Dir.
Marc Levin, USA , 2003, 133 mins
Cast:
Chuck D, Marshall Chess
Having been appropriated, homogenised and diluted in this country for the last 40 years by white pop stars, pub bands and bedroom-bound teenagers alike, it is refreshing to take a journey across the Atlantic, past New York and on to Chicago where the blues is still a vibrant tradition and legends like Otis Rush, Koko Taylor, Magic Slim and Ike Turner regularly perform. Godfathers and Sons recaps on a little history and then follows one of rap music's most uncompromising voices, the legendary Chuck D from Public Enemy, otherwise known as Marshall Chess son of Chess records founder Leonard Chess and heir to the Chess Records legacy, and gives him a blues tour of Chicago. Their relationship culminates in a new recording featuring veteran blues men collaborating with contemporary hip-hop musicians. Muddy Waters, the godfather of electric blues, plays a large role through archive footage and anecdotes. He was one of the second generation of delta blues musicians, who migrated up from Mississippi and Arkansas to Chicago. There these bluesmen electrified their instruments to play in the clubs and the modern blues sound was born. Chuck D's first introduction to Muddy Waters was an experimental record, Electric Mud recorded by Marshall Chess. It was an open attempt by Marshall to create a crossover record that would appeal to other audiences and introduce them to the blues sound. Ironically it also acted as a doorway for Chuck D, leading to an exploration of blues history for himself. Using conventional documentary vocabulary, Godfathers and Sons smoothly mixes archive and contemporary performance footage, interviews and a roaming camera that follows Chuck D and Marshall. A high contrast black and white look to the more recent filming compliments the old. Similar in appearance to Martin Landau, Marshall comes across as an extraordinary character on screen. Since birth he has been bathed in the blues and speaks in an authentic tongue that would come across as affectation in any other white man. This film is in many ways his story, a story that is rhythmically woven in between that of the other artists. When Chuck D sent him an email, Marshall was keen to collaborate. The project that resulted finally gets underway and there is a special joy and contentment on Marshall 's face, that of a man who after forty years still gets lost in music. Refreshingly, the camera captures these human emotions instead of focusing strictly on the performances of the musicians. But Muddy Water's backing band for the Electric Mud album, reunited for this studio project, are fascinating, energetic old blues men and along with Chuck D and Common, a Chicago rap artist, start bringing the blues back into a more experimental vein. Chuck D notes an interesting comparison between some of the famous blues artists and rap stars that have gone astray which is illustrated by a great shot of some old blues records with the artists dressing up in a style that could only be called 'bling bling'. Marshall and Common acknowledge the link in a more musical way saying, "Hip hop and blues are first cousins", and "Hip hop is a child of the blues". Marc Levin is a documentary veteran and comfortable with the quality of his material he lets the footage tell the story with powerful visuals and, more importantly, searing musical performances. He also knows the breadth of his subject and the focus on the relationship between Chuck D and Marshall Chess is balanced deftly with the history needed to put their story in perspective. Blues aficionados will love this film, rap fans will love this film, and anybody with even the slightest interest for music or American culture will find it fascinating. Gavin Bush |
