SYNOPSIS

Local swing-merchants The Scratch are preparing a special Morricone tribute set for the Italian Film Festival’s special musical tribute screening of Giuseppe Tornatore’s (Cinema Paradiso) celebratory documentary ENNIO – THE MAESTRO. This promises to be an ambient and jazzy mix of spaghetti western fanfares, melancholia from Once Upon a Time in America plus other Morricone classics. Featuring Kiernan Box (bass/keys), Paula Maki (saxophone), Ken Gardner (trumpet), Mark Voogd (drums), Matthew Habben (saxophone/clarinet), Adam Hutterer (trombone/keys) and Jacob Pearson (guitar). From Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso, Malena), Ennio - The Maestro celebrates the life and legacy of the legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone. Centred around an in-depth interview with Morricone recorded shortly before his death in 2020, aged 91 and conducted by Tornatore, the film forms a well-rounded portrait of the maestro by weaving together archival footage, music and testimonies from artists and directors, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Marco Bellocchio, Dario Argento, Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Springsteen and Hans Zimmer. Yet it also reveals the lesser-known side of Morricone, including his passion for the game of chess, which may have mysterious links with his music, and the origins of some of his music, like the howl of the coyote that inspired the theme of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. From his early arrangements to his cinema debut with Sergio Leone, to his Academy Award-winning score for The Hateful Eight (2016), we delve into the life of the most prolific film composer of the 20th century, composer of over 500 unforgettable scores.