One Note at a Time

One Note at a Time
Directed byRenee Edwards
Produced by
  • Paul Woolwich
  • Craig McCall
  • Sara Giles
Starring
Edited byRenee Edwards
Music byRay Russell
Distributed byMunro Films
Release dates
  • 23 October 2016 (2016-10-23) (New Orleans Film Festival)
  • 24 August 2018 (2018-08-24)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish

One Note at a Time is a British/American documentary film directed by Renee Edwards. The film follows New Orleans musicians post-Hurricane Katrina. It is dedicated to the late drummer Herman Roscoe Ernest. The film was officially released in the UK and Ireland in 2018 and is due for release in the US and Canada during 2019.

Background

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The film explores the relationship between New Orleans, the musicians, the environment, and the American social welfare system that is unable to support them. Many of the musicians live and work in poverty, going from gig to gig, needing to pay for medical and living expenses. The city, at a tipping point when it comes to supporting the musicians, still needs them for its culture and economy. Much screen time is spent with the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic who struggle to provide medical care to artists too well off for Medicaid and too poor to afford Obamacare.

Filmed over a 4-year period, One Note at a Time is a feature-length documentary that follows the lives of the musicians and the difficulties they face. It highlights young musicians and how the gentrification of the city has brought with it new sound pollution laws, which impact the 24-hour party culture the city has enjoyed.

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One Note at a Time captures new and last interviews with a number of musicians and artist as it tracks them over a 4-year period. Notable musicians featured include: Dr. John, Ben Jaffe, Kermit Ruffins, Charmaine Neville, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Ellis Marsalis Jr., Barry Martyn, Herman "Roscoe" Ernest III, Wardell Quezergue, Irma Thomas, Clarke Peters, Donald Harrison, and Delfeayo Marsalis.[citation needed]

Release

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The film was screened at film and music festivals in the UK, Germany and the US in 2017, receiving a number of accolades. The official release by UK and Ireland distributor Munro Films was August 24, 2018, where the film was screened in UK cinemas. The digital film was released on September 3, 2018. The official soundtrack containing a unique live recorded track by New Orleans' icon Dr John was released worldwide by Louisiana Red Hot Records on August 24, 2018.[1] US and Canada digital release by The Golden Media Group, began on April 14, 2019.

Soundtrack

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No. Artist LengthTitle Length
1 Bicycle Ballad Sam Touch The Hem Of His Garment (Live) 00:21
2 Dr. John If Musicians Ain't Got A Chance To Live 00:08
3 The Hot 8 Brass Band Let me Do My Thing (Remix) 08:25
4 Kermit Ruffins It Was A Blessing 00:16
5 Ray Russell What The Future Brings 01:20
6 Damion Neville and The Charmaine Neville Band Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Live) 04:51
7 Felice Guilmont Everybody's Gone 00:13
8 Felice Guilmont Higher 04:06
9 Chip Wilson and Jesse Moore Slip Away 03:04
10 Shelton "Shakespear" Alexander Second Lining (Live) 01:09
11 To Be Continued Brass Band Ray Nagin (Give Me My Projects Back) 07:45
12 To Be Continued Brass Band We're Not Criminals 00:19
13 New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate (Live) 05:17
14 Irma Thomas Just Passing Through 00:14
15 Bud Tower Please Don't Take Me Home 05:01
16 Ms Pearl Summertime (Live) 00:36
17 Walter Payton, Jr. Touched Somebody 00:24
18 Cliff Hines Tehran 06:04
19 Ben Jaffe Die A Healthy Man 00:23
20 Dr. John Proper Fitting Way 00:24
21 Dr. John Roscoes Song / Down The Road (Live) 09:54
22 Ray Russel One Note at a Time 02:15
23 Barry Martyn To Hell With The Girls 00:31
24 Barry Martyn Down By The Riverside 04:20
25 Al "Carnival Time" Johnson Carnival Time 02:41
26 Ben Jaffe A Place I've Never Seen Before 00:20
27 Uptown Jazz Orchestra Blue Monk (Live) 01:14
28 Kermit Ruffins New Orleans People 00:19
29 Dr. John, Gaynielle Neville, Cyril Neville, Amasi Miller, Shannon Powell, Jesse Boyd, Detroit Brooks, Paul Pattan & Donald Harrison Jr. This Little Light of Mine (Live) 01:32
30 Ray Russell From The Heart (Digital Bonus Track) 02:49
31 Gypsy Elise And The Royal Blues Funky Tribe (Digital Bonus Track) 04:39

Awards

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The film has won international and domestic festival awards, including:

  • Best Feature Documentary – Studio City International Film Festival (2017)[2]
  • Gold Winner – Los Angeles Film Review Industry Awards (2017)[3]
  • Best Documentary – Nottingham International Film Festival (2017)[4]
  • Film of the Festival – Oxford International Film Festival (2017)[5]
  • Best Feature Documentary – Oxford International Film Festival (2017)[5]
  • Best Score – Oxford International Film Festival (2017)[5]


References

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  1. ^ "ONE NOTE AT A TIME OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK". LOUISIANA RED HOT RECORDS. 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  2. ^ "studio-city-2015 | 2017 GALLERY". Studio City Film Festival. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  3. ^ "2017 LAFR Award Winners". LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW. 2017-02-13. Archived from the original on 2018-12-02. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  4. ^ "One Note At A Time — Nottingham International Film Festival". Nottingham International Film Festival. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  5. ^ a b c "OXIFF 2017 — Oxford International Film Festival". Oxford International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
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