Robert Mugge
2021
Black Wax
Robert Mugge
Gil Scott-Heron, Glen 'Astro' Turner
Gil Scott-Heron, one of rap's earliest (and unfortunately unknown) pioneers, gets his full due in Black Wax, the 1982 documentary recently reissued on video. Interspliced between performance footage of Scott-Heron and his Midnight Band are vignettes of him walking around Washington D.C., spouting his views on then-President Reagan (dubbed "Ray-Gun") and generally dropping knowledge. The live performance features many of Scott-Heron's best-known hits, including "Johannesburg," "Winter in America," and "Angel Dust," among others. Warm, intelligent, and insightful throughout, Scott-Heron is clearly enjoying himself and the opportunity to espouse his views. A must for any fan of Scott-Heron's, and definitely worth a look for fans of the funkier jazz music of the mid to late 1970's.
Black Wax
The Return of Rubén Blades
Robert Mugge
Rubén Blades
Robert Mugge's 1986 film provides a full-blooded portrait of the Latino singer, actor, bandleader, and composer. Blades' Panama homeland, his Harvard Master's degree, and a New York performance with his band Seis de Solar all serve as stops on this biographical journey.
The Return of Rubén Blades
New Orleans: Music in Exile
Robert Mugge
Theresa Andersson, Stephen Assaf
Documentary about the many well-known New Orleans musicians who were forced to leave the city by Hurricane Katrina, where they wound up, how (and if) they plan to return to the city. Also shown are many landmark nightclubs and other well-known spots that were damaged or destroyed by Katrina.
New Orleans: Music in Exile
Hellhounds on My Trail: The Afterlife of Robert Johnson
Robert Mugge
Roosevelt Barnes, Robert Johnson
Hellhounds On My Trail is a tribute to the influence of Delta Blues legend Robert Johnson and the effect that he has had on today's music. The film was made in conjunction with the "American Masters Series" week-long tribute put on by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and chronicles the legacy of Robert Johnson through interviews and speeches by a number of musicologists and through the performances of Robert Johnson's work by a number of fairly popular contemporary artists. The film features performances from Rob Wasserman and Bob Weir from the Grateful Dead; Keb' Mo; Robert Lockwood Jr.; G Love and Special Sauce; Gov't Mule and a lot of other performers.
Hellhounds on My Trail: The Afterlife of Robert Johnson
Blues Divas
Robert Mugge
Renee Austin, Deborah Coleman
A documentary featuring live performance footage and interviews with eight contemporary female blues' artists including Mavis Staples, Denise LaSalle, Irma Thomas, Odetta, Deborah Coleman, Bettye LaVette, Ann Peebles and Renee Austin.
Blues Divas
Deep Blues
Robert Mugge
R. L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough
This warm 90 minutes documentary shows us unknown blues musicians from Mississippi. They play everywhere : on the streets, in dirty little bars, in a barber shop, in big clubs. The film really captures the true faces of blues and shows us that this music had nothing to do with nostalgia or record company hypes. Documentary on the Delta blues.
Deep Blues
Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise
Robert Mugge
Sun Ra, June Tyson
Robert Mugge filmed jazz great Sun Ra on location in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. between 1978 and 1980. The resulting 60-minute film includes multiple public and private performances, poetry readings, a band rehearsal, interviews, and extensive improvisations. Transferred to HD from the original 16mm film and lovingly restored for the best possible viewing experience.
Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise
Kumu Hula: Keepers of a Culture
Robert Mugge
A film about the art of the hula explores Hawaiian dance traditions going back to 500AD when Polynesians first arrived in the islands. Those traditions have been passed along from generation to generation by kahuna (priests and sages) and kumu hula (master teachers). In this film, shot at exotic locations throughout the islands, Vicky Holt Takamine and other respected kumu hula reveal ancient traditions that have survived, flourished, and (where appropriate) evolved in spite of attempts by Nineteenth Century missionaries, plantation owners and US Marines to repress Hawai'i's indigenous culture. Together, these two films present Hawaiian art and life as few outsiders have seen it: rich, expressive, colorful and utterly unique. In 2015, both films were transferred to HD video from their original 16mm and stereo audio masters and lovingly restored.
Kumu Hula: Keepers of a Culture
Saxophone Colossus
Robert Mugge
Sonny Rollins, Gary Giddins
Tenor saxophone master Sonny Rollins has long been hailed as one of the most important artists in jazz history, and still, today, he is viewed as the greatest living jazz improviser. In 1986, filmmaker Robert Mugge produced Saxophone Colossus, a feature-length portrait of Rollins, named after one of his most celebrated albums.
Saxophone Colossus
