http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1436557/

爵士樂正在經歷著的深遠轉變，在這部紀錄片中一覽無遺。爵士群像，透過窺 探當今活躍的知名樂手的內心世界，也透過躍動爵士樂引人入勝的節奏，印證 爵士不斷與其他樂種互相交融，煥發出強大的生命力；在爵士世界，未來就在 當下。

踏入廿一世紀，爵士樂不再牽起多少話題。這是獨立品牌活躍的年代，樂手創 意不比前輩遜色，只是缺乏宣傳，人氣欠奉。不要輕視新一代樂手，有了他們 點點積累的成果，嶄新的爵士局面指日可待。

第一輯的「靜靜起革命」收錄了Nicholas Payton、Terence Blanchard 、The Bad Plus,、Bugge Wesseltoft和 Bill Frisell的訪問和表演片段。爵士樂離不開變化， 唯有抱著認真探索的精神，擺脫所有框框，重新為爵士下定義，才能滿足樂 迷。「即興譜成12音律」探討當下爵士樂如何跨越風格及文化，呈現不同的 作品，既自成一派，也互相輝映，好像Medeski, Martin and Wood跨界及走近 jamband(即rock band加入不少即興演奏)的風格，不再視爵士樂為博物館的展覽 品。

第二輯的「家族精神」以發揚爵士樂手之間特有的合作精神為主題，唯有 成員之間同心協力投入最深的感情，做到心意相通才行。爵士的發展由New Orleans開始，至今源於爵士的樂種百花齊放，創作上再沒有種族、文化、地 域、性別、宗教的隔閡，可以說「隨處皆是爵士」。儘管有些人對歐洲藝術音 樂與爵士的融合還是不太樂觀，挪威鍵琴手Wesseltoft以行動證明爵士不但能包 融全人類，而且依然生機勃勃。

With Jazz constantly undergoing changes of monumental magnitude and importance, ICONS AMONG US promises to be a dynamic and engaging documentary that explores the thoughts and lives of the musicians spearheading today’s jazz front lines. Through interviews and performances from many jazz heroes, the film bears witness to the power of jazz as an art form that is alive, is vivacious and is constantly exchanging breath with other genre; in the world of jazz the future is now.

That there are few legendary artists in the 21st Century has nothing to do with contemporary artists being any less innovative; it's just that there are many independent labels producing music out there. Without extensive publicity, it's not always possible for any album sell and any musician to stand out. In the 21st Century, the music may not be moving forward in great leaps; instead, a multiplicity of artists are pushing the music forward, inch by inch. The cumulative effect of what these musicians are doing ultimately becomes massive, and one of these days these artists together will create new paradigms that are just as significant.

In the first film show, “The Quiet Revolution” shows live footage and interviews from artists ranging from Nicholas Payton and Terence Blanchard to The Bad Plus, Bugge Wesseltoft and Bill Frisell. What comes through in this episode is a call for action to
redefine what jazz is in a responsible and powerful way. With jazz never being a style with defined boundaries, it is clear that how people perceive it will change. Included in “12 Notes in Real Time” are some marvelous cross-genre clips, and what that asserts is convincingly that today's musicians aren't thinking along stylistically or culturally discrete lines. In this episode, when we watch an experiment made by Medeski, Martin and Wood in straddling the line between jazz and what some call jamband (i.e. rock band playing extended jams) style, and no longer viewing jazz as museum piece. It also means to show us how contemporary jazz can be embraced along an ever-expanding continuum.

In the second film show, “In the Spirit of Family” explores how a group mentality is created. That’s when musicians are investing emotionally by playing jazz with the deepest of their hearts, hence sharing a close familial bond. When we look back at the variety
of styles and genres that have emerged, that are rooted in jazz since its inception in New Orleans, we are glad to see that matters of race, culture, geography, gender and religion no longer matter in the music; jazz is “Everything Everywhere”. In this titled episode, Norwegian keyboardist Wesseltoft proves to those who are still doubtful that he can have a mixture of the elements of Jazz and Europe Art music because Jazz is truly global and as alive as always.

Further reference:

(1) An interview with the director Michael Rivoira

(2) An Interview With Executive Producer John Comerford

(3) Official Facebook