ONE NOTE AT A TIME_Quad_online
four-star

‘Sometimes, films really take you by surprise’

‘Director/Producer Renee Edwards has crafted a documentary about the embattled tradition of New Orleans’ musicians, and their struggle for continued habitation and survival after their careers have been made barely tenable by natural disaster, poor flood defences and political machinations. Now, of course I’d be interested: a close-up look at musicians such as Dr. John; an artful look at a waning culture as in Embrace of the Serpent; all the vibrancy, voodoo, Dixieland and drama of N’Awlinz. Somehow, by looking at a city ravaged by and recovering from Hurricane Katrina without focusing on the Storm Herself, this lovingly and masterfully assembled film swept me away‘.

Michael Dornant  – Oxford Daily Info Review


ONE NOTE AT A TIME (2018 OFFICIAL TRAILER)

SUMMARY LISTING

 FILM TITLE:  ONE NOTE AT A TIME

 GENRE:  DOCUMENTARY

KEY CASTMUSICIANS

Dr. John,  
Ben Jaffe, 
‘Uncle’ Lionel Batiste, 
Kermit Ruffins, 
 Damion Neville, 
Charmaine Neville, ,
Al ‘Carnival Time ‘ Johnson, 
Ellis Marsalis, 
Barry Martyn, 
Herman ‘Roscoe’ Ernest III,  
Wardell Quezergue, 
Walter Payton Jr., 
Brian Quezergue, 
Irma Thomas, 
Shelton ‘Shakespear’ Alexander,  
Clarke Peters, 
Donald Harrison, Jr.,  
Delfeao Marsalis
.
 Johann Bultman, 
Bethany Bultman
 

DIRECTOR & PRODUCER:       Renee Edwards 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:       Paul Woolwich   Craig McCall   Sara Giles

Co-PRODUCER:      Claire Reynolds

SALES AGENT:      Golden Media Group Inc

UK DISTRIBUTION:    Munro Films

STORYLINE:     In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, music can save the soul of the city, but can the musicians save themselves?

RUNNING TIME:       95 minutes

 “If the musicians ain’t got a chance to live, then what chance has the music got?” Dr John.

One Note at a Time is a beautifully crafted, feature documentary, rich with colorful characters. In this mesmerising setting it shows the tragic effects of a failing USA healthcare system. It’s set in the iconic musical backdrop of New Orleans, where the music stopped in 2005…when one of the most deadly and destructive hurricanes in American history struck.

The flood defenses failed, flooding the Crescent City for weeks. Lives were lost and lives were shattered. Many displaced musicians felt compelled to return to the chaos and bleak confusion to play again.

This is the story of some who made it back, told in their own words, with those who fought alongside to resuscitate the music scene; In particular the founders of The New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation, a unique medical facility with the motto… ‘Keeping the music ALIVE’.