After the success achieved at the Sundance Festival and the Rome Film Festival, it arrives in Italian cinemas as a special event, only March 16, 17, 1860 years after birth, IT'S NEVER OVER: JEFF BUCKLEYdirected by the Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil, Janis: Little Girl Blue, West of Memphis) and co-produced by Brad Pitt.
From February 13ththe deluxe version of will also be available on Sony Music in vinyl and CD formats “Live at Sin-é”, Jeff Buckley's famous EP released in 1993. The original versioncomposed of four tracks recorded in a small club in Manhattan, has been expanded into a hard case which contains four vinyls with as many individually designed covers, a booklet with liner notes and color photos and live versions of iconic songs such as “Grace”, “Last Goodbye” And “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen”.
Only one album, the first (Grace1994), was enough for Jeff Buckley (1966-1997), son of the great Tim Buckley, to enter the history of music, before his tragic death in the waters of a tributary of the Mississippi at the age of thirty, in 1997.
Amy Berg's documentary reconstructs her life and artistic itinerary in the cultural context of New York in the 1980s and 1990s. Told through unpublished archive materials from Buckley's personal estate and intimate testimonies of the mother Mary Guibertof former companions Rebecca Moore And Joan Wasserhis former bandmates — including Michael Tighe And Parker Kindred — and artists like Ben Harper And Aimee Mann, IT'S NEVER OVER: JEFF BUCKLEY illuminates one of the most iconic and enigmatic figures in contemporary music.
The director explains Amy Berg: “I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't think about making a film about Jeff Buckley. I've been thinking about it at least since I started making films in 2006. Or maybe since '94, when I first heard Grace… Mary, Jeff's mother, is the first person I met to sketch it out. At the time, 18 years ago, you were thinking about a biopic. But his archive materials were unforgettable: I think for example of the last poignant voice message left on the answering machine. I was certain that a documentary would come out of it; and in 2019 my proposal was accepted. A beautiful labor of love, for us who didn't know him, to get as close to him as possible”.
Jeff Buckley was born on November 17, 1966 in the Orange County, Californiaand died in a tragic drowning accident at Memphis on May 29, 1997. Emerged in the avant-garde club scene of New York in the early nineties, he established himself as one of the most extraordinary musical artists of his generation, acclaimed by audiences, critics and fellow musicians. His first commercial recording, the four-track EP Live At Sin-éreleased in November 1993 for Columbia Records: Captured Buckley and his electric guitar in a tiny cafe in theEast Village of New Yorkthe neighborhood he had chosen as his home. By the time of its release in the fall of 1993, Buckley had already entered the studio to work on his debut album Gracetogether with Mick Grøndahl (Bass), Matt Johnson (battery) and the manufacturer Andy Wallace. At that stage they were registered seven original songs (including Lover, You Should Have Come Over And Last Goodbye) And three coversincluding Hallelujah Of Leonard Cohen And Corpus Christi Carol Of Benjamin Britten.
The guitarist Michael Tighe he later became the last permanent member of Jeff Buckley's ensemble and co-wrote the song So Realadded to the album shortly before its release. Grace was released in the United States on August 23, 1994. In June 1994, Jeff Buckley and his band embarked on the first of a series of consecutive tours that would span over two years. Much of the material performed during the 1995 and 1996 tours was recorded and released both on promotional EPs, such as Grace EPboth posthumously on albums like Mystery White Boy And Live at L'Olympia. The April 13, 1995 it was announced that Grace had earned Jeff Buckley the prestigious Grand Prix International du Disque – Académie Charles Cros 1995a prize awarded by a jury made up of producers, journalists, the president of France Culture and music industry professionals. Previously, the recognition had been conferred, among others, on Édith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Yves Montand, Georges Brassens, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. The long and demanding tours of GraceBuckley began working on material for his second album. Between mid-1996 and early 1997 he experimented with new recording sessions with the band between New York and Memphis, with Tom Verlaine as a producer. Once that cycle of sessions was over, Jeff sent the band back to New York, remaining in Memphis to continue developing the work in progress and making numerous four-track home recordingsto present to bandmates and record company executives. Some were revisions of pieces recorded with Verlaine, others entirely new compositions. Buckley also began a series of regular – but mostly anonymous – solo performances every Monday night at the Barrister's of Memphiswhere he put new material to the test. His last concert was held there Monday 26 May 1997. On the evening of his death, Jeff Buckley was on his way to meet the band, arriving from New York, to begin three weeks of rehearsals for the new album My Sweetheart, The Drunk; the manufacturer Andy Wallacealready working on Gracewould then join the group in Memphis to record the album. After Buckley's death, the Verlaine-produced recordings and Jeff's demos were released by Columbia under the title Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk The May 26, 1998. Nearly thirty years after his passing, and with numerous posthumous releases, Jeff Buckley's legacy continues to grow and his music to live on. Its fans include rock legends, pop artists, loyal followers and a whole new generation of enthusiasts around the world. The only studio album Jeff Buckley released during his lifetime, Gracecontinues to resist over time.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
