Black Wax is political music that matters.
“Black Wax” is a short concert film commissioned by England’s Channel 4 to chronicle Gil Scott-Heron’s persona in the early 1980s. You get the standard mix of performance footage and Scott-Heron taking the crew through downtown Washington DC. The artist seems humble, yet annoyed by what was happening to his hometown. It was also one of the first productions to be shot entirely on Steadicam. Couple that with the fact that the Blu-Ray is the original 16mm film remastered and you’ve got quite the interesting visual release.
You also get an accompanying short “Is That Jazz” that isn’t really amazing. Sure, it’s informative…but it doesn’t have the punch of the original Scott-Heron documentary. Everyone won’t enjoy a vintage documentary about an avant-garde artist explaining his personal beliefs. But, it’s an interesting introduction to Scott-Heron for people that aren’t familiar with his work.
The Blu-Ray comes with no special features. Well, you might count the short film as a special feature. The 1080p transfer is stunning when you consider its humble Channel 4 origins. The PCM track is lossless, but it serves to point an issue I’m having. My receiver is having a hard time reading a lot of quieter indie releases. Oh well, it’s still worth a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
