Every once in a while, something comes out of the blue that surprises and delights you. Such was the case with the documentary film “Banded Together,” produced, directed, and edited by Barry Rubinow, which I saw at the Dances With Films Festival at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. I didn’t know the movie and hadn’t read any publicity for it, so I had no expectations going in. That can be a liberating or disappointing experience, and one can never predict which.
On the surface, “Banded Together” is a simple story of a time and place. The time was the late 1960s. The place was Glen Rock High School in New Jersey. New and historic footage is mixed together, creating an inviting tableau of the community that sets the stage for the musical magic to follow. Who knew that tiny Glen Rock High was the staging ground for some of the top musicians in jazz, rock, and classical music over the last 40-plus years? The odds against so much talent coming from a town not much bigger than Mayberry would seem impossible, yet here is the evidence.
The film continues as a musical and visual celebration of that place and time; top recording artists, composers, arrangers, session players who have worked with giants of the industry, a supportive community, and one inspirational teacher who stood at the head of the class and gave these kids the foundation that set them up for greatness. The music is upbeat, well recorded, and fills the theater, the imagery is crisp and well-cut together, and the personal stories are positive and uplifting. Hell, all of the artists and their teacher are still alive to tell those stories for Rubinow’s carefully-placed cameras.
There is a joy and optimistic spirit to this movie that one might think of as nostalgic, but that is to underestimate its charms because their stories continue to this day. Mr. Rubinow’s delightful film is a lovely reminder that great things can happen, and they can come from anywhere at any time.
Review by Patrick Cirillo, screenwriter and author of “Wyatt and The Duke: The End of an Era, the Beginning of Another,” available for purchase here.
