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1 item from 2012

14 February 2012 5:24 AM, PST | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – Mark Landsman’s “Thunder Soul” is an exceedingly good film about a great man. Conrad O. Johnson Sr. worked for 37 years as a band teacher, and his unconventional educational methods in the classroom led his Houston high school students to unlikely international stardom in the early ’70s. Their success was so extraordinary that one wishes the filmmakers had probed a little further into their story.

The film, which racked up multiple audience awards at festivals such as South by Southwest, is more interested in celebrating the spirit of the Kashmere Stage Band than providing much insight into their innovative technique. What we can glean from the footage is that Johnson taught through empowerment. He told his students that they could play funk like the best professionals in the business as long as they believed in their own abilities. He demanded immense feeling in the their music, and that same »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

1 item from 2012