Arts Tamworth is pleased to have New Orleans Filmmaker Lily Keber here for the week, doing workshops with the Brett School classes, and on Thursday May 17th, we'll be screening Bayou Maharajah, her critically acclaimed documentary about New Orleans piano legend James Booker. The screening will be proceeded by a solo piano performance by Henry Butler, a musical legend from New Orleans, who has earned his spot in the pantheon of great keyboard players from the Crescent City.
A brilliant pianist, Booker's eccentricities and showmanship belied a life of struggle, prejudice, and isolation. A wild genius with a style that combined elements of rhythm-and-blues, jazz, ragtime and classical music, he gained the nicknames "Piano Prince of New Orleans", "Black Liberace" and "Bayou Maharajah". Illustrated with never-before-seen concert footage, rare personal photos and exclusive interviews, the film paints a portrait of this overlooked genius.
