MVD Entertainment Group has tabbed Friday, Dec. 13,
as the DVD debut date for prolific music-themed documentary filmmaker Jon
Brewer’s latest, Monochrome: Black, White & Blue.
Brewer divides the history of “The Blues” in America
into three unique periods, beginning with an overview of the arrival of slaves
and many diverse African music styles.
From the mid-1700s through the Civil War, slaves in the south developing
their own “code languages” (out of necessity to communicate across multiple
languages), including the “field holler.”
He explores the roots of Voodoo and gospel music during this period.
Following the Civil War and for roughly a
full-century, the blues migrated northward and with the arrival of the Jazz
era, performers such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, B.B. King
(and more) made the blues a mainstream feature of American culture.
The last segment of Brewer’s exploration of the
blues in America is more political in nature.
Piecing the patchwork of history together are
interviews and segments with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Chuck Berry, Bill
Wyman, B.B. King, Jake Bugg, Carlos Santana, Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton, Robert
Cray and many more. Music presentations
are included in Brewer’s presentation to highlight the unique experience of
“The Blues.”
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