HOWARD REICH

A daring jazz documentary zooms in on Kahil El'ZabarEmail

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Howard ReichRecent Columns

9:25 am, January 21, 2014

The elusive art of jazz has proven notoriously difficult to capture on film, as has been amplydemonstrated by films such as Clint Eastwood's ponderous Charlie Parker biography "Bird"(1988) and Ken Burns' stultifying, multi-part documentary "Jazz" (2001).

But a few efforts have proven that it's possible to do justice to the quintessentially Americanart form, among them Bertrand Tavernier's bittersweet feature "'Round Midnight" (1986),

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Bert Stern's visually and musically sumptuous documentary "Jazz on a Summer's Day" (1959)and the animated, Oscar-nominated "Chico & Rita" (2010).

In its own idiosyncratic way, Dwayne Johnson-Cochran's new documentary "Be Known" –which has its first, sneak-preview screenings starting Friday at the Gene Siskel Film Center –belongs to the small category of films that not only respect the art of jazz but illuminate it.

Not that "Be Known," which carries the subtitle "The Mystery of Kahil El'Zabar," glamorizesthe music or El'Zabar, a brilliant but enigmatic Chicago jazz innovator. On the contrary, thefilm shows El'Zabar in decidedly unflattering scenes, yet also in moments of viscerally excitingperformance. Better still, "Be Known" gives listeners an unflinching, eyes-wide-open look at ajazz musician's daily life, with all the triumphs and humiliations that entails.

What's most startling here is the candor of the film and of El'Zabar, who surely reveals moreof himself, his music and his travails than most individuals would dare. Yet he didn't reallyintend to do so, at least at the outset.

"He kind of wanted me to think about making the film in the PBS way," says directorJohnson-Cochran, who grew up with El'Zabar on the South Side of Chicago and has beenfascinated by him since their youth. "You know, sit down, (film) people who praise him, all thework he's done over the years.

"That would be pretty sterile for this, man. He is an innovator. And in innovation comesmessiness, and some very, very prominent people in the world are extremely talented inmaking things, but they have a messy, messy, messy life. And Kahil has that life."

El'Zabar's troubles emerge early in the film, which centers on a six-week road trip acrossAmerica in 2006 but also features footage shot in its aftermath. We soon learn that El'Zabaris being pursued for back child support, and his woes deepen as the film progresses. As hisstudents are presenting a performance, we learn that police marshals have shown up with awarrant for his arrest, the disastrous news covered in the Tribune and readily seen on theInternet.

But that's only part of the complexity of El'Zabar's life. For all the critical accolades andawards that El'Zabar has garnered around the world, he observes the financial challenges ofhis life. He doesn't own a piece of property or a car and has fathered seven children bydifferent women. Chaos seems to be the driving factor of his personal life, and heacknowledges the difficulties he faces.

How was Johnson-Cochran able to coax so many hard truths from an artist widely consideredone of the most accomplished percussionist-bandleader-composers in avant-garde jazz?

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Because of "the years we've known each other," says Johnson-Cochran. "There were timeswhen the camera to him wasn't there. He was talking to me. … It's a very rare (for) afilmmaker to have the level of intimacy we have. He forgot the camera was on – he wastalking to my eyes, as opposed to a camera with the red light on.

"He probably said some things that he wished he hadn't said to me. But it's so completely rawthat he probably would never take it back, because that's who he is."

Still, Johnson-Cochran braced himself for the worst when he first showed El'Zabar the footagehe had accrued during several years of filming.

"He didn't like it," recalls Johnson-Cochran. "He had an idea about how he wanted to beportrayed. … It was painful for him. I know it was. … It didn't sit well for awhile, I could tell.But then he embraced it."

El'Zabar concurs.

"When I saw the rough cut, I was like, 'Woah,'" says the musician. "But people that know mewould say if there's a guy who could handle being that naked, I'm probably the guy that could.…

"It's a life, a life of purpose, and anything that has real purpose is not regular. … A lot of timespeople feel that the picture that should be painted would be perfect, but that's not really life.

"I wouldn't say that all of the things that I've done I'm proud of. But I'm proud of the choicesI've made as a musician and as a man and as a human being, and I'm willing to live with theresults of the circumstances that I've chosen. But I think and I believe in the end what willstand out is the quality of the work I've produced."

Surely the depth of El'Zabar's musicianship, the virtuosity of his technique and the creativityof his approach as improviser, composer and bandleader are beyond dispute and energize thefilm. The sheer ferocity of El'Zabar's performance as percussionist and vocalist have no equalsin jazz today; he's a singular figure.

All of that explosive intensity, however, has a tendency to singe those around him, as the filmreveals. In various performance sequences, El'Zabar storms off the stage, berates hiscolleagues and otherwise damages musical relationships he needs. Offstage and on the road,anarchy often reigns, El'Zabar juggling phone calls from his children, encounters with theopposite sex and escalating difficulties over child support. He turns up late for performancesand classes, engendering resentment from various parties.

But El'Zabar, too, suffers bruises as he pursues his art. Clubs are sometimes nearly empty.

Posters promoting his shows often misspell his name, the presenters oblivious of who he is.Before one show, he's forced to change clothes in a cramped storage room. Respect is notwidely given.

For those who think the jazz life radiates a certain glamour, "Be Known" argues poignantlyotherwise.

It's all up there on the screen, as is the kind of locker-room chatter that will not win El'Zabarany fans among feminists.

"If you're around ball players, rockers, rock stars or violinists or around reporters, (they) talkabout women in a certain way," says Johnson-Cochran. "I just caught it on tape."

So did Johnson-Cochran ever unravel the mystery of El'Zabar? Did he come to understandwhy his friend counterbalances high musical achievement with seemingly self-destructive acts,onstage eloquence with offstage disasters?

Having all those children "does shackle him financially, then he gets arrested," says Johnson-Cochran. "OK, why would you have this need to do this? I haven't quite understood why hefeels he needs to have that drama….

"He's a very complicated man. … And one thing I think about Kahil is that he does what hewants. Once people see him for all his generosity that he has – but you cannot separate theother half of him, which can be difficult.

"And if you can take the good with the bad and you walk out of the film, you'll see somebodyvery, very special.

"He's a great partner, a great collaborator, a great friend, but he's a rogue. And that's the coolthing about him. There aren't a lot of real rogues in the world.

"He is a pure-to-the-core rogue, or a rake. And he's not a phony. No way."

Indeed, love him or loathe him or both, El'Zabar remains a force of nature, impossible toharness and stunning to behold.

Which perhaps helps explain the galvanic power of his art.

To read more from Howard Reich on jazz, go to chicagotribune.com/reich.

hreich@tribune.com

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"Be Known" plays at 8 p.m. Friday, 5:15 p.m. Saturday and 7:45 p.m. Monday; each screeningfollowed by a discussion with Kahil El'Zabar, Dwayne Johnson-Cochran and others; at theGene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.; $6-$11; 312-846-2800 or siskelfilmcenter.org.

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