Living jazz with Bill Saxton (US, 2012)
A short documentary about Bill Saxton, a veteran saxophonist and his intimate Jazz Club in Harlem, USA called Bill’s Place.
Bill was born and brought up in Harlem before his family moved to the East Village. After many decades, he returned to his neighborhood and opened an intimate Jazz club called Bill’s Place at 148 West 133rd Street, in a charming little brownstone apartment. Little did he know that this little brownstone, that can sit no more than 25 people, kept untold secrets and unheard musical notes hidden within its walls.
During the 1920s prohibition era, Harlem’s Jazz reigned supreme. In this musically rich period, a famous speakeasy joint known as Tilly’s Chicken Shack attracted singers and performers and dancers from all over, and it was in same brownstone building where Bill’s Place stands today.
This is the place where Billie Holiday and Fats Waller first performed during their early days. Bill shares this rich history of the golden era of Jazz and swing with his patrons that that flock to this place every Friday.
Shot and edited by Indrani Kopal
MFA Graduate Student ~ Documentary Studies and Production
Hofstra University School of Communication
Hofstra University School of Communication
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