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Insightful doc 'Rumble' celebrates Native American contributions to popular music
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A scene from "Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World," directed by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana, which was an official selection of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. - photo by Josh Terry
RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD 3 stars directed by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana; not rated; Tower

The fun thing about Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World is that it takes something beloved and familiar and puts a new twist on it. For 103 high-volume minutes, director Catherine Bainbridge attacks her audience with an onslaught of classic rock n roll sound bites and interviews with the icons of the industry, all while offering a new angle on music history that has for the most part gone unrecognized.

Rumble is a comprehensive documentary that explores the Native American contribution to popular music over the last century. It begins with a profile of Link Wray, a leather-clad Native American guitarist in the 1950s who influenced numerous future classic rock superstars with his instrumental number Rumble. We learn about his playing style and the fact that his song was banned for fears that it would provoke actual fights between teens.

From there, Bainbridge and co-director Alfonso Maiorana take us back almost 100 years with a profile of another musician, Delta blues pioneer Charley Patton. Pattons influence extended to Howlin Wolf and later to the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, but here Rumble explains how in the South and particularly in New Orleans Native American and African-American ethnicities came together, adding a Native American musical influence to genres that are largely assumed to have emerged exclusively from the music of slave plantations.

One example at a time, Rumble moves forward, naming off a whos-who list of influential musicians who have become ingrained in popular culture. We learn about how Mildred Baileys childhood on a reservation in the Idaho panhandle influenced her work in jazz in the 1920s and 30s, and how Native American music found a folk voice through Buffy Sainte-Marie in the 1960s. We learn about Johnny Cashs tribute to Native American music on his Bitter Tears album, and we see Jesse Ed Davis play electric guitar at the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus and at George Harrisons Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden.

Rumble explores the influence of Jimi Hendrixs Cherokee heritage and Robbie Robertsons Mohawk heritage, and we see the members of Redbone perform on TVs Midnight Special in full native regalia. By the end of Rumble, you begin to wonder if theres any aspect of popular music that doesnt eventually tie back into Native American music in some respect.

Bainbridge doesnt do anything out of the ordinary in terms of style, rather letting the music and the talking heads do all the heavy lifting. We hear from Tony Bennett, George Clinton, director Martin Scorsese, and all sorts of historians and writers, who sing the praises of the profile subjects. Rumble presents a wealth of information couched in a parade of long-celebrated rock n roll songs that should keep any diehard music fan happy, and will probably send them digging through their collections soon after the final credits roll.

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World is not rated, but contains some scattered R-rated profanity, as well as some fleeting nudity during footage used from Woodstock; running time: 103 minutes.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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