SONDERVERANSTALTUNG: Misty - The Erroll Garner Story + Filmgespräch

In the organizer's words:

With film guests and discussion

• CH/FR/DE 2024
• 100 min
• Director: Georges Gachot
• FSK: not specified
• Documentary: Original version with German voiceover and subtitles where applicable

"The Swiss-French filmmaker and specialist for music documentaries has dedicated his new film to Garner and rediscovered a deeply tragic biography. The virtuoso montage (four editors worked on the cut for two years) of interview sequences and archive material, together with Filip Zumbrunn's camerawork, results in a smooth, almost jazzy flow of images. The Norwegian jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær joins this inter-media jam session in the course of the film, complementing the sound of Garner and the image collages of Gachot's team with his melancholy trumpet playing". Freiburger Nachrichten(Louis Riedo)

Erroll Garner, the brilliant autodidact and exceptional pianist, has revolutionized jazz forever. His legendary record "Concert by the Sea" sold millions of copies, and his world-famous composition "Misty", which he allegedly wrote during a flight, immediately became one of the most important jazz standards. To this day, it is one of the most covered ballads in the world. But behind the glittering career that took him to the world's biggest stages lay a complex private life. Who was the man behind the ever-friendly smile, who came from the humble background of the Pittsburgh ghettos? Although seemingly catering to the mainstream, Garner was an unconventional and headstrong artist. Particularly noteworthy: thanks to a clause that his manager Martha Glaser included in his contracts, his performances were always non-segregated. This captivating musical portrait illuminates the fascinating story of one of the greatest jazz legends of all time and represents a long overdue rediscovery.