JAZZ NIGHTS: A CONFIDENTIAL JOURNEY Event Fundraiser

FILM SYNOPSIS:



The award-winning documentary JAZZ NIGHTS: A CONFIDENTIAL JOURNEY explores a premiere group of Los Angeles jazz musicians and their communal journey of musical and personal exploration. It’s a revealing film about what it means to be a musical artist, a jazz artist, and to be a Los Angeles artist. The film follows these musicians through their final 4 gigs of a 2-year residency that took place at a secret, illicit hash bar hidden in the heart of Hollywood from 2011-2013. The setting allowed the musicians to explore the origins of jazz itself in the speakeasies of the 20’s, as well as the underground jazz clubs across the country and in Los Angeles’ own Leimert Park.

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

JAZZ NIGHTS: A CONFIDENTIAL JOURNEY was 5 years in the making and was done independently with money raised via crowdfunding & individual donations. We acquired the licensing fees to allow us a 1-year film festival run. JAZZ NIGHTS had its world premiere at the 2016 Newport Beach International Film Festival and won the Audience Award from the 2017 Copenhagen International Jazz Film Festival.

REVIEWS:

"The music that is heard is not only an ambiance, or nuance, it is a movement that will set a standard of what underground Jazz means in Los Angeles. JAZZ NIGHTS: A CONFIDENTIAL JOURNEY gives back the essence and meaning of real straight-ahead Jazz.." –A.K. Toney, Reading is Poetry.

"Takes the viewer into the world of the artists and makes them part of the scene. I had such a strong feeling of direct engagement with the music and the artists... It so effectively conveys many of the reasons jazz is so powerful and vital." –Steve Isoardi, Central Avenue Sounds.

“Hal Masonberg’s sensual, understated documentary makes a case for jazz returning to the night. And not just the literal night but the night of alternative spaces of the L.A. underground and word-of-mouth, to music free from club and record label skulduggery and allowed to breath again." -Matthew Duersten, StompBeast.

“JAZZ NIGHTS is masterfully structured, each topic set to a musical piece, each musical piece guiding us deeper into the theme of improvisation, until the entire set leaves us with a glowing epiphany!" –Shyamala Moorty, Dancing Storytellers.

"The film makers got it right, balancing superb music with an ongoing and intelligent contemplation/narrative from the performers about jazz and its pursuit. Highly recommended." –Dennis McNally, Cultural historian and Grateful Dead publicist.

"The therapeutically shared musical catharsis that emanates from Jazz was intimately captured with rich color, texture and solid sound storytelling. A documentary for all to see!" –LeRoy Downs, The Jazz Cat.

"A riveting tour de force. With candor and unbridled passion, the artists resonate beyond the bandstand." –Jeffrey Winston, California Jazz Foundation.

"Reveals a very contemporary reality of the classic American form, and at a specific moment in Los Angeles history. Hal Masonberg brings us intimately into the concert and practice space showing the skill that goes into being both unique individual players and coming together as an ensemble. I learn something new about both music and myself each time I see the film." –Sariyah Idan, Singer-Songwriter.

“For me, it’s a classic with a firm place in the cultural archives right next to The Freshest Kids, Basquiat: The Radiant Child, and any Warhol documentary. It was so exciting to see my peers honored, our time in history captured, and the art form portrayed with such reverence." –Ebony Ann Blaze, Jazz Vocalist

"The river of music that soundtracked the film ebbed and flowed out of the dialogue– of biographies, philosophies, styles, signatures… I didn’t have to worry or wonder or ask questions about what the film was about… The film took care of me. I just had to — like a solo– ride it. When a thing is well made, it speaks for itself. It moves you… What a way to make us feel that spark again, that seed of Life again -Musically, Visually, Politically… and Spiritually." –Lynn Elishaw, Jazz Artist

LINKS:

JAZZ NIGHTS IMDB Page
JAZZ NIGHTS Facebook Page
JAZZ NIGHTS Twitter Page
JAZZ NIGHTS Instagram Page
JAZZ NIGHTS Official Website
JAZZ NIGHTS Official Trailer
JAZZ NIGHTS Alternate Trailer