neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
	Paul Justman Andre Braugher, the Funk Brothers, Joan Osborne, Ben Harper, Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins, Gerald Levert, Meshell Ndegeocello, Montell Jordan 2002		One of the most important and little-heralded bands in pop music history gets its due with "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," a stirring combo of documentary, dramatization and concert footage that informs, entertains and sets a mammoth collection of records straight. You may not have heard of the Funk Brothers, but chances are that you've heard them. These musicians were plucked out of Detroit jazz and R&B clubs to become the house band for the Motown label as Berry Gordy built the imprint into a font of chart-topping soul music from the '50s to the '70s. Brought together, the Funk Brothers forged backing tracks for most of the era's hits by The Supremes, The Temptations, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and others. Director Paul Justman researched the Brothers' origins, interviewed their contemporaries, and captured a reunion show by the surviving Brothers as they accompanied vocalists Joan Osborne, Ben Harper, Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins, Gerald Levert, Meshell Ndegeocello and Montell Jordan on a selection of Motown classics.