TWO BEATS ONE SOUL - Feature Documentary Coming Soon!
When visionary music producers, Vivian Scott Chew (RVMK Records) and Ray Chew (Musical Director of Dancing with the Stars), asked me to take over as director of 2B1S (the original director was busy on a another film), I jumped at the chance to make a film in Cuba. The filming that had been done so far was behind the scenes at the world renown Abdalla Recording Studio outside Havana. Over the course of two weeks, Cuban and American artists collaborated on 13 tracks. Each artist had two days to write and record each track. They had to go in and nail it. This would not have happened without Ray's talent and clarity, and Vivian and her team working tirelessly behind the scenes making each transition work smoothly, and putting out fires along the way.
This incredible footage laid the foundation for the film but I had to develop the story around it. My goal was to explore the lives of the Cuban musicians who despite their lack of material things, possessed a richness of spirit that carried through their music. I also wanted to capture the logistical challenges of pulling off Vivian and Ray's next to impossible vision.
Two trips to Cuba later and months of editing, I am proud to have created something that will get us all moving in our chairs, and speaks to our ability to push past the bounds of constraints.
A note about the music in the film. I listened to the music over and over and over again during the editing phase, and I never got tired of it. I can honestly say the music is off the hook amazing. I would characterize this film as the next generation Buena Vista Social Club. The Cuban and American artists fused Afro Cuban with R&B. Salsa with Rap. Jazz with Rhumba. The young Cubans mixed their new sounds with the old, backed by an all Cuban orchestra. It's a genre bending experience.
Check out the soundtrack on iTunes. It's hard to pick a favorite but two that stand out for me are "I Can't Live" by Jean Rodrigues and Sergio George. And "Zun Zun" by Xiomara Laugart.
