Who was "Buddy" Bolden?
That's the question posed by director Dan Pritzker, who is on a mission to tell the world about one of the greatest cornet players to have lived. Bolden is a new biopic that reimagines the life of the man and musician who helped evolve the New Orleans style of ragtime (the precursor to jazz music) and inspired many musicians after him, but whose story has been lost to time.
The historical drama takes viewers into Bolden's talented but tragic life. A black man in 1900s New Orleans, Bolden (played by Gary Carr) develops his talent in an environment fueled by racism and classism. Passionate, creative and innovative, the talented Bolden meets with struggle as he becomes involved in drug use, mental illness and battles with his own anxieties of having his music stolen. (The recording technology at the time, the wax cylinder, had one major downside: Bolden's music could be heard, but he'd remain faceless to listeners, leaving room for anyone else to take credit.)
The movie features music written, arranged and produces by GRAMMY-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis who touched on Bolden's trailblazing impact, including his improvising style, in a statement to the Recording Academy.
"Buddy Bolden created a style that featured personal improvisation and, as leader, he encouraged his colleagues to develop the same skills. His revolution was one of sound, conception and philosophy: ‘I'm free, you be free too.’" Marsalis said. "He simplified lengthy forms but added emotional and psychological complexity, while giving the responsibility for improvised drama to the collective. Bolden taught his musicians, either in fact or in action, how to improvise together. And this was something that had not been done in the known history of western music."
Bolden touches on the harsh realities faced by musicians at the time, but honors the genius that Bolden was and celebrates his immense contributions to a style of music, honing in on his expressive style of playing, that has inspired everyone from Dr. Dre to the Rolling Stones.
Bolden is now in theaters.
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