'Pinetop Perkins: How Long' World Premiere at Antone's

We just received a press release (reprinted below) for this upcoming screening and concert, which we know you won't want to miss.

Tone Poet Productions presents Pinetop Perkins: How Long, a short film documenting the last studio recording made by American blues legend and Antone's fixture Pinetop Perkins. The film will have its world premiere screening on Friday, March 23 at the famous blues stage Antone's, 213 West 5th Street, Austin, TX 78701 at 9 pm. Tickets available at the door for $15, or in advance for $10 through Antone's online. The evening will also feature a host of musicians who will play Pinetop's music as a special anniversary tribute concert in memory of his passing in 2011.

ABOUT THE FILM:

A moment in music history was recorded in Austin, Texas in September 2010 at Yellow Dog Studios: the last recording session of blues singer, piano player and multi-Grammy Award winner Pinetop Perkins. The recording sessions were produced by award-winning guitarist Jake Langley.

It was a project inspired by Langley’s love of the blues genre, and was his attempt to pay homage to one of the genre’s originators and recognize this artist's legacy; a legacy that has been passed on through generations of musicians around the world. These historical sessions brought together some of Austin’s finest and brightest young rising stars to play alongside Mr. Perkins: Emily Gimble, Gary Clarke Jr., Caroline Wonderland, and Cindy Cashdollar.

"The sessions were magical, raw and inspiring," says Langley. "My goal was to illuminate how so many generations are bridged together by a musical genre that is truly an American art form. We wanted to immortalize a moment in time and place to be shared with the whole world." Since Mr. Perkins' passing on March 27, 2011 at the age of 97, the footage and music captured on those auspicious days now marks the last studio recording made by Pinetop Perkins.

For the final film, Langley recruited filmmaker Andrew Shapter (Before the Music Dies, Happiness Is) to help compile the footage from the two days of recording sessions, along with some rare historical photos and interviews held with Susan Antone, Marcia Ball, Derek O'Brien and Kaz Kazanoff. Intimate studio footage of Pinetop "in action" makes for a heartfelt, respectful homage to one of the Masters of the Blues.

[Photo credit: "Pinetop" by Woody Hibbard on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.]