GATHER AT THE RIVER: A BLUEGRASS CELEBRATION U.S. Independents - Documentaries

Award-winning director Robert Mugge (Kumu Hula) takes a comprehensive look at the past, present, and future of bluegrass music in the performance documentary, Gather at the River: A Bluegrass Celebration. Not long ago, bluegrass was considered all but dead. But with the help of eloquent narration by Peter Rowan, one of the genre’s great musicians and poets, the director shows that bluegrass is more vital now than ever. He captures industry legends as well as its younger generation of stars (including groups from Russia and Japan) in dazzling concert performances and spontaneous jam sessions. In brief interviews, these same musicians discuss everything from blues and African-American gospel influences to the debate over traditional versus contemporary strains of bluegrass. This superbly structured film should appeal to bluegrass aficionados and the uninitiated alike.