'Fire Music: A History of the Free Jazz Revolution' Examines An Unconventional Approach to Performance

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Fire Music: A History of the Free Jazz Revolution

Logline:The mavericks who pioneered the Free Jazz movement came to create some of the most unconventional sounds ever heard. Toiling in relative obscurity, they created one of the most influential bodies of work of the contemporary age. This is their story.

Elevator Pitch:Free Jazz is one of the original outsider art forms. Free Jazz broke all the rules — abandoning conventional melodic structure and traditional timekeeping in favor of collective improvisation. In the late 1950s, when the Abstract Expressionists and the Beats forever changed the cultural landscape, the new radical Jazz erupted from New York’s Lower East Side. The resounding cries of atonal saxophones and the spastic pounding of drums reflected the growing indignation of a youth in revolt. “Fire Music: A History of the Free Jazz Revolution” will stand as the first serious attempt to capture the sights and sounds of the most revolutionary movement in music history.

Production Team:



Tom Surgal (Writer, Producer, Director)

Dan Braun (Producer)

Thurston Moore (Executive Producer)

Nels Cline (Executive Producer)

Ron Mann (Executive Producer)

Louis Black (Co-Producer)

Jim Spring (Cinematography)

Jens Jurgenson (Cinematography)

About the Film:I am attempting to relay the history of what I consider to be the most significant and revolutionary art form of the twentieth century. The film will serve as a long overdue account of an irrepressible music that has inspired generations of fans the world over. The originals that bucked convention in order to forge their radical sound must have their story told, for their fire will never be extinguished.



Current Status:We have shot over 300 hours of interviews and live performance footage. We need to hire a full-time editor and secure archival footage.

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