUXEMBOURG, FRANCE Financing plan : Filmfund Luxembourg (540.000 €) Start of shooting : March 2007