Gilad Atzmon is one of modern music's
best saxophonists, and one of the most controversial public
opponents of Israel. A gentle giant, warm, charismatic and somewhat
shy, Gilad is a complex character. Born into a pro-Zionist family
and serving briefly in the first Lebanon War, Gilad had a dramatic
turnaround; he quit the army, picked up his sax and exiled himself
to London, declaring himself an enemy to the Israeli
state.
Since then he has produced some of the
modern era's greatest Jazz albums, and collaborated with Ian Dury,
Paul McCartney and Sinead O' Connor . In music he is a
'feisty improviser' as one critic put it, comparing him to the
likes of Charlie Parker. In his political and philosophical ideas,
he is blunt and outspoken. His ideas on Israel and "Jewishness"
have upset many people, to the extent that he has been labelled a
holocaust denier and an anti-Semite. In Gilad's life, music and
politics are inseparable.
The film follows Gilad in the most flourishing time of his career,
as he records albums with Robert Wyatt, the blockheads, and gigs
with Nigel Kennedy; gets invited to TV programs and panel events
all over the globe; pleases his supporters and admirers, while
seriously pissing off his opponents to the point of receiving death
threats and intimidation against the venues he plays and speaks
in.
"Gilad and All That Jazz" offers a
unique insight in to the life, ideas, music and motivations driving
the great Saxophonist.