(Euroamerican Nightlosers / Člověk Buben - The Human Hambone), Sorin Iliesiu / Mark Morgan / RUM / USA, 2005
original version / Czech sub-subtitles, 61 min
- Euroamerican Nightlosers is an engaging look at Romania's most unusual musical export, the rocking ethno-blues band The Nightlosers. With their original and infectious combination of Transylvanian folklore and American blues, the band have become a major phenomenon in their native country and have gained an ever-increasing international cult following. Boasting a lively cast of characters as ethnically and culturally diverse as Transylvania itself, all of whom are outstanding musicians to boot, the Nightlosers make a strong case for the Delta - of the Danube - as the true homeland of the blues, and restore the cimbalom to its rightful place in the rock pantheon.
- A cinematic illustration of the history and manifestations of body percussion in North America, centered around the primary source, the art form known as the Hambone, a type of percussion originating in West Africa and brought to America during slavery. After the suppression of drums, foot stomping and slapping the body became a widely practiced means of expression. Various forms of Hambone-style body "drumming" ranging from tap dancing and collegiate stepping to beat boxing and percussive stomps are featured throughout the film, showing the evolutionary process through which music grows and develops, based on hidden aspects of the culture it represents and the natural rhythms and flows of the human body.
