Short and Suite by Norman Mclaren & Evelyn Lambart, 1959, 5mn
This short animation is a delightful colour cocktail by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart. The various moods in music written for a jazz ensemble by Eldon Rathburn are translated into moving patterns of colour and light. This lively short film is composed of images hand-scratched and hand-painted directly onto the film strip.
Begone Dull Care by Norman Mclaren & Evelyn Lambart, 1949, 7mn
In this extraordinary short animation, Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren painted colours, shapes, and transformations directly on to their filmstrip. The result is a vivid interpretation, in fluid lines and colour, of jazz music played by the Oscar Peterson Trio.
Oscar by Marie-Josée St-Pierre, 2016, 12mn
Brilliantly mixing animated sequences and archival footage, Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre paints a touching portrait of virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson. Set to the tunes of Peterson’s sometimes catchy, sometimes melancholy-tinged compositions, the film alternates between animated sequences and footage of radio and video interviews to tell a heartfelt story about a life in jazz.
Toronto Jazz by Don Owen, 1963, 27mn (https://www.nfb.ca/film/toronto_jazz/)
This short documentary profiles the mid-century Toronto jazz scene through the eyes of acclaimed filmmaker Don Owen. The film features prominent acts from what was then regarded as the third-largest jazz centre in North America, including the Lenny Breau trio, the Don Thompson Quintet and the Alf Jones Quartet.
Frederic Savard is a musician, archivist, researcher and independent programmer who is interested in integrating archival documents into contemporary audiovisual creations. His interest in music and film history has allowed him to be a guest programmer at the Cinematheque Quebecoise and that the Pop! Montreal Festival in recent years. He was also instrumental in the rediscovery of the album Bush Lady by legendary Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin. Recently, Savard helped resurrect long-forgotten John Coltrane soundtrack recordings for a new album, Blue World, which was released for the first time ever by Impulse! Record and Universal Music in September 2019.
With: Frederic Savard