Jazz on Screen: John Coltrane, Soundtracking Cinema: Mo' Better Blues 15

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Coinciding with the centenary of John Coltrane, this programme brings together three very different films which draw on both the music and legacy of the legendary musician. Starting with Soul On Ice by Afro-Brazilian pioneer Zózimo Bulbul, who dedicated his film to Coltrane and uses the 1965 free-jazz piece Kulu Se Mama to guide his reflections on Brazilian history. Melvonna Ballenger’s Rain (Nyesha) , associated with the foundational LA Rebellion movement, uses After the Rain as the soundtrack to this poetic black-and-white short, centring on a young woman's reflections on life and politics. The centrepiece is Spike Lee’s mammoth Mo’ Better Blues, originally titled A Love Supreme , Lee’s film follows trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) and his trials and tribulations trying to…