Mingus Erectus

By following the narrators and the musicians recording the album in the studio, under the direction of Noël Balen and Etienne Gauthier, a strange magic is working. Is it the authenticity of the characters, the fact that music is photogenic? Words tell about Mingus and are also an invitation to dream, like interludes where emotions guide us. Because the camera captures the emotion felt by the characters and transmits it to us. Song after song, poem after poem, Charles appears and disappears, as a ghost that would come visit us. The double bass is his totem, Noel and his joyful band, the messengers. Then appear the weaknesses and torments of Mingus, his joys and what he loved, his faith in music and his brothers in arms. And in the shadow of the film, he still enlightens us.

Intimate portrait, Mingus Erectus is a film on the process of creating music, where we simultaneously discover the work of an artist and how it was conceived.

Mingus Erectus is poem collection written by Noel Balen, a declaration of love in 30 texts and 4 defintions, to Charles « Chazz » Mingus. In the jazz poetry tradition, he decides to adapt 14 of the texts as songs and to make a record that would accompany the collection. Then, he calls upon Etienne Gauthier and they invite a galaxy of talents to offer their voice or a solo on the compositions. And they deliver a record of 18 tracks that is released with the book, edited by the Castor Astral Editions.

Passionate about photography since always, Amaury Voslion directed in 1995 his first short film L'espace d'un instant. He then directed four other shorts Troisième oeil, Trouble, N.Y, Jules & Romy. In 2005, Magnificat Films and TPS entrusted him with the direction of his first television film "Lumière", with Philippe Nahon, Manuel Blanc, Anne Roussel et Florence Loiret Caille. His great mastery of the image and his strong sense of aesthetics led him to produce clips, corporate films and commercials internationally and especially in China, for clients such as WWF, McDonalds or Air France. He is currently developing his first fiction feature film.

Narrators : Irène Jacob, Viktor Lazlo, Annick Tangorra, Jean-Luc Debattice, Michel Jonasz, Kohndo, Mike Laad, David Linx, Passi, Dominique Pinon, Thomas de Pourquery, Arthur Ribo.

Musicians : Philip Catherine (guitars), Ricky Ford (tenor saxophone), Steve Potts (soprano saxophone), Géraldine Laurent (alto saxophone), Stéphane Belmondo (trompette), David Enhco (trumpet), Glenn Ferris (trombone), Michel Portal (bass clarinet), Bojan Z (piano), Thomas Enhco (piano), Jacky Terrasson (fender rhodes), Emmanuel Bex (organ), Marius Atherton (guitar), Danny Kendrick (drums), Etienne Gauthier (keyboards, piano, drums, programming), Noel Balen (double bass).

More info :

• Perspective Films
• Facebook Mingus Erectus
• Amaury Voslion