Movies by Robert Philipson

T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s

T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s

The 1920s saw a revolution in technology, the advent of the recording industry, that created the first class of African-American women to sing their way to fame and fortune. Blues divas such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter created and promoted a working-class vision of blues life that provided an alternative to the Victorian gentility of middle-class manners. In their lives and music, blues women presented themselves as strong, independent women who lived hard lives and were unapologetic about their unconventional choices in c...

Body and Soul: An American Bridge

Body and Soul: An American Bridge

A documentary about the jazz standard and it's roots in Jewish and African-American culture/