Clod Ensemble x Nu Civilisation Orchestra — The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
THE BLACK SAINT AND THE SINNER LADY (performance)
my role: cinematography
At the start of 2020 Clod Ensemble and celebrated jazz ensemble Nu Civilisation Orchestra were set to present a live dance celebration of The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, the seminal 1963 album by trailblazing musician Charles Mingus. Plans changed! They put live performances of The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady on hold until 2023, keeping ourselves sane by moving to Mingus' music throughout lockdown. The result of this process was a unique, life-affirming film set to Mingus and his band's original recording.
In this kaleidoscopic video, world-class dancers move to the wildly sensual and rhythmically explosive 1963 LP. The dancers' movement in The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady celebrates the beautiful melodies, complex structure and huge emotional range of Mingus' original vision.
"This kaleidoscopic work unlocks a new way of listening to the wildly sensual, rhythmically explosive album." — Broadway World
"The result is a breathtaking musical and dance performance in which the dynamic music of Mingus finally received its visual embodiment, conceived by the composer, a "kaleidoscopic musical film"." — BBC reviews