Music revives in ‘Thunder Soul’

“THUNDER SOUL”

DVD widescreen, 2011, PG for brief language and momentary historical smoking

Best extra: Previously unreleased footage of Conrad Johnson rehearsing with the band, revealing his instructional precision and the band’s boundless energy.

THE PERIOD BETWEEN 1968 and 1977 was transitional for black America, particularly for its youth. Communities reeling from the death of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil unrest that followed tried to push ahead, despite devastating economic circumstances and a stream of displaced vets back from the Vietnam War. A sense of hope and promise born out of the civil rights movement a decade before charged black teens everywhere.

At the predominantly black Kashmere High School in Houston, Tex., many students were transformed forever as members of the Kashmere Stage Band. “Thunder Soul,” a moving documentary produced by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and just out on DVD, tells the story of how the band became an international funk powerhouse. It was directed by the dapper and self-possessed Conrad “Prof” Johnson, a jazz musician who left a blossoming career to start a family and teach high school in his hometown. The film centers on a reunion of his former students who reform the band after more than 30 years to honor an ailing 92-year-old Johnson.

Under his direction from 1968 until he retired in 1977, the Kashmere Stage Band upended the stodgy jazz-pop tradition of high school bands and imbued the music with blistering funk. The students also added dazzling showmanship. The group won several top national and international prizes and became a symbol of pride for its hard-scrapple Fifth Ward community. With heart-felt interviews, revealing archival clips and stellar performances, “Thunder Soul” also works as a touching advocate for strong high school music programs.

— Rashod Ollison

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