The Screening Room

Bob Baldori found the keys to a rocking documentary

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That Bob Baldori is a phenomenal pianist is no secret: He’s been performing sizzling boogie-woogie around the world for decades. But his documentary “Boogie Stomp” demonstrates he’s an accomplished filmmaker as well.

The movie has been screened a few times in the past year as a work-in-progress. It’s in the process of its final fine-tuning, and it’s well on its way to being a real attention-grabber.

No one can accuse Baldori of playing it safe on his first directorial project. “Boogie Stomp” ambitiously weaves together three plotlines: Baldori’s working relationship and friendship with his partner, Bob Seeley; Seeley’s background in the Detroit music scene; and the rise of the boogie-woogie form in American music. Any one of the stories would probably have made a compelling movie, but Baldori wants to illuminate how they tie together, forming a more substantial picture. 

It’s a risky choice that pays off remarkably well. Through careful scripting and smooth editing, “Stomp” seems to move effortlessly — even elegantly — from fascinating history lessons and helpful explanations of musical terms to the material that charts Seeley’s long career before he teamed up with Baldori (including more than 30 years of performances at a Charley’s Crab restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Troy — the man admits he loves seafood).

There’s a palpable sense of the bond between the two Bobs, even though their personalities are almost completely dissimilar. Baldori is the take-charge, assertive half of the team, setting up prestigious bookings and negotiating with agents. Seeley is more reserved — not exactly reticent, but generally laid back and less goal-oriented. One of the film’s biggest laughs comes when Seeley finally speaks his mind about a subject that really irritates him: the mysteries of Canadian breakfast foods.  

The partnership is not always harmonious, as we see when Baldori tries to capitalize on a successful gig in Moscow by arranging another trip to Russia — only to find Seeley would rather spend the winter in Florida.   

To those who don’t know them, the men seem to be a mismatched team. Once they get behind their pianos, however, the combination is genuinely combustible. Alternately dueling playfully and supporting each other’s melody lines, Seeley and Baldori regularly raise the roof and bring audiences to their feet at concert dates. The musical segments in “Stomp” practically dare you not to dance in your seat: Number after number rocks, rolls and roars.

I watched the movie on a computer monitor; I can’t wait to experience it in a theater with a great sound system. “Stomp” tells us that boogie-woogie rhythms were drawn from the rumble of the railroads, and the one-two punch of Baldori and Seeley certainly does feel like being hit by an express train from Funkytown.

‘Boogie Stomp’
For more information and updates on screenings, visit www.boogiestomp.com

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