A behind the scenes glimpse into the lives of Grammy Award winner Tito Puente and some of the greatest Latin musicians of our times! Experience the passion of Latin Jazz. It is a musical journey that captures the heart and soul of an entire culture. It is an innovative tapestry of sound and imagery, styles and rhythms-from samba to pambiche to flamenco. In Calle 54, Madrid-based filmmaker Fernando Trueba explores the wide and wonderful world of Latin jazz: a hybrid genre that fuses the clave, samba, flamenco, merengue, and other rhythms from Africa, the Iberian peninsula, and the Americas. The film’s Spanish title takes its name from Sony Music Studios located on 54th Street in Manhattan, where a who’s who of musicians were filmed and recorded. They range from Brazilian bombshell keyboardist Eliane Elias and enigmatic Argentine tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, to the fiery rumba group Puntilla y Nueva Generacion. The music and musicians of Cuba and Puerto Rico dominate this documentary, and the most touching scene is the emotional father-and-son reunion of Cuban pianists Bebo and Chucho Valdés, who were separated by Fidel Castro’s revolution. Sadly, the film features the last onscreen appearances by the late composer-arranger Chico O’Farrill and the legendary timbales master Tito Puente. Simply put, Calle 54 is a documentary that dances. –Eugene Holley Jr.
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May 3, 2010
#1
I liked the DVD but I can’t say I’ll watch it again, ever!
It’s too slow paced, too much narration. (Bein from the Caribean I didn’t care for the spaniard’s accent). It just lacked Heat! I honestly fell asleep watching it. Some parts I just pressed fastforward because it was just toooooo boooring!!!! Does not come close to Buena Vista’s excitement. But if you like Latin JAZZ, then this is for you. The best part was seing the places where the performers grew up, going from streets in NY to Havana.
Maybe I’ll watch it again when I’m 50 and suffering from a bad case of insomnia.
May 3, 2010
#2
Excellent production, sound quality and video image. The problem I had with this production is that there is too much talking and narration. This is unfortunate becuase as a lover of latin music I was really hoping to have a musical DVD and not a documentary about such great performers. Very little music to listen and enjoy because the narration is simply too much. The information about the life of these wonderful performers could have been recorded in a seperate chapter/section of the DVD. Let the music play. Show me the music!
May 3, 2010
#3
As a passionate lover of Cuban music, I went to see Calle 54 on the big screen at a film festival. The film has a very disjointed feel, consisting as it does of a series of studio performances by the artists, stapled together by the intrusive narration of director Fernando Trueba, who completely fails to get out of the way.
The music itself is a real mix. Elaine Elias was a delightful inclusion, but Chano Dominguez and Michel Camilo in particular are simply relentless. Despite all this, there are some great moments, most especially the final scene, a duet between Bebo Valdés and Israel Lopez playing Lagrimas Negras.
If you like your latin jazz more jazz than latin this is worth seeing, but don’t think this is a great documentary on the lines of Buena Vista or Tango Mio – it isn’t.
May 3, 2010
#4
What idiot completely destroyed a first-rate jazz film with incessant narration OVER the beautiful music? This is a scandal and a sacrilege, and this product should be removed from the market and the correct, original film should be made available. I went into the DVD main menu to see if there was an option to remove the offending narrator, and one does not have this option. This is a waste of money.
The film is great. Check to see if there is a narration-free version!
May 3, 2010
#5
My title says it all. ANYONE that loves latin jazz MUST have this DVD. That’s it.