Coming to Select Theatres: Dec 15, 2023
Session musicians should never get overlooked and in Denny Tedesco‘s excellent documentary, Immediate Family, there’s a handful of them in demand! Not only are they requested to perform with top names in the recording studio but also are sometimes asked to perform live too! Here, everything fans of music want to know about Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Waddy Wachtel but were afraid to ask is revealed.
And what we as listeners might not know is that they have formed their own supergroup and think this documentary’s title is perfect to call this band. They’ve been performing for a few years now, and I can’t wait to see what their future is. Although they don’t always get a chance to jam all the time, what they love about music demonstrates they have the potential to be superstars in their own right!
This documentary Tedesco spent years working on follows their long journey to being top notch musicians. It’s getting special screenings come mid-December, and it’s well worth any music fan’s time to go check it out! In my preview, not only do I get to see how one talent helped Don Henley find the right sound for “All She Wants To Do Is Dance (Official Music Video),” but also highlight how MTV reshaped the musical landscape.
But there’s more to the journey than just how they helped influence the sound of the 70s and 80s. There’s also the namesake, and camaraderie that developed between them and the musicians who actively sought them out to be those movers and shakers in the studio and stage! For example, Keith Richards really wanted to work with Leland Sklar when the Rolling Stones were taking a break. Or as this guitarist put it, waited for when Mick said okay, let’s make a new album together again instead of doing his own solo thing! There’s a few telling things about the behind the scenes, and thankfully no animosity is intended between mates, even when individual ideologies sometimes led to teams splitting.
Immediate Family is more about the tight bond these session musicians had for one another and also those superstars. On that list includes Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Stevie Nicks, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Phil Collins, and many more! To see how close they all are is truly revealing, and as for how each individual came into the industry, what’s told is nicely compact and to the point! If we don’t get to know about what got them to say, “Hey Ma, that’s what I want to do when I grow up!” then we as listeners won’t know a thing at all.
The animated sequence is a beautiful touch to create a flashback style moment. It’s very cute and felt like a Charles M. Schulz Peanuts comic strip! And after watching this work, I had to seek out the album they finally put together, and it’s a very solid hard rock album! It’s like amping up everything The Travelling Wilburys did up by two notches! And the best part is that they are not a one hit wonder. When the team’s individual schedules permit, they’re composing new music, and hopefully another album! Fans can check it out on their official website.
5 Stars out of 5
Immediate Family Documentary Trailer
