Dozens of local celebs attended the Atlanta premiere of ‘Bolden’, a musical drama based on the life of Buddy Bolden.
This untold story of Buddy Bolden reflects a world fueled by passion, greed and musical genius―in early 1900s New Orleans.
Viewers will witness the compelling, powerful and tragic journey about the unsung American hero who invented Jazz.
With little biographical information known and no found recordings of his music, the film’s narrative comprises of fragmented memories of his past, against the political and social context in which his revolutionary music was conceived.
The birth of jazz was the birth of American popular culture from Louis Armstrong to Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Fugees and Dr. Dre., Bolden is where it all began.
Scenes were filmed in areas like Grant Park and The Goat Farm in West Midtown.
The filmmakers, in partnership with legendary producers DJ Hurricane, Def Jef, and pop cultural curator and humanitarian Kevin Powell, invited us to a special screening and after-party, hosted by TV personality Tammy Rivera. So, we caught up with the director Dan Pritzker.
For Pritzker, Buddy Bolden proved to be an incredibly elusive character. So once his curiosity was sparked, the filmmaker started his extensive research with Donald M. Marquis’ book In Search of Buddy Bolden: First Man of Jazz.
“Don’s book was an invaluable place to start,” says Pritzker. “It was basic history, and there were also passages in it that theorized about moments in Bolden’s life. For instance, Marquis conjectured that Bolden went to a certain school because of the way he wrote the letter B, based on the only signature of his we have, on clarinet player Frank White’s marriage certificate.”
After Pritzker contacted Marquis, the author took Pritzker on a tour of locations crucial to Bolden’s New Orleans, including his home and the sites where he played.
Then the filmmaker turned to historian Bruce Raeburn, curator of the Hogan Jazz Archives at Tulane University and Assistant Dean of Libraries for Special Collections, who provided vital biographical information about Bolden as well as sociopolitical and historical context and how it related to Bolden’s music.
Behind the Scenes: 'Bolden' filmed in Atlanta
Gary Carr (HBO The Deuce) stars as the lead character, Yaya DaCosta (Chicago Med), Ian McShane (American Gods), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Erik LaRay Harvey (Luke Cage), and Reno Wilson (NBC's Good Girls) are also featured in the cast.
With music written, arranged and performed by the internationally acclaimed jazz musician (and executive producer), Wynton Marsalis, blends an intoxicating style with an immersive, between-the-lines narrative that takes one of history’s forgotten artists and places him where he belongs.
This is the first ever film inspired by the jazz legend, so you want to see how this untold story comes to life.
‘Bolden’ comes out May 3.