Joe Zawinul A Musical Portrait (2006)

This film by director Mark Kidel about one of the worlds leading makers of music programs features an illuminating documentary profile on one of the worlds foremost jazz keyboard players and composers along with an electric performance by the Zawinul Syndicate at the Point in Cardiff Wales 2004 Shot in an unusually intimate manner the film communicates powerfully the immediate excitement of jazz as a noholdsbarred riskembracing adventure the shooting and editing highlight the exceptional collective improvisation and musical dialog which characterize Zawinuls work From a childhood in Vienna to a move to the United States in 1958 Zawinul found success with the band Weather Report