Mark Landsman's serviceably swinging documentary tells the story of the Kashmere Stage Band, an all-black, coed high-school outfit from Houston that played some of the tightest jazz-funk in the land. Three decades after graduation, members reunite to honor their beloved 93-year-old bandleader, teacher and role model, Conrad "Prof" Johnson. Amid its celebrations of black power, ambitious Afros and fly female trombonists, the film serves as a rousing testament to the singular blessings of music education, since there's nothing inherent or automatic about kids learning how to groove. "The feeling," Johnson says, "comes from my demanding it."
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Watch the trailer