The last waltz of The Band

the long version

"In this text Neil Minturn addresses the phenomenon of rock and roll with a serious investigation of Martin Scorsese's documentary film The Last Waltz (1978). This celebrated "rockumentary" artfully captures for posterity the final public performance of The Band, a partnership of one American and four Canadians that produced, for more than a decade and a half, an impressive body of popular song in the rock idiom. Joining its members for their 1976 farewell was a variety of guests who - like the music of The Band itself - reflected the rich array of vernacular traditions that have nourished rock and roll since its emergence. Minturn approaches the substance of the performances and the film itself in terms of intimacy and tradition. He presents the San Francisco concert as a summation of an extraordinary musical journey and prefaces his "scene-by-scene" analysis with a cogent introduction to documentary film-making. Selected performances are discussed in detail."--Jacket.