AN EPIC AMERICAN EVENT

Released By PBS and BBC
Article By John Pugh

Sundance delivered a special evening with some amazing first footage from the upcoming t.v. miniseries doc, AMERICAN EPIC. This epic miniseries will air on PBS and BBC sometime this year. AMERICAN EPIC is an extensive three-part event and will balance a focus between the history of music and records in America and also include special musical performances referred to as “The American Epic Sessions.” These performances look to be incredibly well done and based on what we saw at this special Sundance event, I have very little doubt that the end result will be a wonderful experience. I’m looking forward to owning the soundtrack and these unique sessions the moment they are made available.

The evening began with a brief introduction from legendary filmmaker and Sundance founder Robert Redford (Mr. Redford also served as Executive Producer of AMERICAN EPIC.) We were graciously shown an exclusive 45-minutes worth of footage from the upcoming doc. The footage encompassed the history of American music and records with a focus on the country blues artist- Mississippi John Hurt, a look at the only  functional  record press machine in the world (a rebuilt version of the same model that the record companies used back in the day), and two outstanding  live performances–which were recorded to the rebuilt record press–from Jack White and guests, including hip hop rapper, Nas.

What followed was a wonderful and intellectual conversation between filmmaker Bernard MacMahon (Director of AMERICAN EPIC), musician Jack White (Executive Producer of AMERICAN EPIC), iconic musician T-Bone Burnett (Executive Producer of AMERICAN EPIC), and jazz/blues legend Taj Mahal.

Lastly, the evening ended with two live acoustic performances by Taj Mahal himself  and the talented Avett Brothers. The evening was magical and unforgettable! An absolute highlight amid the many films we took in at the festival this year. It’s a night I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

You can visit AmericanEpic.com for more information and updates. You can also check out and share the recorded performances from the evening below.

AMERICAN EPIC Teaser Trailer

The Avett Brothers 

Taj Mahal