119TH AES CONVENTION SCREENS FILMS AT FIVE

NEW YORK: AES 119th Committee Chair Jim Anderson reports that a pair of celebrated films has been selected to kick off the new AES Films At Five Program.
“In searching for new ways to both educate and entertain our audience we decided to launch a series of screenings of films that would have a unique appeal to convention attendees. Our Saturday offering is a celebrated independent film that focuses on the unique life of Tom Dowd, one of our industries most revered engineers. On Sunday we will hold a reprise performance of a film originally screened at last year’s convention in San Francisco. George Antheil was one of the most imaginative and controversial artists of his day.

Saturday 5pm

TOM DOWD & THE LANGUAGE OF MUSIC - Introduced by Phil Ramone:
This 90-minute documentary profiles the life and work of legendary producer/recording engineer Tom Dowd. A former Atlantic Records engineer, Dowd was responsible for some of the most important R&B, rock, and jazz records ever made. Interviews with recording industry icons tell the story of this humble genius, while historical footage, photographs and classic music tracks capture the magic of the recording studio. It's here that Dowd, the unaffected master, recounts the recording sessions and technical achievements that altered the course of contemporary music. The film includes powerful interviews, photos and film clips — both historical and contemporary — of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Otis Redding, the Allman Brothers, Les Paul, Phil Ramone, Joe Bonamassa, Ahmet Ertegun and many other musical giants.

Sunday 5pm

BAD BOY MADE GOOD – Presented by Paul Lehrman, Mix Magazine:
George Antheil, the self-proclaimed "Bad Boy of Music," was a brash, colorful, young "ultramodern" American pianist and composer in Europe during the roaring '20s. His works caused fistfights in concert halls and riots in the streets from London to Budapest. His magnum opus, the "Ballet mécanique" for percussion, sound effects, and multiple player pianos, turned Paris on its ear in 1924. But, the piece called for technology that didn't exist at the time—multiple player pianos could not be synchronized. So the version he heard in his head was never performed in his lifetime. 75 years later, thanks to a forward-thinking music publisher (G. Schirmer), a music technologist (Paul Lehrman), a modern player-piano manufacturer (Yamaha), and the latest in computer music technology, the piece was performed the way the composer wanted it. Bad Boy Made Good is a 71-minute documentary film written by our presenter, Paul Lehrman, and directed by award-winning LA filmmaker Ron Frank. It tells the story of Antheil's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall, and the historical development of a piece that has been called "the most important work of the first half of the 20th century." Visit website http://www.antheil.org/ for background on this project.