JORG BUNDSCHUH TO TUNSA AND BACK: ON TOUR WITH J.J. CALE TIME LIFE

by Christine Natanael

TimeLife Books
timelife.com

German documentary filmmaker Jorg Bundschuh ("John Lee Hooker: That’s My Story") packed his cameras onto a tour bus and was afforded the rare opportunity to join the historically very private singer/songwriter/American musical cult figure J.J. Cale on the road. Filmed over the course of two weeks in 2004, it is a glimpse of the low-key life of a man who has lived much of his career in the shadow of larger stars, yet still being their influence.

Don’t know who Cale is? Ever heard Eric Clapton do the songs “After Midnight” or “Cocaine” or Lynyrd Skynyrd do the song “Call Me The Breeze”? Well, J.J. Cale’s the man who wrote them. He’s credited with originating what’s called the “Tulsa Sound,” which combines his laid back guitar sound and almost whispered vocal style with his early influences from rock’n’roll, country, blues, and jazz. He’s also had artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Santana, Jerry Garcia, The Band, Bryan Ferry, Captain Beefheart, Widespread Panic, and Waylon Jennings cover his material, and he has influenced Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler.

As a man who rarely leaves his home to perfom for his fiercely devoted fans around the world, this DVD is a sweet, intimate look at the day-to-day of the man behind the enigma. Besides the typical concert footage, there’s interviews with his long time band members as well as his sister (who regularly travels with him on tour), an interview with Eric Clapton about his long-time relationship with Cale, and performance footage from the Crossroads Festival benfit show.

Songs included here are: “After Midnight,” “Cocaine,” “Crazy Mama,” “Magnolia,” “Cajun Moon,” “Bringin’ It Back,” “Call Me The Breeze,” “Sensitive Kind,” “If You’re Ever In Oklahoma” and more.



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