White Swirl

Two British filmmakers, Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty, and American Producer Duke Erikson have pieced together this extraordinary story set in the late 1920s when record companies toured America with a recording machine and for the first time captured the raw expression of an emerging culture. It democratized music and gave a voice to the poorest in the nation.

The filmmakers follow the machine’s trail across the United States to rediscover the families whose music was recorded by it, music that would lead to the development of blues, country, gospel, Hawaiian, Cajun and folk music – without which there would be no rock, pop, R&B or hip hop today. Over three episodes the remarkable lives of these seminal musicians are revealed through previously unseen film footage, unpublished photographs, and exclusive interviews with some of the last living witnesses to that era, when the musical strands of a diverse nation first emerged, sparking a cultural revolution whose reverberations are felt to this day.

For AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS the filmmakers have re-assembled the machine that allowed America to first hear itself. They have replicated the atmosphere of America’s seminal 1920s field recordings down to the smallest detail, with top American artists recording straight to wax, using all the original microphones, amplifiers, and other equipment from that era. This is the first time that any performer has been able to use this machinery for over 80 years. Aided and abetted by Jack White and T Bone Burnett, today's legends are given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to relive the experience of the founding mothers and fathers, their idols, and remake the music that changed America and changed the world.

The AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS features performances by Alabama Shakes, The Americans, The Avett Brothers, Beck, Frank Fairfield, Ana Gabriel, Rhiannon Giddens, Merle Haggard, Bobby Ingano, Elton John, Auntie Geri Kuhia, Pokey LaFarge, Bettye LaVette, Los Lobos, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Taj Mahal, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Fred Martin & The Levite Camp, Ashley Monroe, Nas, Willie Nelson, Charlie Kaleo Oyama, Blind Boy Paxton, Raphael Saadiq, and Jack White

dylnfan wrote:Is this going to be on Tidal?

rsimms3 wrote:

dylnfan wrote:Is this going to be on Tidal?

:banned:

dunedin wrote:"In addition to the historical documentary and sessions broadcasts, American Epic will include companion music releases of archival recordings featuring groundbreaking audio restoration of original 1920s and 1930s recordings, The American Epic Sessions contemporary performance recordings, and a deluxe vinyl box set, produced, designed and released by yours truly".

http://thirdmanrecords.com/news/american-epic/

The 1920s are an almost mythical time for the American recording industry, when record labels scoured the map and recorded a huge variety of folk, blues, country and ethnic songs by now-legendary acts like the Carter Family. But who were the people involved, and how did the technology work?

Those questions are at the heart of “American Epic,” a three-part documentary series coming to PBS and BBC Arena in October. It is the result of some eight years of research by two British filmmakers, Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty, into the methods of the record companies. Faced with plunging sales after the arrival of radio, the labels pursued new audiences by exploring rural America.

“These recordings were the first time America heard itself,” Mr. MacMahon said in an interview. “It is like the DNA of America, its raw expression.”

The series, whose executive producers are T Bone Burnett, Robert Redford and Jack White, traces the stories of the musicians involved, with rare photographs and films, like footage of 1920s folk festivals.

The filmmakers have also reconstructed an elaborate recording machine from the era — it involves weights and pulleys — and made new records on it, with contemporary performers like Willie Nelson, Elton John, Nas and Mr. White. These performances will be featured in a separate feature-length special, “American Epic Sessions,” also on PBS stations and BBC Arena; Sony will release the soundtrack.

Despite being made on a recreated machine from the 1920s, the new recordings were strikingly clear in a preview. Mr. MacMahon attributed that to the ingenuity of the machine’s design and the immediacy of recording methods of the time, which cut sounds directly to disc without editing.

“This period,” Mr. MacMahon said, “represents an apex of American technological innovation.”

Stl_ben wrote:Finally I will be able to own an Elton John record released by TMR!

Sony will release the soundtrack

grumblestiltskin wrote:

Stl_ben wrote:Finally I will be able to own an Elton John record released by TMR!

Sony will release the soundtrack

too bad

Stl_ben wrote:

grumblestiltskin wrote:

Stl_ben wrote:Finally I will be able to own an Elton John record released by TMR!

Sony will release the soundtrack

too bad

TMR posted on the vault they will be releasing the deluxe box set edition....

anonymousbrunette wrote:This looks phenomenal.

Kali Durga wrote:Just found the press release from PBS-- http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2 ... b69f4e8257

John Tefteller's even involved as a consultant, for anyone who follows his activities.

And, according to Entertainment Weekly, the documentary will be available on Blu-Ray and dvd-- http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/08/ja ... rican-epic They're the only source I've seen mention that so far, hopefully it's accurate.