natell attended yamilet

[Narcisa Flierl]

Having watched the documentary, i see it the same way as Stef.Totally agree with his comments.
That's why, in the end, i would not recommend it-at least to someone who is not a beginner with Coltrane's music,Free Jazz or improvisation in general.

It is quite amazing that still the establishment cannot cope with the last phase of Trane's music. But is it? I see this doc as another way to normalize his music, to make it part of the so called "serious music" -as in contrary to his last, totally free, period.

I think this answers the question on why they did not invite someone from his later period (wouldn't Mr. Pharoah Sanders be available?...). They never wanted to present his later period music as it was: a political entity which, though, was based on a spirituality that the record industry couldn't accept or cope.Or, for some people at least, his way to present the Cry of his people.

I don't want to comment on some of the participants of the doc (their ties with the establishment are well known), but it frustrates me that still Coltrane and his wonderful, free of all preconceptions later period music is being abused or intentionally forgotten in such a way.

The music will always stay with us thankfully.

Thanks Fotis and Martin for the comments. I'm not saying they're talking pejoratively about this phase per se, but apart from Densmore (and is he truly the jazz expert? I am a fan of The Doors, but for different reasons) nobody seems to really appreciate this new direction or even bother to provide any insights into the value of this later phase, as if it's a kind of appendix to Coltrane's musical legacy that actually ended with A Love Supreme.

The film "The World According to John Coltrane" is the only documentary that includes interviews with musicians who clearly understand the breadth and depth of all of Coltrane's music because they shared similar visions: La Monte Young and Roscoe Mitchell. Such musicians (and other comparable figures like Terry Riley, Anthony Braxton and Evan Parker) don't get asked because musicians that make Coltrane-level demands on an audience can't be as familiar as Clinton and Washington and the Marsalis Bros. The Coltrane recordings that are likely best known are the original recording of "My Favorite Things" and "A Love Supreme." "A Love Supreme" is the least Coltrane-like of his recordings because it's a codified statement, each segment with a specific expressive goal, rather than an exploration, similar in this regard to "Giant Steps," where the goals are technical and theoretical. They're made to be remembered, and once recorded were hardly ever touched again. Stuart Broomer

Thanks Stuart Broomer for recommending the film The World According To Coltrane; I was not aware of it and it looks to be very good. I admit to being turned off on this one precisely due to its "establishment-friendly" nature, and from the comments of those who have seen it it seems I was right in avoiding it.

Colin, Thanks for pointing out that 2013 review. It's excellent, especially in emphasizing the special quality of "Interstellar Space." Along with that, the late Coltrane recording I turn to is "Meditations." I may be the only FJB writer old enough or geographically placed to have heard the late quintet live. I've never heard a recording that even suggested, let alone conveyed, the experience of being in a room with that music. Its coherence was achieved live through sheer large-room-filling power, intensity and density. There was no space for any kind of analytical distance. For some in the room it was ecstatic (me among them); for others, it was a horrifying betrayal.

I think it's fair to say that any jazz documentary made these days that wants to have an appeal beyond the most hard-core jazz fans is going to have an "evangelical" aspect: it's going to try to reach and perhaps convert the uninitiated. Going in-depth into late Coltrane would not contribute to this goal. I thought the documentary did a very nice job of giving access to the broad appeal of Coltrane, musically and culturally, while hinting at the more adventurous stuff that is always available to listeners who want to delve into it.

By way of contrast, consider Ron Mann's *Imagine the Sound* (1981), which I only watched for the first time a few weeks ago. Outstanding footage of Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Paul Bley, and Archie Shepp, mostly focusing on the music rather than extensive interviews or celebrity talking heads. But of almost no value whatsoever to those not already a part of the free jazz cognoscenti. It is a movie made by insiders for insiders, and while I can understand why a lot of us might prefer this approach, it's also more likely to preserve the music as a relic or museum-piece.

If by evangelical you mean commercial I agree. But they are largely preaching to the already converted these days. Many, many documentaries have already covered this ground, and those who wanted to watch such things have likely already done so. I would argue that it's this approach that relegates the music to relics and museam-pieces, rather than delving into the unusual and fiery remainder.

Isn't this all rather similar to the furore that surrounded Ken Burns' massive documentary on jazz, and it's (relative) dismissal of the Free Jazz period (summed up rather cursorily in the final episode)? Same with 1969-75 Miles Davis and his 'electric period'. And Ornette, post-73, with his various Prime Time iterations. It's all part of the same narrative.
I try to enjoy what is in front of me, rather than what isn't, and at times wonder if we don't get a vicarious pleasure from feeling that the 'establishment' just doesn't 'get it', with the accompanying sense of superiority?
It's pretty obvious why the average jazz fan (should such an entity exist) didn't and doesn't, enjoy 'Ascension', 'Live/Evil' and 'Dancing in Your Head': they push the boundaries of 'jazz', which one of the factors that makes them great to listen to.
Just don't expect the 'straights' to get on board, man.

Last weekend, "Fishpeople" showed up on my Netflix "recommended for you" list. Here's the trailer. It is a documentary with 6 vignettes of people who share a transformational/spiritual connection to the ocean. I was immediately intrigued. "They better have an open water swimmer," I thought to myself. But then I shuddered, "It will probably be some some self-promoting poser like Ben Hooper or [she whose name shall not be mentioned]."

I was very delighted when the third story was, in fact, an open water swimmer, and even better, it was none other than the lovely Lynne Cox. A fine choice and a great representative of our beloved sport.

I turned this on the other night. My husband likes documentaries, but he wasn't really interested when I told him what this was about. Two minutes in and he was totally hooked. We loved the free diving girl, too. And he didn't know all the stuff about Lynne Cox, even though I've told him. He's in awe of her now. Visually, it was just pretty to look at the ocean.

Honestly, the Lynne Cox bit was tough, because I know her story (as do most of us here), and it deserves a full-length documentary by itself. Of the 8 minutes she was given, a full minute was literally Lynne pointing at a globe - the locations of her various swims.

But I agree, great that they chose Lynne as opposed to certain other options. For this project I might have preferred someone less famous, whose story is less well publicized already. Who is our equivalent of the spearfishing girl?

Recent years have produced an influx of popular documentaries of Indian gurus who founded transnational spiritual communities and became embroiled in various forms of controversy. One example of this is Wild Wild Country, a 2018 Netflix documentary that depicts the rise and fall of a spiritual community, started by an Indian guru named Osho (1931-1990) in a failed attempt to build a utopian commune in Oregon. American representations of Asian religious figures have historically been a complex, and often prejudiced, affair. This thesis will attempt to assert the best fit theoretical framework with which to interpret Wild Wild Country, between Edward Said's Orientalism and J. J. Clarke's Affirmative Orientalism. Alongside these frameworks, the thesis will incorporate the theoretical framework of Virtual Orientalism by Jane Iwamura, and scholarly analyses of Osho from Marion Goldman and Hugh Urban. My thesis will explore the documentary's representations of Hinduism, race, sexuality, capitalism, and culture. The original contribution of the project will be an analysis of Osho in the primary source material Wild Wild Country. Utilizing the postcolonial scholarship produced by scholars such as Edward Said, Richard King, and Jane Iwamura, as well as the alternative framework of Affirmative Orientalism used by J.J. Clarke, the project will attempt to dissect the American media representation of the "mystic East" broadly, and of the Hindu religious leader Osho, specifically.

Note: Many of the documentaries on this list deal heavily with themes of suicide, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and religious trauma. Before streaming, understand whether any topics that could be triggering for you are present, and take care when watching.

Delving into the story of Father Yod, the founder of a spiritual commune in the Hollywood Hills during the late 1960s, the documentary exposes the darker side of this cult and its charismatic leader. Their community practiced vegetarianism, took drugs like marijuana and LSD, and formed a rock band, making them arguably one of the least harmful cults in this list, but a cult all the same. The film features a thumping soundtrack from the cult's psychedelic rock band, Ya Ho Wha 13, and offers a glimpse into the alternative ways of living during the 1970s.

Directed by Will Allen, a former member of the Buddhafield cult who documented his time in the group, the film features interviews with Allen and other former members who share their experiences of being drawn into the group's idealism and the charismatic leadership of Jaime Gomez, who believed he was divine (as many cult leaders do). Featuring archival footage and lingering shots of Gomez, Holy Hell is likely one of the creepiest cult documentaries out there.

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