LEGACY

S 2025, 70 Min.

Regie: Manal Masri
am Do, den 21.05.: als Einstimmung vor dem Film vorab ein Live-Konzert mit Tuija Komi & Stephan Weiser, Eintritt 15 Euro

Die Geschichte afro-amerikanischer Jazz-Größen in der skandinavischen Diaspora

Imagine that Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce and Cardi B all moved to Scandinavia. They played gigs at local clubs and toured school auditoriums all over their adopted countries, while finding partners and having children at the same time. This did happen, just in a previous era. From the late 1950s up to the 1970s, some of the greatest African-American jazz musicians moved to Sweden/Scandinavia, making new families and a lasting musical impression on the country. LEGACY is an account of their lives, their music and their families and their legacies. We follow their children, now grown, who share their stories for the first time: about growing up with a world-famous father, yet getting teased at school about their dark skin. This film is as much a documentary about music as it is a portrait of how individual experiences of race, visions of society and artistic dreams intersect, giving rise to an entirely new musical experience. (letterboxd)
The incredible, hardboppin’ story of when Scandinavia became the creative haven for black American jazz stars - told by their children who, for better or worse, still live with their fathers´ life choices.
In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Scandinavia suddenly became a mecca for the most innovative music of the time: Jazz. The cold, dark north became a haven for black American jazz stars. Here, they could be far more at peace from the racism that persecuted them in the US and just play in local clubs and be spiritual without being disturbed. They could be stars and be celebrated as they truly deserved. Many of them started families and had children. And it’s the adult children of superstars like Dexter Gordon, Don Cherry, Sahib Shihab, Joe Harris and Quincy Jones who tell the story in ‘Legacy’. A story of racism, segregation and political activism. A story about the consequences children sometimes have to pay for the freedom of their fathers. And of course, a story about music, and a treasure trove of a period in Scandinavian music history.(cphdox.dk)