Jeremy Marre

Profile of the soul singer, documenting his childhood and career, including unseen home movies that reveal how his 1967 tour of Britain dramatically changed his life and music. Plus, footage of rare performances and intimate interviews with Redding's widow, daughter and previous band members Steve Cropper and Booker T.

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Carlos Santana, the legendary Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter, reveals his turbulent life story with astonishing intimacy, accompanied by previously unseen archive performances of many of his best-known tunes. These range from Evil Ways and Black Magic Woman to the massive hits from his later Supernatural album. Santana recounts to director Jeremy Marre the abuse and struggle of his early years, the invention of Latin rock in San Francisco, his triumph at Woodstock, his involvement with jealous guru Sri Chinmoy and guitarist John McLaughlin, and the rollercoaster years that followed. This frank and very personal depiction of a remarkable forty-year career, fuelled by his 'angels and demons', is illustrated with behind-the-scenes footage uncovered for the first time, interviews with former members of the band, producers and musicians, and many performances from the early 70s that depict his unmistakable guitar style.

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The acclaimed BBC4 Britannia series moves into the world of British reggae. Showing how it came from Jamaica in the 1960s to influence, over the next 20 years, both British music and society, the programme includes major artists and performances from that era, including Big Youth, Max Romeo, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jerry Dammers and the Specials, the Police, UB40, Dennis Bovell, lovers rock performers Carroll Thompson and Janet Kay, bands like Aswad and Steel Pulse and reggae admirers such as Boy George and Paul Weller. The programme celebrates the impact of reggae, the changes it brought about and its lasting musical legacy.

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Reasonable Doubt is the debut album of American rapper Jay-Z, released June 25, 1996 on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States and on Northwestside Records in the United Kingdom. The album features production by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and guest appearances from Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, and The Notorious B.I.G., among others. Similar to Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995), Reasonable Doubt incorporates a mafioso theme, while it also integrates topics such as betrayal and reminiscence.

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James Brown's legacy has influenced rap, soul, funk and R&B. But along with his huge talent, there's a dark side to Brown's success that includes stints in prison and unceasing tabloid speculation. This in-depth documentary takes a look at the meteoric highs and deep lows of Brown's career, offering some fascinating insights from the Godfather of Soul himself, as well as interview footage with Chuck D, Little Richard, Wyclef Jean and many others.

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The story behind Elvis's first album features performances from 1955 and '56, interviews with the King and rare home movies of him at play and work.

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Profile of the life and music of the legendary reggae singer.

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The Wailers, featuring the legendary Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, became the most influential band in the history of Reggae music. "Catch a Fire," their first Island album, released in 1973, introduced them to an international rock audience. The principal figures in the creation of the album tell the story of how this record was designed to "cross-over." The program features a unique interview and performance with Bunny Wailer, rare archive interviews with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and contributions in words and music from many of those who performed, Rare home movies of the Wailers in Jamaica, unseen footage lots more.

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A rare and welcome insight into Phil Collins' prodigious musical talent and the fascinating story of his first solo record. Collins first enjoyed international success as the drummer of Genesis and then as lead singer after Peter Gabriel left the band. In 1981, however, Face Value launched him as a solo artist and remains, in many ways, his most exciting and unusual music offering. Face Value was immediately a worldwide hit, entering the British charts at Number 1, spending almost six years in the Top 75, and selling in excess of 12 million copies. The album went on to make the U.S. Top 10, earning a gold record. This documentary includes several previously unseen performances, as well as rare home movies, unique photographs and documents from Phil's own private archives, and insights into the music from an eclectic range of musicians who worked on the album.

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A made for TV documentary about the creation of Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's controversial and ultimately flop of a musical, "The Capeman". Explores the story of the production of the musical as well also the story of Salvador Agron and the Capeman murders.

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Channel 4 documentary series covering all branches of the arts.

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A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.

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This installment of the Classic Albums series follows the making of two Grateful Dead albums, the fiercely experimental Anthem of the Sun and the understated masterwork American Beauty, which spawned melodic gems like "Sugar Magnolia" and "Ripple." Between the archival scenes and contemporary interviews with band members, the DVD shows a band making seismic inroads in pop music--and five young guys coming to terms with artistry, mortality, and, yes, the pursuit of happiness. There is priceless footage of Neal Cassady driving Ken Kesey's bus and of the Dead, surrounded by martini-sipping hipsters, on Playboy After Dark. The best scenes involve band members talking about specific songs (you will never hear Phil Lesh's "Box of Rain" again without thinking of it as a gift to his dying father) or deconstructing a tune by playing each track separately. Intimate and surprisingly cohesive, Anthem to Beauty is a rare glimpse into how the Dead's magic was made.

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Singer-songwriter Paul Simon had been on the cutting-edge of pop music throughout most of the 1960s and the '70s, first as half of the seminal folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, and then as a well-received solo artist. But the rise of 1980s rock and new wave saw a decline in Simon's commercial success, and the singer responded by experimenting with different musical styles--most notably, world beat--that culminated in his adventurous 1986 masterpiece GRACELAND. The album's fusion of American folk-rock songwriting and buoyant South African rhythms not only broke new ground in pop music, but became Simon's biggest-selling solo record. This episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series examines the making of Simon's groundbreaking work through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, music videos, and live performances of album tracks such as "Boy in the Bubble," "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes," "You Can Call Me Al," and "Under African Skies."

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A documentary film about the struggle of two teenage kathoey, or Thai male-to-female transgender persons, to leave the rural countryside and become famous transvestite performers in the glamorous cabarets of Pattaya.

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British series stressing the role of, and showing different kinds of, improvisation in music. Produced for UK's Channel Four. Written and narrated by Derek Bailey.

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BBC series exploring cultures around the world.

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Though many outside of Brazil know samba and bossa nova through the works of crossover artists such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, the music has deep roots in Brazilian culture and history. THE SPIRIT OF SAMBA makes a complete survey of one of Brazil's national treasures.

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This thought-provoking documentary examines the ancient musical traditions of China and the near-elimination of them during the Cultural Revolution of the 1980s. Among the subjects observed: one of the less than 100 Chinese citizens who can still play the traditional zither-like instrument known as the ququin, and a wild wedding celebration in Islamic northwest China.

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This video travelogue showcases of the music of Japan which blends western styles like jazz, rock and blues. From the goofy, high-stakes world of teen pop, to a look at a master shakuhachi (traditional flute) player, to old-line music hall shows, SUKIYAKI AND CHIPS demonstrates the dizzying spectrum of Japanese music.

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Producing more than 750 feature films each year, the Indian movie industry could very well become the world's next Hollywood. And with 100,000,000 viewers each week, the market is more than viable. This innovative film goes behind the scenes with the actors, singers and musical directors (including Raj Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar and Kalyanji Anandji) who help create the Bollywood spectacles fans love -- and expect.

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Even today, at the king of Thailands birthday celebrations, massed bands play His Majesty’s own compositions, whilst the King plays his clarinet in the royal recording studio. But the musical underbelly of the country had never been exposed before this film, which - by contrast - captures the cabarets and boxing rings of Thailand, and the true street-level music.

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This documentary journeys to the violent marijuana-producing regions of northern Colombia to examine the drug trade's influence on the community and its culture, including a unique style of indigenous music known as vallenato.

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From Baptist to bluegrass, this PBS documentary examines the unique culture of religious music in the Appalachian Mountains.

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Along a thousand miles of the Rio Grande, Mexican and American cultures have mingled to produce Tex-Mex music – the impassioned statement of the border people. Since the Mexican revolution, this music has been the mouthpiece and spirit of the Tex-Mex community. Today, like most border regions, the area is a cultural melting pot, marked by violence and drug running, illegal immigrants and shady business dealings.

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The Romany Trail Part One takes us on a search for the lost gypsy tribes of Egypt, up the Nile to the ancient town of Luxor in the shadow of the great Pharaoh’s tombs. Along the way, from the markets of Cairo to the temple of Karnak, we meet dancing girls and acrobats, magicians, fortune-tellers and even mystics performing an exorcism. The programme culminates in the rhythms of Flamenco, in the gypsy caves of the Alhambra, where some of Spain’s foremost gypsy families celebrate their history.

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The Romany Trail Part Two is a penetrating, provocative tour of a fabled people’s existence. It reveals the prejudice they still face daily and which they combat with the lyrics and music they have carried and adapted on their long migrations. Featuring: The music of Django Reinhardt, the ballads of the Holocaust, Hungarian folk musicians and professional restaurant bands, pipers and the greatest names in Gypsy entertainment.

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'Salsa' captures a unique moment in time for this most exuberant and socially dynamic music.

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Rhythm of Resistance examines the vital role of music in the lives of black South Africans under the oppressive regime of apartheid.

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Konkombe is an extraordinary journey into the musical kaleidoscope of juju, Afrobeat, highlife, Afro-pop, and Lagos street music that makes up the Nigerian pop music scene. From traditional minstrels wandering the streets of Lagos to the talking drums of the Saharan north, from recording session with stars of juju and highlife to an intimate visit with Fela surrounded by his exotic wives, Konkombe looks at the entire spectrum of Nigerian music from its primitive roots to the most exciting stars of Afro-pop. Features performances, intimate interviews and recording sessions with some of the biggest stars of African music including King Sunny Ade, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Sonny Okosun, I.K. Dairo and more.

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Carlos Santana, the legendary Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter, reveals his turbulent life story with astonishing intimacy, accompanied by previously unseen archive performances of many of his best-known tunes. These range from Evil Ways and Black Magic Woman to the massive hits from his later Supernatural album. Santana recounts to director Jeremy Marre the abuse and struggle of his early years, the invention of Latin rock in San Francisco, his triumph at Woodstock, his involvement with jealous guru Sri Chinmoy and guitarist John McLaughlin, and the rollercoaster years that followed. This frank and very personal depiction of a remarkable forty-year career, fuelled by his 'angels and demons', is illustrated with behind-the-scenes footage uncovered for the first time, interviews with former members of the band, producers and musicians, and many performances from the early 70s that depict his unmistakable guitar style.

Open details →

The acclaimed BBC4 Britannia series moves into the world of British reggae. Showing how it came from Jamaica in the 1960s to influence, over the next 20 years, both British music and society, the programme includes major artists and performances from that era, including Big Youth, Max Romeo, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jerry Dammers and the Specials, the Police, UB40, Dennis Bovell, lovers rock performers Carroll Thompson and Janet Kay, bands like Aswad and Steel Pulse and reggae admirers such as Boy George and Paul Weller. The programme celebrates the impact of reggae, the changes it brought about and its lasting musical legacy.

Open details →

James Brown's legacy has influenced rap, soul, funk and R&B. But along with his huge talent, there's a dark side to Brown's success that includes stints in prison and unceasing tabloid speculation. This in-depth documentary takes a look at the meteoric highs and deep lows of Brown's career, offering some fascinating insights from the Godfather of Soul himself, as well as interview footage with Chuck D, Little Richard, Wyclef Jean and many others.

Open details →

Channel 4 documentary series covering all branches of the arts.

Open details →

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon had been on the cutting-edge of pop music throughout most of the 1960s and the '70s, first as half of the seminal folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, and then as a well-received solo artist. But the rise of 1980s rock and new wave saw a decline in Simon's commercial success, and the singer responded by experimenting with different musical styles--most notably, world beat--that culminated in his adventurous 1986 masterpiece GRACELAND. The album's fusion of American folk-rock songwriting and buoyant South African rhythms not only broke new ground in pop music, but became Simon's biggest-selling solo record. This episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series examines the making of Simon's groundbreaking work through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, music videos, and live performances of album tracks such as "Boy in the Bubble," "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes," "You Can Call Me Al," and "Under African Skies."

Open details →

BBC series exploring cultures around the world.

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This thought-provoking documentary examines the ancient musical traditions of China and the near-elimination of them during the Cultural Revolution of the 1980s. Among the subjects observed: one of the less than 100 Chinese citizens who can still play the traditional zither-like instrument known as the ququin, and a wild wedding celebration in Islamic northwest China.

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'Salsa' captures a unique moment in time for this most exuberant and socially dynamic music.

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The ART WE DESERVE is an film essay by Richard Cork about the gulf between minority art and mass culture. Examining the public’s preference for bland mass reproduction pictures which are traditional in style and ‘look nice’, the modern artist’s tendency to create an insular, inward-looking art for an educated elite and the media’s unwillingness to take modern art seriously, the film argues that the sense of alienation between artist and the public is largely the result of a class-divided society.

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'Roots Rock Reggae' depicts an unforgettable moment in Jamaica's history when music defined the island's struggles and immortalized its heroes. Director Jeremy Marre films Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry record in his legendary Black Ark studio with The Upsetters. Jimmy Cliff rehearses with Sly and Robbie, while Inner Circle's historic live gig is recorded on the violent Kingston streets. The legendary Abyssinians harmonize their haunting Rastafarian songs; Joe Higgs (formerly Bob Marley's teacher) plays and talks; majestic toaster U Roy raps alongside The Mighty Diamonds, and Third World record in a Kingston studio. There is also early archive footage of Toots and the Maytals, and Haile Selessie's royal visit to Jamaica while police and thieves battle it out on the streets, and the ghettos erupt in violence. 1977: An extraordinary year for Reggae music.

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