The Filtered Excellence: March 28, 2021
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this week’s picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more.
WATCH THIS
Tina. Tina Turner’s life has been the subject of a best-selling memoir and an Academy Award-nominated film, but until now, all aspects have never been given a comprehensive examination. In this new HBO Max documentary, directors Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin get full unprecedented access to the singer as she tells the story of how Anna Mae Bullock from Nutbush, Tennessee, became Tina Turner, a global superstar. What is most telling about this doc is how unveils new insights into what has passed or common knowledge about being abandoned by her parents at a young age; her volatile, violent marriage to Ike Turner; and how she overcame debt, and industry indifference to make her improbable comeback with 1984’s multi-platinum Private Dancer. Turner tells her own story, but rather than have her re-tell some of the most painful aspects of her marriage, Lindsay and Martin instead use audio tapes from 1981 and 1985 to give these stories more emotional bite. Even more jarring is how Turner, 45 years removed from leaving Ike for good, is still haunted by their relationship and still deals with questions about the traumatic part of her life. But we also see Turner’s exceptional drive, tenacity, and focus, as she evolves from rhythm & blues to pop and rock; clubs, and bars, to concert halls, arenas and stadiums; and from a small farm town in Tennessee to palatial estate in Zurich, Switzerland. Filled with great stories and accounts from family, friends and associates, and sporting a killer soundtrack, Lindsay and Martin have put together the ultimate look at a musical icon. Tina is available now on HBO Max.
LISTEN TO THIS
Gild The Black Lily by Queen Esther. For over 25 years, Queen Esther has been musically shape shifting from blues, gospel, jazz and rock, while also carving out a formidable career as an actress and a playwright. With her new album, Queen Esther can now adds Southern-fried Americana to her musical repertoire. In addition to producing, Queen Esther leads a band that includes Demolition String Band guitarist Boo Reiners, Hilliard Greene on bass, guitarist Jeff McLauglin and Gregory Lewis of Thelonious Monk on organ. She mixes in her own material along with covers by Son House, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, George Jones and The Eagles, to craft a startling song cycle documenting the American Black Southern experience. Hearing her handle this material with such grace and ease makes you wonder why she didn’t make this album sooner. It also makes you hope that she gives us another round of roots based brilliance. A startling work from one of music’s best vocalists. Glid The Black Lily by Queen Esther is available now through all major streaming services.
Immigrants by Nitin Sawhney. The plight of immigrants helped shaped Nitin Sawhney’s 11th album. Working as a sequel to his groundbreaking 1999 album, Beyond Skin, the multi-instrumentalist enlists an international cast of collaborators (YVA, Dhurv Sangari, Nicki Wells, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Nina Miranda, Natasha Atlas, Samy Bishai, Aruba Red, Abi Sampa, Rushil, Gina Leonard, Natty, Spek, Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne, Anna Phoebe and AVAWAVES) for a suite of thought-provoking songs channeling emotions that range from full-on despair to optimistic. Sawhney also incorporates jarring news clips, past and present along with spoken-word recollections from migrants to add a level of empathy and compassion that doesn’t come off contrived or preachy. Global in scope but local in execution, Sawhney has crafted an album that is perfectly in line to what is happening here in the States and around the world. Immigrants by Nitin Sawhney is available now through all major streaming services.
STREAM THIS
Voices Of Freedom. Jazz At Lincoln Center closes out International Women’s Month with Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, and a roster of special guest vocalists (Melanie Charles, Shenel Johns and Ashley Pezzotti) performing seminal works by Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone and Betty Carter. To hear these songs put through the Jazz at Lincoln Center filter will make this event nothing short of an emotional and powerful. A fantastic way to round out the month. Voice Of Freedom by The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra will be available on demand through the Jazz at Lincoln Center website (2021.jazz.org) through March 31st.
Your Hometown: Sigourney Weaver. The podcast series ‘Your Hometown’ continues its collaboration with The Museum Of The City Of New York by sitting down with some of New York’s best creatives. In this edition, host Kevin Burke sits down with Tony and Academy Award nominated actress Sigourney Weaver. She discusses how roaming the streets of New York helped transform her from Susan Weaver, the shy bookish student at all-girls school, into a badass heroine of the Aliens franchise and star of Gorillas In The Mist and Working Girl. It’s a rare chance to hear one of our best actresses talk about her formative years in the greatest city of the world. You can listen to Your Hometown: Sigourney Weaver at www.yourhometown.org or mcny.org.
Latest posts by Earl Douglas (see all)
- Earl’s World: The Filtered Excellence: September 7, 2021 - September 7, 2021
- Remembering Fez Whatley - August 15, 2021
- Earl’s World: The Filtered Excellence: July 23, 2021 - July 25, 2021
