Two films where jazz functions as part of the social and emotional fabric of the city.

Charles Burnett’s short is shot in South Central LA and elegantly captures the potential for jazz to build and sustain a community, as he depicts a musician trying to raise money to halt a mother being evicted from her apartment.

Featuring music from Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy and a whole host of jazz luminaries, this fascinating film by the Black Audio Film Collective paints a portrait of London in the 1960s and 1970s, depicting a multitude of experiences of the British Black Power organisation and those touched by the impact of the group. The soundtrack, composed by Trevor Matheson, is an impressionistic wonder, seeking to capture the political, social complexities of the time and their impact on the emotional psyche of the individuals effected.