Judy’s 2001 conversation with the groundbreaking, Oscar-winning, documentary filmmaker, D.A. Pennebaker, one of her first interviews for Jazz Inspired. Pennebaker passed away August 1, 2019 in his home in Sag Harbor, NY—where Judy recorded this interview—at the age of 94.
Pennebaker is best know for capturing pivotal moments in the history of rock music and politics—including Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England and Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign. He received an honorary Oscar for his innovative approach to filmmaking and received an Oscar nomination for The War Room, his documentary on Clinton’s presidential campaign.
The conversation starts with a discussion of Pennebaker’s first film, Daybreak Express, a five-minute short film, made in 1953, about New York’s soon-to-be demolished Third Avenue Elevated subway station. Duke Ellington’s classic recording of the same name was used as the soundtrack.