
Joe Boyd’s And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music
A one-time only audio-visual tour
“Profound… and beyond.” —Robert Plant
Joe Boyd, legendary producer and renowned author, will be in residence at the Regal Rivera cinema during Big Ears. He will present a special, one-time only audio-visual tour through his new book, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music, and introduce a series of films including three from the musical cultures celebrated in the book, as well as screening two of his own productions, Aretha Franklin: Amazing Grace and Jimi Hendrix.
Boyd’s new book, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain A Journey through Global Music, was published by Ze Books in September 2024 to high critical acclaim. A sweeping history, the book celebrates the impact of the world’s musical traditions on Western popular culture and vice versa and shows how personalities, events, and politics in places such as Havana, Lagos, Budapest, Kingston, and Rio are as colorful and momentous as anything that took place in New Orleans, Harlem, Laurel Canyon, or Liverpool.
During the years spent writing And the Roots of Rhythm Remain, he has co-produced records with his wife, Andrea Goertler, by Albanian group Saz’iso and Bosnian sevdah artist Damir Imamović. His popular podcast, Joe Boyd’s A-Z, takes listeners on musical adventures from around the world. In 2019, he completed unfinished business from his time at Warner Brothers Films by serving as Executive Producer on Amazing Grace, Alan Elliott’s acclaimed film of Aretha Franklin’s 1972 recording session which had lain unseen in the vaults for forty-seven years. A gifted raconteur, he appears frequently on the BBC and other global radio and television outlets.
We’ve spent the past couple of months completely immersed in and utterly captivated by the nearly 1000 pages of his extraordinary new book, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music.
Joe also serves as guest curator for an exciting facet of Big Ears’ soon-to-be announced film programs.