History is full of famous tales that are told from one perspective. As we all know, everyone has their own version of how something went down....even if it doesn't contradict the popular narrative, there's always something that happened in the background whose importance is diluted or not told at all.
Welcome to episode 130 of See Hear Podcast.
In 1974, a German teenage jazz fan named Vera Brandes was inspired to book jazz pianist Keith Jarrett to perform at the Koln Opera House. This seemed like a gigantic task however you look at it. Vera had gained a little experience in helping touring musicians perform around Germany (already a big task) but getting one of the then new leading lights in jazz to perform a large venue like the Koln Opera House at the age of 18???? Adding to the degree of difficulty, Jarrett arrived in Koln to discover that there was only an out of tune, broken pedal baby grand with stuck keys. Things happened, the concert was recorded, and the resulting album sold more than any other solo piano jazz album in history.
The thing is....everyone talks about Jarrett's ability to improvise on a (partly repaired) piano for an hour and create wonderful art. The part that is often missing or diluted from the story is how Vera Brandes made this happen at all. If she hadn't been so inspired to promote this show, the biggest selling piano jazz album ever, belongs to someone else.
Director and writer Ido Fluk was so inspired by this story, he decided to make a film to tell it from Vera's side of the tale. Sure, Jarrett is a strong part of the filmed version of events, but make no mistake – this is Vera's story. She went on to be a successful album producer and music promoter, but this is the tale she wanted told. As the analogy is made in the film, sometimes you have to tell the story of the scaffolding to appreciate the story of painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
On the latest episode of See Hear, Tim, Kerry and I were thrilled to chat with Ido about what the definition of success is, how making great art is not always about the artist solely, and how his own journey to write the tale in some ways reflected Keith's approach to improvisational music composition. Mala Emde as Vera and John Margaro as Keith are real revelations. Both actors reveal their characters as 3 dimensional in a way that may not have been in lesser hands. Ido is an incredible director who really knows how to tell a story and how to get the best out of his cast.
The film has already had festival screenings in Europe and the US, and is about to get a wider cinema release there. Hopefully, it gets wider worldwide release, before landing on streaming or physical media in the not too distant future. Trust me – you can listen and enjoy this conversation independently of seeing the film....but rush to it first chance you get.
Our huge thanks to Ido for his generosity of time and conversation, and to publicist Sasha Berman for making it happen.
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You can download episode 130 from here.
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