“Icons Among Us” NEWS!
October 2009
Greetings!
The past seven years have led to these moments unfolding for our motion picture series and feature film entitled Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense. I am exceedingly proud of all of our accomplishments and future plans for the episodes and feature length film which have already influenced millions of viewers on television and thousands in festival theaters.
Please forward this on to art lovers and join our Facebook Page as a fan. We are on the verge of a spectacular wave of recognition for the artists who are returning to the vanguard by way of this powerful cultural movement that embraces creativity, authenticity and innovation.
All the best,
John W. Comerford
Executive Producer
in this update
AFI Project: 20/20 Selection
Icons Among Us to Screen at AFI Fest
Monk Institute Benefit Brings Together Filmmakers, Artists
Mill Valley Festival Screening a Huge Success
DOC Channel Update
Icons Among Us selected for AFI Project: 20/20
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In a tremendous affirmation for both the film and for the jazz artists it profiles, Icons Among Us has been selected to be part of AFI Project: 20/20. The program — an international exchange of films and ideas designed to enhance cultural understanding and collaboration — is a joint venture of the American Film Institute and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. It is supported through an unprecedented partnership which includes the U.S. State Department, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Said Producer Comerford about this prestigious honor, “We are thrilled with the recognition American Film Institute has given to our motion picture. We look forward with great anticipation to the prospect of sharing the spirit and essence of this uniquely American art form with the international community.”
Icons Among Us feature cut to screen at AFI Fest 2009
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Paradigm Studio is proud to announce that Icons Among Us has been accepted to AFI Fest 2009!
The feature film documentary, directed by Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson, and Peter J. Vogt, will screen on Opening Night, Friday October 30, as the late film at approximately 10 pm. On behalf of all the members of the filmmaking team, Paradigm Studio would like to thank everyone for their support during the past seven-plus years of building this tribute to and exploration of jazz today, and to invite you to come to the showing, which will be held at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
This year, AFI Fest is giving a fantastic gift to film fans — tickets are FREE!!! We hope you will be able to attend. Director Michael Rivoira, Producer John Comerford, and several other members of the Icons Among Us team, as well as artists from the film, will be on hand to talk about the making of the documentary and about the state of jazz today.
As of this writing, advance reserved tickets have been removed from the AFI website, but rush day-of-show tickets will be available. We encourage everyone to come down to see the film, and to forward this information to anyone you think might be interested: jazz fans, documentary film fans, those who play music or are interested in the creative process, etc. It is a jazz doc, but it speaks to all of us who want to live creatively and work and/or play in the creative arts.
Again, thanks to all who contributed to the making of the film, the beauty and power of the music, and our ability to bring it to the public. We hope to see you at AFI Fest 2009!
Upcoming Festival Screenings:
October 30: AFI Fest, Hollywood, CA.
10 pm – Grauman’s Chinese Theater, 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
October 31 & November 2: Earshot Jazz Festival, Seattle, WA.
Oct. 31, 7 pm & 9 pm – Northwest Film Forum, 1515 – 12th Avenue
Nov. 2, 7 pm & 9 pm – Northwest Film Forum, 1515 – 12th Avenue
October 31 & November 2: InEdit Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain.
Date, time and location tba
November 17: St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, MO
AFI Project: 20/20 Presentation
7:15 pm – Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd.
November 19 – 22: Soundtrack Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Date, time and location tba
MONK Institute Artistic Director Terence Blanchard Joins Producer John Comerford & Co-Director/DP Lars Larson for Benefit Presentation, Q & A
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terence
On October 7, Paradigm Studio presented
the Icons Among Us feature at Nunemaker Auditorium at Loyola University in New Orleans. The screening, a benefit for The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, was well-received by an enthusiastic audience of students, faculty, and members of the local community who came out to support the program and the institute. A number of artists from the film were in the audience, including saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr., Dirty Donzen drummer Terrence Higgins, and . . .
Following the screening, Monk Institute artistic Director Terence Blanchard, Icons’ Producer John Comerford and Co-Director/Director of Photography Lars Larson conducted a stimulating Question & Answer session with members of the audience and explored themes from the film in more depth. There were sparks from differences of opinion as students, artists and filmmakers explored the ramifications of ideas expressed in the film, including the profound implications of questions of cultural relevance that are vigorously debated in the jazz community.
The following day, Comerford joined students at Loyola’s production program and was interviewed on-camera and discussed filmmaking and music in greater depth. Special thanks to Monk Institute Administrative Director Holly Wallace for helping make it all happen!
Mill Valley Film Festival a Huge Success!
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All I can say is I wish I was there. The reports that have come back from the IAU HD screening and subsequent performance by Bernard/Wasserman/Fanning and guests on October 11 have been glowing, stellar, and a powerful affirmation for just WHY the documentary was made in the first place.
First, the premiere HD presentation of the Icons feature at MVFF gave a huge affirmation for cinematographer Lars Larson’s choices in visual story-telling. Superior visual quality has been a hallmark of Larson’s art, and the performance sequences in the documentary provided the perfect subject-matter. Noted Co-Director Peter J. Vogt, “It looked fabulous. I was totally impressed by the HD format. I think the crowd really got behind the film. You know, when you get critical mass — they definitely came through.” The screening was packed with local artists and music fans who were eager for the first Californian exhibition of the feature.
Afterward, the crowd moved to the Throckmorton Theatre for an intimate evening of music headlined by guitarist Will Bernard, bass player Rob Wasserman and drummer Dale Fanning, all long-time voices in the west-coast music scene. Bernard’s pressence was a special treat as he has been living in Brooklyn after many years in the Bay Area. Numerous guests joined the trio, including a special sit-in by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead (pictured above). Members of the audience got a taste of the Dead on Jazz, as Fanning and Bernard let Weir lead them on a musical journey that traversed genre and style.
After word got out about the film’s success and the evening’s other events, the second showing on October 15 quickly sold out. Big thanks to MVFF for the opportunity and to the artists who performed.
DOC Channel Viewings Hit 90 Million – Updated Showtimes Below
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According to cable and satellite television tracking reports, the four episodes of Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense that are airing on The Documentary Channel have now passed the 90 Million mark in terms of number of “impressions” — households receiving and viewing the programs.
Episodes of the series continued to air currently on DOC, available on the DISH Network (Ch. 197) and in select cable markets.
Upcoming Airdates: All Times Eastern
Episode 1: A Quiet Revolution — Wed, Nov 25, 2009 14:25:00
Episode 2: 12 Notes in Real Time — Wed, Nov 18, 2009 10:00:00
Episode 3: In the Spirit of Family — tba
Episode 4: Everything Everywhere — tba
Quick Links…
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Paradigm Studio Home
The Jazz Indie – An Icons Among Us Blog
Icons Among Us Men’s T-Shirts
Icons Among Us Women’s T-Shirts
The Documentary Channel
IndiePix IAU Educational Sales
Mercury Media IAU International Sales
Cinetic IAU Digital Rights Management
AFI Project: 20/20
