Thursday, February 2, 2017

Jimmy Scott - I Go Back Home (EDEN RIVER RECORDS 2017)


When Jimmy Scott died in 2014, dozens of musicians, hundreds of journalists and thousands of fans mourned the passing of a jazz legend. Not only had a link back to the era of Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Lionel Hampton been lost, but so had the chance to bring the fame and respect denied to him throughout his long and rich life.

 Now, as if sent from some righteous deity, comes I Go Back Home, an album full of life recorded by Jimmy Scott years before his death. Created by German producer Ralf Kemper, Jimmy Scott and with mixes produced by Phil Ramone, no expense was spared in giving Scott the lushest musical backdrops possible, creating an album that, like Scott’s inimitable vocal style, comes late but but right on time.

 I Go Back Home manages to replicate that using the finest arrangers writing for the most experienced players, mixed by the most intuitive engineers in the the best studios available. Scott revisited his favourite songs, into which he invested his lived experience, letting the listener feel the story known by far too few.

 The creation of I Go Back Home was the subject of an acclaimed documentary of the same name. It depicts producer Ralf Kemper’s drive to work with Jimmy and provide him with the best album he can. The film captures the challenges and sacrifices that lead up to the recording sessions, a document that makes I Go Back Home an even richer record.

Hounding Jimmy Scott through the most of his recording career was an oppressive recording contract that prevented him from releasing albums. It wasn’t until 1992 that Jimmy, aged 63, recorded the first album over which he had creative control, All The Way. Nominated for a Grammy and finally bringing him to the attention of an audience that wasn’t entirely comprised of jazz fans and a few lucky passers-by, Scott began touring and regularly releasing albums. It’s not until I Go Back Home that Scott was given the budget that allowed him unfettered control over song selection, personnel and orchestration.

 As the album progresses, each song sees another musician or singer join Scott for a fresh interpretation of a beloved song. Long-time collaborators such as Kenny Barron and Joe Pesci, or new, such as actress and singer Reneè Olstead, trumpeter Till Brönner and harmonica player Gregoire Maret. All give Scott the room he needs to slide between phrases, telling his story and living out the world of each song.

 As Jimmy explained: “The lyric is so important to me. I feel if you’re singing a song or telling the story in a song it should mean something. That’s why I protect what I have in it, because that’s where I believe it should go. It should mean something. It should make sense.”

 Dave Nathan wrote on AllMusic that Scott’s phrasing moves “beyond mere poignancy and close to reverence”. This is truer than ever on I Go Back Home. Scott shifts from speak-singing in album-opener (Sometimes I Feel Like a) Motherless Child to lively bossa nova take on I Remember You to full-throated commitment on If I Ever Lost You.

 Expertly interplaying with top tier collaborators I Go Back Home is ultimately a record of collaboration and companionship, and the sound of a singer going out on top. Scott commemorates his highest points, and spars with fresh new talent in a way that suggests that he would have had great albums in him yet. And while we can mourn the decades he didn’t record, the tragedies and injustices that never defeated him, I Go Back Home succeeds in capturing the essence of a life that was ultimately triumphant.


The lyric is so important to me. I feel if you’re singing a song or telling the story in a song it should mean something. That’s why I protect what I have in it, because that’s where I believe it should go. It should mean something. It should make sense.
JIMMY SCOTT

 … Scott’s phrasing moves beyond mere poignancy and close to reverence.
DAVE NATHAN - ALLMUSIC
SIDE A
1. Motherless Child 5:23 FEATURING JOEY DE FRANCESCO
2. The Nearness of You 6:38 DUETT WITH JOE PESCI
3. Love Letters 4:08

SIDE B
1. Easy Living 4:17 DUETT WITH OSCAR CASTRO NEVES
2. Someone To Watch Over Me 4:15 FEATURING RENEE OLSTEAD
3. How Deep Is The Ocean 5:10 FEATURING KENNY BARRON

SIDE C
1. If I Ever Lost You 5:46 FEATURING TILL BRÖNNER
2. For Once In My Life 5:07 DUETT WITH DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER
3. I Remember You 4:26 FEATURING MONICA MANCINI & ARTURO SANDOVAL

SIDE D
1. Everybody Is Somebody’s Fool 3:55 FEATURING JAMES MOODY
2. Folks Who Live On The Hill 4:57 FEATURING JOE PESCI
3. Poor Butterfly 4:56 FEATURING GREGOIRE MARET


Screening Dates

BEGLIUM SCREENING

Ancienne Belgique
5th May 2017 / Time: tba
at Huis 23, Boulevard Anspach 110, Brussels

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ITALIAN PREMIERE

4th February 2017 – 8:30 pm
at Casa del Cinema, Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, 00197 Rome

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SOUTH GERMANY PREMIERE AND COMPETITION

Snowdance Independent Film Festival
2nd February 2017 – 8 pm
4th February 2017 – 7 pm
86899 Landsberg am Lech, Germany

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PORTLAND PREMIERE

Reel Music Festival
4th February 2017 / 7 pm
at NW Film Center, Portland, OR, USA

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FRANCE PREMIERE AND COMPETITION

Festival International De Programmes Audiovisuels
Q&A with Yoon-ha Chang after the screening

25th January 2017 – 4:45 pm
at Cinema Aventure, Brussels
at Bellevue Auditorium

28th January 2017 – 9:30 am
at Le Colisèe Cinema
5325 Biarritz

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MINNESOTA PREMIERE

Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival
11th January 2017 / 7 pm
at Tyrlon Microcinema, MN, USA

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BELGIUM PREMIERE

Festival International de Film de Bruxelles
21th November 2016 / 8:45 pm
Q&A with Ralf Kemper and Yoon-ha Chang after the screening
at Cinema Aventure, Brussels

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LOUISIANA PREMIERE

Lake Charles Film Festival
8th October 2016 / 11 am
at Lake Charles, LA, USA

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AUSTRIAN PREMIERE

Jazz & The City Festival
23rd October 2016 / 12 am
Q&A with Ralf Kemper after the screening. Moderation: Götz Bühler
at Mozartkino, Salzburg, Austria

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FRANKFURT PREMIERE

I Can See Music
12th October 2016 / 8:30 pm
Q&A with Ralf Kemper after the screening via Skype
at Orfeos Erben, Frankfurt, Germany

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EAST COAST PREMIERE

Harlem International Film Festival
17th September 2016 at 3 pm
at MIST Harlem, NY, USA

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GERMAN PREMIERE AND COMPETITION

SOUNDTRACK_COLOGNE 2016
26th August 2016 at 21:30 pm
at FILMFORUM NRW, COLOGNE

27th August 2016 at 21:30 pm
at KOELNISCHER KUNSTVEREIN, COLOGNE

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EUROPEAN PREMIERE

AT THE MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL 2016
10th July 2016
at the Cinéma Hollywood, Montreux, Switzerland
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WORLD PREMIERE

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST FILM FESTIVAL
03/14/2016 Alampo Lamar B at 7:00 pm
03/15/2016 Topfer Theatre at Zach at 4:45 pm
03/18/2016 Topfer Theatre at Zach at 10:15 pm
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Posted by Republic of Jazz a la dirección 10:00 AM
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