Theo Croker.

Format:

Video

Series:

Sound Of New York ; Episode 3

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jazz.

United States and Canada.

Performing arts life.

Musicians.

Local Subjects:

Jazz.

United States and Canada.

Performing arts life.

Musicians.

Genre:

Documentary

Physical Description:

1 online resource (30 minutes)

Place of Publication:

Paris, Ile-de-France : Qwest TV, 2017.

Language Note:

In English.

Original language in English.

System Details:

video file

Summary:

A protégé of Dee Dee Bridgewater, the trumpet player recounts his journey from Shanghai to New York. A journey unlike most makes for an enlightening portrait. The film follows Theo Croker through the streets of New York, from Central Park to Jazz at Lincoln Center. A classic. But for several years, his story took place … in China. This detour is all the more surprising considering that Croker (born in 1985) is the grandson of Doc Cheatham (1905–1997), whose funeral was the occasion for a twelve-hour concert, bringing together the country’s greatest jazz artists in a Manhattan church. However, under the guidance of a mentor of the caliber of Wynton Marsalis, Croker needed to exile himself to make a career. Far away. In Shanghai, to be exact, where for several years, the clubs called on his services six nights a week, giving him the opportunity to gain experience and perfect his sound. Then he was discovered by Dee Dee Bridgewater, who had a particular weakness for the trumpet, the instrument played by her father and her first husband, Cecil Bridgewater. The singer recruited Croker and convinced him to return to New York, where he established himself, recording two albums, *Afro Physicist* (2014) and *Escape Velocity* (2016). Music from these albums — in addition to excerpts from a Blue Note Jazz Club concert — exemplifies this meticulously filmed documentary. Heir to the trumpet players of New Orleans, but at the same time connected to New York rap, Croker embodies the future of jazz, according to journalist Ashley Khan, who contributes his unfailingly precise insights. The trumpet player offers inspiring remarks on the music that transcends him, affirming his belief that there has always been something spiritual inside him. Eric Delhaye

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed July 15, 2024).