Beneath the Underdogs: Mingus & Partch provides a glimpse into the lives, homes, and working methods of two brilliant and eccentric musicians: Charles Mingus and Harry Partch. Odd, marginalized, and totally out there – both Mingus and Partch were radical (and often misunderstood) artists whose adaptation of an alternative lifestyle is inseparable from their groundbreaking music.
These two rarely screened 16mm film portraits showcase each artist in a period of transition – Mingus on the eve of his eviction from his Great Jones Street loft in 1966 and Partch in his cramped home-studio in Chicago.
Mingus (Thomas Reichman, 1968, 58m) Music Studio: Harry Partch (Madeline Tourtelot, 1958, 16mm, 18m)
Peter Margasak (Chicago Reader) will be on hand for questions after the screening
Program curated by Michelle Puetz