Denise Quan

In these days of extreme political polarization, one longs for signs of unity and humanity, even if we have to reach back nearly 40 years in the wayback machine to find it.  Filmmaker Bao Nguyen was only two years old, in 1985, when more than 40 of America's biggest music stars slipped into A&M…

There are times when one's world unexpectedly shifts off its axis, and everyone involved must scramble and find a new center of gravity. November 10, 2021 was such a day for Jon Batiste and his life partner, Suleika Jaouad. That morning, the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and bandleader for The Late Show…

In a clip from the documentary, Little Richard: I Am Everything, we hear the young entertainer singing an early version of what would become his signature tune, "Tutti Frutti." But surprise! The original lyrics were different than the ones we know today: "Tutti frutti, good booty/Tutti frutti, good booty!"…

When HBO hosted a special screening of Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, the intimate documentary about the singer-songwriter's personal and creative journey during the making of his 2020 album Reunions seemingly met with unanimous approval. But as applause…

If they're good, music documentaries can serve as a time machine — an immersive experience that transports the viewer back to the magic of another era, where the soundtrack envelops you, and an artist who has left this mortal coil returns for 90 minutes or so to validate their superstar status — a mic…