AT A GLANCE

Music for Black Pigeons (First Run Features)

Directed by: Andreas Koefoed and JØrgen Leth

Starring: Jakob Bro, Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano

Available: Coming to the Laemmie Culture Vulture Series June 24-25; streaming on Amazon, Apple TV and more beginning July 2

Jazz lovers get a rare treat with Music for Black Pigeons (First Run Features), a beautiful documentary assembled by directors Andreas Koefoed and JØrgen Leth. Built with footage gathered over a 14-year period, the picture is a fascinating mix of inspirational performances, interviews with noteworthy jazz players, and meditations on the creative process of great musicians.  

To create the film, Leth and Koefoed followed Danish guitarist Jakob Bro for years, filming his musical encounters with an impressive group of players, including Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, and Joe Lovano. The footage includes everything from jazz greats greeting each other before recording sessions to sit-down interviews where players answer probing questions. Of course, there is also a lot of music, all beautifully recorded.  

Many documentaries focus on facts, figures, and dates, intent on giving audiences a short history lesson. Black Pigeons is more concerned with esoteric questions like what musicians hope to accomplish in their work and what that work means to their broader lives. Sometimes, the players struggle for words because their connection to the art is so deep and the questions so wide.

It is particularly revelatory when Frisell admits that he still feels like he has as much to learn today as when he first picked up a guitar. Never mind that the 73-year-old Grammy winner has made an indelible mark on the American jazz scene. For Frisell, guitar music has infinite possibilities, many of which he is yet to explore.

It is equally fascinating when double bassist Thomas Morgan stares blankly at the camera for an uncomfortable amount of time, trying helplessly to formulate an answer to the question, “How do you feel when you play?” When he does find words, they are sporadic, and he talks of music being both meditative and incredibly focused, among many other thoughts.

Although Black Pigeons is upbeat and sweet in tone, a sense of melancholy underpins the project because a number of the featured players are no longer with us. Konitz passed in 2020 due to complications from Covid.  Motian died of cancer in 2011. Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen, who makes an appearance, died in 2020 in Oslo. 

Because the film is tightly focused, there is a lot missing. The musical narrative never strays from jazz, and the viewpoints presented are limited. This isn’t so much a critique as an explanation. A broader film – one attempting to cover everything from classical to pop while incorporating hundreds of voices – would not feel so intimate, and viewers wouldn’t come away feeling as though they were beginning to understand any of the players. With Black Pigeons some of that understanding creeps in, even though one can never truly know another human being based on short interviews in a single film.

Viewers get a sense of personality from the players, as well as an idea of what drives them and their approach to music. Bro, for instance, notes that he doesn’t like a lot of takes when recording. He believes the best recordings are usually captured on the first or second take when the parts are a bit raw, but the players are listening intently as they discover and respond to the music.   

Need one love jazz to get the most from the film? Probably. Bro’s music is in a singular vein, and the more we enjoy his approach, the more we are likely to melt into the onscreen performances. That said, the many interviews feature pearls that anyone who loves the arts should find fascinating. After all, crafting a painting or short story isn’t that different – philosophically – from creating a song.

Great art is immersive, and Music for Black Pigeons does a wonderful job reminding us of its importance.

Author Bio:

Forrest Hartman is Highbrow Magazine’s chief film critic.

For Highbrow Magazine

Photo Credits: First Run Features; Depositphotos.com