Bayou Maharajah

Bayou Maharajah

classified 18
Film

Please note: This was screened in July 2016

Director
Lily Keber
Cast
Allen Toussaint, Dr John, Harry Connick Jr, Hugh Laurie
Details
98 mins, 2013, USA

This vibrant documentary explores the life, times and music of piano legend James Booker, who Dr. John described as "the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie genius New Orleans has ever produced".

Also known as the Piano Prince of New Orleans and The Black Liberace, Booker mixed gospel, boogie-woogie, blues, traditional and modern jazz and classical music to create a unique, breathtaking sound. He was an unparalleled musician whose eccentricities and showmanship belied a life of struggle and isolation: triply-marginalised by his race, homosexuality, and physical disability, he still managed to excel as a musician in New Orleans and Europe in the 1960s-70s, fusing different music in breathtaking new ways.

Illustrated with never-before-seen concert footage, rare personal photos and exclusive interviews (with Hugh Laurie, Harry Connick Jr - who, along with Dr. John, was his student - Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas and Charles Neville), the film paints a fascinating and rich portrait of an overlooked genius who sadly passed away at 43. A must-see for aficionados of jazz as well as being accessible to views who don't know their Professor Longhair from a Dr. John, this is a brilliant tribute that shows how the man - much like the city from which he came - was a study in contrasts.


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