Thunder Soul

(US, 2010, 84 mins, 35mm)

Producers: Keith Calder, Mark Landsman, Jessica Wu
Cinematographer: Sandra Chandler
Editor: Claire Didier

Told with style and pizzazz, the celebratory documentary Thunder Soul celebrates the Kashmere Stage Band, a worldwide sensation in the 1970s whose story will forever change the way you think about high school bands.

When Conrad O. Johnson, a music teacher at a predominately black high school in Houston, replaced the staid stage band standards with contemporary funk, jazz, and original compositions, he changed the lives of his students forever. Not only did they become one of the best bands, professional or amateur, around, but they learned lessons that stayed with them long after graduation. As one former student explains, “He didn’t just teach us the music. He taught us how to be men.”

Combining archival footage of the band in its full Seventies glory with the members’ efforts, thirty-five years later, to reunite and pay tribute to the man they lovingly call “Prof,” Mark Landsman’s rousing film captures the energy and spirit of the Kashmere Stage Band, demonstrating just how vital music can be in someone’s life, no matter what their age.

Doug Jones

Live musical performance by the Kashmere Stage Band.

Expected to attend: Mark Landsman.

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