ICONS AMONG US: JAZZ IN THE PRESENT TENSE
THEATRICAL LENGTH DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES CONTEMPORARY JAZZ LUMINARIES INCLUDING HERBIE HANCOCK, TERENCE BLANCHARD, RAVI COLTRANE, ESPERANZA SPALDING & BILL FRISELL SPONSORED BY DON Q® RUM
“One of the most successful and enduring alternative artists to emerge from the eighties –- intact and “[Icons] depicts jazz as a living, breathing and ever-evolving musical art form, and above all, exposes more people to some of the best jazz artists around today.”—NPR Music
“provocative”—Los Angeles Times
After successful theatrical-length festival screenings at the AFI Fest, Seattle International Film Festival and Mill Valley Film Festival among others, Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense is slated for its DVD and Video On Demand release May 11 via IndiePix Films and FilmBuff. Crafted from the four-part series continually airing on the Documentary Channel, the documentary feature film examines the world of modern day jazz through the eyes of today’s brightest talent. It is produced by Paradigm Studio and sponsored by Don Q Rum. Featuring live footage and interviews, the film includes many current jazz icons including Terence Blanchard, Bill Frisell, Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, the Benevento-Russo Duo, Matthew Shipp, Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Medeski Martin and Wood. The film also features these performers’ legendary predecessors and influences including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves and Wynton Marsalis. The Huffington Post calls the film “a celebration of the roots of the creative process,” while the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hails the film as “an exhilarating look at jazz right now.”
Along with the upcoming DVD/VOD release of the feature length film, Icons Among Us is scheduled to screen globally in China, Europe, Africa and South America as part of the American Film Institute’s Project: 20/20. It has previously screened as an event and on the film festival circuit in markets including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon.
Upcoming screenings are also scheduled for:
• The Berklee College of Music; Boston, MA; April 1
• The Smithsonian Institution with a jam session featuring the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra followed by Greg Osby & Jason Moran Duo; Washington, DC; April 7
• AFI Project: 20/20 at JAZZAlive at Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives; Washington, DC; April 8
• The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s Sync Up Conference; New Orleans, LA; April 29
Additionally, the full four-part television series which originally aired on the Documentary Channel—hailed by All About Jazz as “without a doubt the best series on jazz that’s ever been produced”—will be screened in its entirety at the 53rd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival (September 18 & 19).
Producer John W. Comerford and co-directors Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson and Peter J. Vogt fashioned Icons Among Us from seven years of interviews with over 75 living jazz artists in high definition and over 25 hours of live performances recorded on super sixteen millimeter film in popular venues across the U.S. and Europe.
Icons Among Us begins by directly challenging perceptions of what jazz is and what it is becoming by examining its innovative new voices as well as their influential forebears. The film goes on to explore a vast array of topics including the contemporary take on straight ahead and free jazz, the migration of jazz to Europe and jazz’s expansion beyond its own boundaries into other musical genres including hip-hop and rock.
Don Q Rum’s participation and sponsorship of the documentary series can trace its roots back to a chance meeting 25 years ago at a concert. Roberto Serralles, of the family Destilería Serrallés, and John Comerford were introduced by mutual friends who all shared a deep passion for music and the two soon became friends themselves. Serralles, a 6th-generation rum maker, left the family distillery in Puerto Rico and received a doctorate in environmental science at the University of Oregon. Meanwhile, Comerford—a member of the Board of Directors for the Seattle International Film Festival and winner of Italy’s Giffoni Film Festival’s Rear Window Golden Griffon Prize—went on to pursue his love of filmmaking and music professionally after receiving a dual degree in Psychology & Film Studies at The University of Colorado at Boulder where he studied with experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage and documentarian Jerry Aronson.
Founded in 1865 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Destilería Serrallés is a family owned and operated rum distillery that through six generations of master craftsmanship has produced high quality and innovative premium Puerto Rican Rum. Currently, Destilería Serrallés, Inc. is a leading manufacturer responsible for producing over half of all the rum sold in the island. Its flagship brand, Don Q, is considered one of the finest rums produced in the world, a reputation validated by numerous accolades received over the years in some of the world’s most prestigious spirits competitions.
For more information, please contact Joe Cohen or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000, or .
Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense
A feature film sponsored by Don Q Premium Rum
Co-Directed by Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson & Peter J. Vogt
Story by Peter J. Vogt, Kristian R. Hill, & Michael Rivoira
Production Co.: Paradigm Studio
Producer: John W. Comerford
Co-Producer: Theo Ianuly
Associate Producer: B Dahlia
Director of Photography: Lars Larson
Editor: Kristian R. Hill
Title design by David Llama
Post Production Sound: David Pellicciaro, Lucky Devil Sound
Music Supervisor: Charles Raggio
Production Manager: B Dahlia
Associate Editor: David Llama
Editorial Assistant: Kyle Richardson
Color-Correction: Tim Maffia
Additional Camera Operators: Jonathan Houser, Pete Vogt, Bill Cote,
John Comerford, Jeff Feller, Trevor Wierson, Doug Hostetter, James K. Henley,
Michael Rivoira, Kyle Carver, Ryan Purcell, Mike Prevette
Audio Recording Engineers: B Dahlia, John Comerford, Michael Rivoira,
Chris Chappell, Trevor Wierson, Thomas Bell, Bob Marts, Bruce Foster, Jim Baer
Camera Assistants/Grip/Electric: David La Carubba, Randy DeLeo,
Xavier Henselmann, Peter Ferren, Ian Holden
Art Director for Filmed Still Photography: Jason Puccinelli
Graphic Designers: Harold Mullen/Hapnin Design, Laurel Huggins, Shannon Karnofski
Music Coordinator: Atousa Ziatabari
Transcriber: Andrea Valesko
Cameras Supplied by Optimistic Camera Co.
Film Lab: AlphaCine, Seattle
Post Production Services: Modern Digital, Seattle
Archival footage & photography: Getty Images
Legal Services: Lance Rosen, Rosen Lewis, PLLC
Public Relations: Sacks & Co.
Additional Public Relations: Foundry Communications
Cyber Publicity: Ariel Hyatt Publicity