One Note at a Time is a British/American documentary film directed by Renee Edwards. The film follows New Orleans musicians post-Hurricane Katrina. It is dedicated to the late drummer Herman Roscoe Ernest. The film was officially released in the UK and Ireland in 2018 and is due for release in the US and Canada during 2019.
Background The film explores the relationship between New Orleans, the musicians, the environment, and the American social welfare system that is unable to support them. Many of the musicians live and work in poverty, going from gig to gig, needing to pay for medical and living expenses. The city, at a tipping point when it comes to supporting the musicians, still needs them for its culture and economy. Much screen time is spent with the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic who struggle to provide medical care to artists too well off for Medicaid and too poor to afford Obamacare.
Filmed over a 4-year period, One Note at a Time is a feature-length documentary that follows the lives of the musicians and the difficulties they face. It highlights young musicians and how the gentrification of the city has brought with it new sound pollution laws, which impact the 24-hour party culture the city has enjoyed.
Featured artists One Note at a Time captures new and last interviews with a number of musicians and artist as it tracks them over a 4-year period. Notable musicians featured include: Dr. John, Ben Jaffe, Kermit Ruffins, Charmaine Neville, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Ellis Marsalis Jr., Barry Martyn, Herman "Roscoe" Ernest III, Wardell Quezergue, Irma Thomas, Clarke Peters, Donald Harrison, and Delfeayo Marsalis.
Release The film was screened at film and music festivals in the UK, Germany and the US in 2017, receiving a number of accolades. The official release by UK and Ireland distributor Munro Films was August 24, 2018, where the film was screened in UK cinemas. The digital film was released on September 3, 2018. The official soundtrack containing a unique live recorded track by New Orleans' icon Dr John was released worldwide by Louisiana Red Hot Records on August 24, 2018. US and Canada digital release by The Golden Media Group, began on April 14, 2019.
Soundtrack No.ArtistLengthTitleLength1Bicycle Ballad SamTouch The Hem Of His Garment (Live)00:212Dr. JohnIf Musicians Ain't Got A Chance To Live00:083The Hot 8 Brass BandLet me Do My Thing (Remix)08:254Kermit RuffinsIt Was A Blessing00:165Ray RussellWhat The Future Brings01:206Damion Neville and The Charmaine Neville BandPapa Was A Rolling Stone (Live)04:517Felice GuilmontEverybody's Gone00:138Felice GuilmontHigher04:069Chip Wilson and Jesse MooreSlip Away03:0410Shelton "Shakespear" AlexanderSecond Lining (Live)01:0911To Be Continued Brass BandRay Nagin (Give Me My Projects Back)07:4512To Be Continued Brass BandWe're Not Criminals00:1913New Orleans Ragtime OrchestraI Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate (Live)05:1714Irma ThomasJust Passing Through00:1415Bud TowerPlease Don't Take Me Home05:0116Ms PearlSummertime (Live)00:3617Walter Payton, Jr.Touched Somebody00:2418Cliff HinesTehran06:0419Ben JaffeDie A Healthy Man00:2320Dr. JohnProper Fitting Way00:2421Dr. JohnRoscoes Song / Down The Road (Live)09:5422Ray RusselOne Note at a Time02:1523Barry MartynTo Hell With The Girls00:3124Barry MartynDown By The Riverside04:2025Al "Carnival Time" JohnsonCarnival Time02:4126Ben JaffeA Place I've Never Seen Before00:2027Uptown Jazz OrchestraBlue Monk (Live)01:1428Kermit RuffinsNew Orleans People00:1929Dr. John, Gaynielle Neville, Cyril Neville, Amasi Miller, Shannon Powell, Jesse Boyd, Detroit Brooks, Paul Pattan & Donald Harrison Jr.This Little Light of Mine (Live)01:3230Ray RussellFrom The Heart (Digital Bonus Track)02:4931Gypsy Elise And The Royal BluesFunky Tribe (Digital Bonus Track)04:39
Awards The film has won international and domestic festival awards, including:
Best Feature Documentary – Studio City International Film Festival (2017) Gold Winner – Los Angeles Film Review Industry Awards (2017) Best Documentary – Nottingham International Film Festival (2017) Film of the Festival – Oxford International Film Festival (2017) Best Feature Documentary – Oxford International Film Festival (2017) Best Score – Oxford International Film Festival (2017)
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