Robert Philipson

Body and Soul: An American Bridge

Robert Philipson

A documentary about the jazz standard and it's roots in Jewish and African-American culture/

T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s

Robert Philipson

Jewelle Gomez, Chris Albertson

The 1920s saw a revolution in technology, the advent of the recording industry, that created the first class of African-American women to sing their way to fame and fortune. Blues divas such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter created and promoted a working-class vision of blues life that provided an alternative to the Victorian gentility of middle-class manners. In their lives and music, blues women presented themselves as strong, independent women who lived hard lives and were unapologetic about their unconventional choices in clothes, recreational activities, and bed partners. Blues singers disseminated a Black feminism that celebrated emotional resilience and sexual pleasure, no matter the source.

Ma Rainey's Lesbian Licks

Robert Philipson

Contemporary cover of a 1928 blues song written and performed by Ma Rainey with explicitly lesbian lyrics.

The Lives of LaMott Atkins

Robert Philipson

Meet LaMott Atkins: closeted football star, closeted disco singer, closeted model, actor, son and lover. And he’s African-American… and now lives as a yogi and single parent in the world’s gayest neighborhood.