Contemporary Musical Arts Film Screening: “Living with Imperfection: A Portrait of Ran Blake”

A celebration of the publication of "Storyboarding Noir," co-authored by Ran Blake and his close friend, writer and fellow film buff, Gardiner Hartmann, as well as "Shimmering Shadows" an in-depth biography of Ran Blake written by Janet and Leo McFadden. Ran Blake will be available to sign copies of both books. At 7:00pm, this will be followed by a film screening of a documentary film titled "Living with Imperfection: A Portrait of Ran Blake" by Antoine Polin.

In his Boston basement apartment, which seems to come straight out of an old film noir, the great American pianist Ran Blake lives alone and endlessly fine-tunes his indefinable sound. For over 70 years, he has been driven by his obsession with cinema, which, in turn, has galvanized his music, creating a unique conversation between these two arts.

At the age of 84, the great American jazz pianist Ran Blake pursues an international career and continues to develop his unique musical language. Surprisingly, it is his love for the cinema that has always animated him and nourished his inspiration. Through the portrait of an ardently obsessed veteran musician, Blake questions the process of creation, personal accomplishment and the fertile dialogue between two arts.

This event is presented as part of the Contemporary Musical Arts 50th anniversary celebrations.