Last year, Josh Koffman set out to direct a movie in homage of his legendary grandfather: the jazz saxophonist, flutist and composer Moe Koffman.
Josh Koffman
That movie, titled The Jazzman, is now out.
Koffman also co-produced and wrote the film, his first feature-length endeavour, made in collaboration with the local production company Summer Pictures. He has crafted a loving take on Moe’s music and his legacy on the Canadian jazz scene.
Moe Koffman died in 2001 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 73.
Jazz fans will find listening to the film’s soundtrack a treat. It features a plethora of Moe’s compositions. Koffman uses the music to maximum effect, giving his grandfather a presence in the film that the audience can feel.
Though set in contemporary times, the movie alludes to an earlier epoch, when jazz could be heard in many a Toronto bar.
Torontonian viewers will note the heavy use of various city landmarks and buildings, as Koffman shot the film on location in his hometown.
He’s assembled a strong cast, starting most notably with veteran character actor Michael Ironside, who plays Bernie Kadly, an aging sax player battling both the ravaging effects of lung cancer and a headstrong son.
Corey Sevier plays John Kadly, Bernie’s son, an aspiring jazz drummer with a rebellious streak who won’t listen to his father’s warnings about the perils of the music industry.
Actress Laura Vandervoort provides the love interest. She plays Sara, a special needs educator drawn into John’s tormented world after she falls for him one night at a bar.
Sevier, Vandervoort and Ironside all hail from Ontario.
Ironside lends a nice veteran presence to the film, bringing an authenticity to his character – channelling Moe, as it were – that helps balance the sometimes stilted group effort of his co-actors in the early scenes.
Vandervoort and Sevier’s characters progressively warm to each other, and to the viewer, as the film moves from its first to middle act.
While filming at The Beach in Toronto last year, Koffman told The CJN he hoped the movie would depict the “struggle of the artist as a timeless theme” and show the Toronto jazz scene in a way that “has never been shown before. To really showcase the jazz scene at its best, before it becomes totally forgotten.”
The Jazzman does that while wrapping a dramatic arc around the scene. This is accomplished primarily through John and Bernie’s father-son struggle to connect despite their stubbornness.
Koffman also pulls no punches with the gradual demise and eventual death of Bernie. Suffice it to say, the latter is not a scene meant for kids or people who have lost loved ones to lung cancer. Those viewers may wish to avert their eyes, lest they relive some painful memories.
That said, the scene is probably one of the movie’s best. It infuses the closing minutes with deeper meaning and forces the audience to reflect on the important things in life; family, health, happiness and, in this case, jazz.
The Jazzman premières on SuperChannel on Oct. 25 at 8 p.m.