"The Queen's Suite" - A young Jazz musician's dream to play to the Queen of England.
July 19, 2010 at 11:55 AM What is the Queen's Suite?
The Queen's Suite is a documentary which tells the story of Peter Edwards, one of England's most promising jazz arrangers, as he tries to achieve his dream of playing Duke Ellington's Queen's Suite (written for her in 1959) to the Queen of England, at the centre of London's cultural quarter, the South Bank.
The documentary follows Peter as he scores Ellington's work, puts together his orchestra, rehearses them and negotiates with Buckingham Palace.
Does the Queen attend the performance? The documentary provides a unique and intimate insight into the background and career of an exceptional jazz arranger and musician. It has an original live soundtrack performed by Tomorrow's Warriors Jazz Orchestra.
Who are we?
We are a group of independent filmmakers, brought together by Director Corine Dhondee, who believe that Peter’s story is an inspiring example of what a committed and talented young musician can achieve.
You can meet the team here.
http://the-queens-suite.com/Team.html
The Director's Statement.
Hi, first of all I'd like to say thank you for watching the trailer and taking the time to read about The Queen's Suite. I'd also like to thank Kickstarter for giving us the opportunity to raise our funds.
I first saw Tomorrow's Warriors Jazz Orchestra perform The Queen's Suite at an open rehearsal in 2008. As I listened to the incredible music, played with dynamism by a young orchestra, who were guided by world famous Jazz musicians of the calibre of Gary Crosby OBE, and passionately directed by a young man, I was moved to make a documentary.
For eight months I was privileged to hear and see the story and music unfold and develop. I can say that it was a real privilege for all of the team to spend time with Peter and orchestra. They are all extremely talented young people who are committed to their musicianship.
You can find out more about the orchestra here.
http://the-queens-suite.com/Orchestra.html
As filming continued I learnt that Ellington's suite was inspired by the majesty of nature. In the six movements that make up the suite, one can hear the sounds of frogs, mockingbirds, and peacocks. Nature inspired what was to be one of his finest and yet least known suites.
You can read more about the Queen and Duke Ellington and the suite here.
http://the-queens-suite.com/DukeEllingtonandtheQueen.html
Recently I was invited to attend a conference on film into education. Here I learnt that the documentary naturally fits under the UK's 'Gifted and Talented' strand. Gifted and talented starts from the premiss, 'all children are naturally talented.'
The initiative aims to work with children to strengthen their talents or guide them towards discovering their talents. It's a wonderful scheme and with your support the documentary will be used in the UK and globally to spur on young performers or young people who are interested in music and creative forms of expression.
I hope you enjoy the trailer.
Many thanks,
Corine
You can read more from the Director here.
http://the-queens-suite.com/DirsStatement.html
What people are saying about the project:
"The video on Kickstarter is easily the most inspiring thing that I've seen in all my adult life."
"I showed it to a colleague who is in his 70s. He's a big fan of Duke Ellington and he really enjoyed it.
AllAboutJazz.com posted an article as to how and why this documentary was made: Click here
How much are we asking for?
We are seeking $12,000 (£8,000) to clear copyright costs for archival footage and to complete an online edit with proper color grading and audio mix. Our editor, John Howard, has 22 years experience. John will rework the project, adding our additional archive footage, complete colour grading and finalize both our offline and online edit. Our audio supervisor, Frank Jacobs, will lay down the track, equalize, and provide a broadcast ready sound mix.
Why do we need the money?
The documentary is an entirely independent project. It was made outside the established broadcasting system with no funding. Christopher Hird, the Executive Producer, gave Corine kit ie camera, and sound equipment. We need the funds to finish the documentary so that we can realize our dream of spreading Peter’s inspirational journey to schools, colleges, youth organizations, and community organizations in England and worldwide. We want to prove that dreams are worth following.
Our Promise to you.
Raising the full amount will enable us to release a DVD by 2011. A number of free DVDs will be sent to schools and community centers in the UK and globally and the Director Corine Dhondee will give a number of free workshops in schools and community centres in the UK.
Part of the money pledged will go towards the charity Stoma baby. The project is being set up in England by Corine's friend, Charlotte Westmorland-Stubbs for babies and children with stoma.
Reader Comments (3)
fascinating
A great project, one well worth supporting.
Yes, I agree with you ~ this is a project well worth supporting. I will be doing a follow-up post about it this week.