Art Cinema returns to Lyric

Shelley Koppel
Staff writer/Your Voice News

MARTIN COUNTY — Art Cinema has returned to the Lyric Theatre. The film series, which was discontinued last summer while the theater was undergoing renovations, is now in full swing. For the next several weeks, the focus is on the history of rock, with three rock documentaries.

“The Wrecking Crew” will air June 18 at 5 and 8 p.m. The 95-minute film tells the story of The Wrecking Crew, a group of studio musicians in the 1960s and 1970s, who provided the sound for six consecutive Grammy Awards for Record of the Year. They played for Nat King Cole. Frank and Nancy Sinatra, the Monkees, the Byrds and the Beach Boys and were considered the epitome of the “West Coast Sound.” The documentary was produced and directed by Danny Tedesco, son of the Wreckng Crew’s guitarist, Tommy Tedesco.

On June 25, the documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On,” will be shown at 5 and 8 p.m. The film was shot over five years by Al Hicks, and tells the story of 93-year-old jazz legend, trumpeter Clark Terry. Terry, a mentor to Duke Ellington, had the distinction of playing in both Count Basie’s and Ellington’s bands. In the 1960s, he was the first African-American staff musician at NBC for “The Tonight Show.”

The film focuses on Terry’s friendship with Justin Kauflin, a blind, 23-year-old piano prodigy who suffers from acute stage fright. As Kauflin prepares for a jazz competition, Terry’s health suffers and the two confront overwhelming challenges.

Kauflin’s work is heard on the score and it has anecdotes from Quincy Jones, who was mentored by Terry and produced the film. Filmmaker Hicks was also a student of Terry’s and the film is his tribute to his teacher.

The final of the three rockumentaries is “Ain’t In it for my Health: A Film about Levon Helm.” The film will air July 2 at 5 and 8 p.m. It features the drummer and vocalist for The Band, and shows him in his home in Woodstock, N.Y., as he is in the midst of making his first studio album in 25 years.

The film was shot over a two-year period and focuses on the four-time Grammy winner and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as he recorded the 2007 album, “Dirt Farmer.” This was his comeback after throat cancer in 1998 took away his singing voice. When the cancer went into remission, his voice returned and “Dirt Farmer” earned a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album.

Art Cinema is a continuing series of art films, documentaries, independent films and hard-to-find international cinema. Tickets for showings are $10. The Lyric Film Society makes these films possible, and Film Society memberships are available for $100 annually. These entitle members to discounted tickets at $6. Supporting memberships at $250 provide one free ticket to all films.

The Lyric Theatre, 59 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart, presents Art Cinema on selected dates. For more information, visit the website,www.lyrictheatre.com or call (772) 286-7827.