[Harp-L] Pocketful of Soul

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   As Joe Leone suggested, I would think that the movie will eventually
show up on PBS.  Many decades ago I saw the previous documentary on
harmonica, "Playing the Thing", on our local PBS station.  It featured
Larry Adler and James Cotton, among others, as I recall.  One of the best
things I ever saw, very inspiring to myself as a young player.
Pre-internet, it made me realize that I was connected to a much larger
community with a great history.
   I pointed out to Ms. Scharres that at least two of the world's best
players shown in the movie (Howard Levy and Joe Filisko) lived nearby, that
the Old Town School of Folk Music had a sizable harmonica program, that the
Windy City Harmonica Club was still going strong, and that Chicago had a
long history of blues harmonica players.  I think we probably could have
had a very good turnout for opening night, but maybe nothing afterwards.
She knows her numbers better than I do.
   Of course I haven't seen the movie yet, but I think the trick with a
good documentary is that it should somehow appeal to a wider audience.
People who know little, if anything about the subject.  The Siskel Center
is showing a documentary titled "Brooklyn Castle", and the teaser for it is:

"Marvelous... I don't know diddly about chess and still loved
it."----Michael Phillips, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

   I think that's what you're looking for, an angle that sucks in
non-harmonica players.  In the case of the chess movie, the angle is that
these are inner city at-risk kids who are introduced to chess and
are gaining self-esteem by having great success in tournaments.
People love an underdog and maybe Todd's movie has some of that.

Mick Zaklan