Blues Masters - The Essential History of the Blues

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Summary: The Music&the Struggle
Review: the best thing about any Documentary is when it goes the extra mile to fully capture not only the subject matter but also the time period&this Dvd collection hides nothing&comes correct on the time period&the creative people behind the music&the powerful element it took.the Music is a Heaven for the Oppression that was happening at the time.you feel the Notes&the strength all rolled into one here.the Blues means different things to people but this Dvd gets it right from start to finish.School is in Session here&it's time to take notes.

Rating:
Summary: Black history , beautifully told!
Review: This documentary does what so many others on Black Music failed to do, it discusses the music in the context of black struggle in America. The reason this DVD was such a breath of fresh air to me is because I purchased it after returning a documentary (American Roots Music) that did the exact opposite. Where American Roots Music teases the viewer with one or two seconds of it's "rare footage", Blues Masters shows rare sessions with Son House, Leadbelly, Bessie Smith and many more virtually uncut. Where American Roots Music attempts to handle the music as if it exists in a vacuum; Blues Masters doesn't separate the music from the people who created it. The latter even makes mention and shows footage of self-determined Black leaders such as Marcus Garvey and Father Divine, who both were very influential among common Black folks of the time. It discusses the "Racist Regime of America" and it's deep mistreatment of Blacks and alludes to the fact that this deep seated oppression and pain had to be an element of what actually drove Black folks to create the blues in the first place. This DVD is a must have. Buy two copies, just in case one of your friends decide to borrow it and never give it back.