Paul Thomas Anderson Made A Film About Jonny Greenwood’s Indian Recording Sessions
Radiohead guitarist/arranger/grown-up whiz-kid Jonny Greenwood has long been in the background of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films — Greenwood scored Anderson’s last three movies, There Will Be Blood, The Master, and Inherent Vice. Now it seems Greenwood will move to the foreground. The New York Times (via Pitchfork) reports that Anderson will debut a documentary called Junun at this year’s New York Film Festival, taking place 9/25 through 10/11. Per NYT, “This film follows Mr. Anderson’s frequent music collaborator, Jonny Greenwood of the band Radiohead, on a recording session in Rajasthan in northwest India, where he worked on an album with the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur.” Here’s a more detailed description from the festival’s website:
Earlier this year, Paul Thomas Anderson joined his close friend and collaborator Jonny Greenwood on a trip to Rajasthan in northwest India, where they were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, and he brought his camera with him. Their destination was the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort, where Greenwood (with the help of Radiohead engineer Nigel Godrich) was recording an album with Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and an amazing group of musicians: Aamir Bhiyani, Soheb Bhiyani, Ajaj Damami, Sabir Damami, Hazmat, and Bhanwaru Khan on brass; Ehtisham Khan Ajmeri, Nihal Khan, Nathu Lal Solanki, Narsi Lal Solanki, and Chugge Khan on percussion; Zaki Ali Qawwal, Zakir Ali Qawwal, Afshana Khan, Razia Sultan, Gufran Ali, and Shazib Ali on vocals; and Dara Khan and Asin Khan on strings. The finished film, just under an hour, is pure magic. Junun lives and breathes music, music-making, and the close camaraderie of artistic collaboration. It’s a lovely impressionistic mosaic and a one-of-a-kind sonic experience: the music will blow your mind.
Greenwood has spoken about his collaboration with Ben Tzur in recent interviews. Read one of them, and watch footage of Greenwood and Ben Tzur performing together below.