Nestled away in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, musicians, poets and various academics once gathered to seek refuge at a place called the Music Inn during the 1950s. Away from Communist blacklisting and nuclear fear, this isolated group of artists created the first summer-long Jazz Festival and the First School of Jazz.
Four years in the making, the documentary film Music Inn will screen at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. In his directorial debut, Ben Barenholtz-who has spent years producing and distributing independent film since the ’60s-has captured rare footage of residents and students at the Music Inn as well as supplemental interviews. Among those queried are Randy Weston (pictured), Gunther Schuller, Billy Taylor, Percy Heath, Dave Brubeck, Pete Seeger and Oscar Brand.
The documentary also includes clips of Weston and his trio, Geoffrey Holder, Marshall Stearns, Tom Glazer, Al Minns and Leon James, along with unreleased audio performances from the likes of Mahalia Jackson, Woody Guthrie, Olatunji and Ornette Coleman.
Here is the Tribeca Film Festival screening schedule:
Thursday, May 3rd @ 6:30 p.m., AMC Village VII
Saturday, May 4th @ 2:30 p.m., AMC Village VII
Sunday, May 5th @ 10:00 p.m., Regal Cinemas Battery Park Cinemas 11
The Berkshire International Film Festival and the Munich Film Festival will also host screenings of Music Inn.
Originally Published
