275 Capp Street
San Francisco, California 94110

Event: “Soul Music Spectacular”. Guest curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare 16mm 1960s and early 1970s soul and blues documentaries featuring "Aretha Franklin- Soul Singer", "James Brown: The Man", "Eddie Kendricks", "And Now They Call It Soul", “Blind Gary Davis” and more, including clips from “Chicago Blues” and “Body and Soul”.
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 8:00PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco 94110
Admission: $10.00 RSVP Only to: 415-558-8117 or [email protected]
Web: http://oddballfilm.com/resources/events_parent.html

On Saturday, February 21, Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare 1960s and early 1970s soul and blues documentaries, shorts and clips, from the mega-stars to the lesser known, all on 16mm. Showtime is 8:00PM and admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP is preferred to: [email protected] or 415-558-8117.

Films Include:

“James Brown- The Man” (Color, 1967)
Rarely seen documentary on the man, his career and his philosophy. From his own background as a drifter and a convict to his many successful enterprises- from his “James Brown’s Golden Platter” soul food restaurants to his Brown and Black trading stamp venture, this film paints a portrait of Brown as Black activist and community leader. Riveting performance footage is interspersed with Brown’s message to the youth: “Don’t Hate: Communicate”.

“Aretha Franklin-Soul Singer” (Color, 1968)
Directed by Stephen Fleischman for ABC News, showcases the electrifying Franklin singing gospel in a Detroit Church, rehearsing in the recording studio with her band, performing live in concert and on the Detroit television dance party program "Swing Time". Song highlights include "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools" and of course "Respect". This well-made documentary features some very good live segments of Aretha in performance, receiving an award from Rev. Martin Luther King and onstage with her backup singers and dancers.

“Eddie Kendricks” (Color, 1973)
Punchy promo film produced by Motown Records featuring the funky former singer of the Temptations in action as well as interviews with Smokey Robinson and Mary Wells of the Supremes and a live performance of "Keep on Truckin".

“And Now They Call It Soul” (B+W, 1960s)
Produced by the United States Information Agency traces the origins of soul music in America in a series of live performances. Through its roots in African rhythms (Ujamma Drummers), through spiritual music (Savannah Crowder and the New Southern Rock Baptist Choir), the blues (June Norton), Ragtime (Jerry White), Jazz (a beautiful sequence of stills of Louis Armstrong with his accompanying song), Gospel (Congregation and Choir Temple Church of God) and Soul, culminating in a performance of the quintessential roots of soul singer Mahalia Jackson this rarely screened historical document presents an excellent overview of the rich roots of African American soul.

“Blind Gary Davis” (B & W, 1964)
Directed by Harold Becker (who went on to direct “The Onion Field” and “Taps” among other films), this short doc features the legendary bluesman playing and singing in his apartment, and we get to be the (lucky) fly on the wall.

PLUS: reel 2 of “Chicago Blues” (Color, 1970) with live footage of J.B. Hutto, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy; and the underrated Lenny Welch in a B&W TV performance, and, as always- more.

Curator Biography:
Pete Gowdy (aka DJ Chas Gaudi) is host of San Francisco’s Shellac Shack, a weekly 78 rpm listening party and a DJ specializing in vintage sounds: soul, jazz, country, punk and new wave. A graduate of the Vassar College Film Program, he is an associate producer of Marc Huestis Presents, the long-running movie legend tributes at the Castro Theatre.

Official Website: http://oddballfilm.com/resources/events_parent.html

Added by chasgaudi on February 13, 2009

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