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Synopsis

Cast

• Interviewee: Richard Fulton | bio

  Owner of Fifth St. Dick’s Coffee Company

  Richard Fulton ran Fifth Street Dick’s Coffee Company, a storefront coffee and jazz house. Homeless for four and a half years, he lived on the streets of downtown Los Angeles and was known as “Fifth Street Dick.” In homage to his former life, his logo for the coffeehouse was of a homeless man pushing an overflowing shopping cart.
  He opened the coffeehouse only a few days before the 1992 upheavals took place. He often said that the first people he served coffee to were the National Guard. Yet despite the devastation in the community, Fifth Street Dick’s soon flourished as it provided a much-needed spot for the people in the community to gather. Everyone was welcome, whether or not they purchased a coffee or anything else.
  Fifth Street Dicks soon became associated with the trademark high-volume high quality jazz that Richard would play throughout the day and evening. Tables and chairs outside Fifth Street Dicks became the location of intense chess games sometimes going on until 3 or 4 A.M. Soon, he started offering live jazz performances seven days a week. Inside, people lined up for coffee, read, and upstairs in the jazz club, musicians jammed sometimes until five or six in the morning. World-class jazz musicians & jazz groups would play or stop by to jam after their gigs at the Jazz Bakery, Catalina’s or Hollywood Bowl. And he provided opportunities for young musicians to play and older musicians to make a ”comeback”.
  Richard Fulton died in March 18, 2000 from throat cancer.

• Interviewee & Performer: Kamau Daaood | bio

  spoken-word Poet, community activist & co-founder of World Stage
  Kamau Daaood started his writing career in the 60’s with the Watts Writers Workshop. Daaood credits Horace Tapscott with being one of his mentors, as well, and has performed regularly with the Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra since the 60’s. For thirty years now, he has been a presence among Los Angeles poets.
  Dedicated to the community, he established the World Stage as a place for artists and musicians to meet/rehearse and share their work. The workshop–performance space seats only fifty, but has provided a rehearsal space and a nurturing environment that has fostered important jazz groups and served as a performance space for jazz greats such as Pharoah Sanders, &Nina Simone, and poets such as Pulitzer prizewinner, Yousef Koumenyaki. It has given birth to at least two young jazz groups, Black/Note and B Sharp Quartet and several poets & novelists, including Pulitzer prize nominated Ruth Forman, novelist Jenoyne Adams, & Michael Datcher. During the week, there are instrumental and vocal workshops, Wednesday night poetry workshops and Thursday night jam sessions.
  When a similar venture, Artworks Four folded, Daaood began the World Stage by gathering $3,000 from a small group of people, including Billy Higgins. Using the stage and the chairs from Artworks Four, The World Stage was born.
  Daaood has written two volumes of poetry and has a spoken word CD entitled, “Leimert Park.” He performs spoken word poetry with his “Army of Healers” around the world, and has just published his first book of poetry for the renowned “Pocket Poetry” series with City Lights Press to much critical acclaim.

• Interviewee & performer: Horace Tapscott | bio

  World-class jazz pianist, composer, community artist, founder of the Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra
  Horace Tapscott’s involvement in the community goes back to 1961, when he decided to turn his attentions to his community and to work at getting Los Angeles youths off the street and into community activities, particularly the arts. His passions for the music ran deep. “The only way I felt like I could get satisfied was to make a move toward preserving the music that black musicians, through the years, have died unknown for, and have contributed so much to this country musically for.” A world-class musician & composer, Tapscott would pack concert halls in Europe, Japan and New York and yet come back home and play gratis at events and venues in the community. He has mentored hundreds of artists, many among the leading jazz artists of today.
  In 1963, he formed Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (originally called the Underground Musicians Association). The Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra played at churches, big park events, or at lunchtime in schools. Rarely paid, they saw the music as a necessary service to their people. During and after the uprising in Watts in 1965, the Arkestra played on the streets and in the backs of flatbed trucks amidst the debris of the rebellion. They brought the music back to the community. Since that time they have performed in Europe, Asia and across the U.S.
  Horace Tapscott passed away in February 27, 1999 from lung cancer.

• Interviewee & performer: Billy Higgins | bio

  Jazz Drummer & Co-founder of World Stage
  Co-founder of The World Stage, Billy Higgins, known as the most recorded drummer in jazz history, also directed the Summer Jazz Institute for young musicians in the Los Angeles area, and has served as a mentor to many drummers and jazz musicians. Higgins gave young musicians an opportunity to learn jazz history, theory, improvisation, instrumental technique, composition and arranging with some of the great jazz masters.
  He also ran a drum workshop for all ages on Monday nights, where children of 3 to veteran drummers, would come for his guidance and wisdom. Black/Note bassist Mark Shelby says, “We all really look up to Billy Higgins for inspiration. He’s open, he’s encouraging. Even though he is who he is, he’s still down-to-earth and humble. He’s someone who really puts his money where his mouth is.”
  Billy Higgins died in May 3, 2001 from liver disease.

Crew

• Director: Jeannette Lindsay | bio

  Jeannette Lindsay studied acting at the South Coast Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and with legendary teachers such as Sanford Meisner and Ada Brown Mather of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. She returned to college in 1996 to complete her bachelor’s degree with an eye to eventually getting a master’s degree in film. While attending Antioch University, she began work on her current documentary film, “Leimert Park.” “Leimert Park” is her first film.

• Director of Photography: Zan Zetina | bio

  Zandore Zetina, known as ”Zan” was born in New Orleans and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 8, when she began her dance training. Her dance background includes legendary Al Gilbert, Bill and Jackie Landrum, Claude Thompson, Steven Peck, and Alvin Ailey. She became one of the principal dancers with the Repertory Dance Theatre of Los Angeles under the direction of Jon Johnson and Lady Walquer Vereen and is now one of the choreographers and director of the Los Angeles chapter.
  She has choreographed and staged many leading recording artists in Japan, had her own TV show in Japan and was instrumental in developing the first dance variety show on Japanese television.
  In 1997, Zan returned to the States to study filmmaking. It was there she found her niche filming documentaries. She loves working with cameras and making them dance while she films. In 1998 she discovered Capoeira de Angola, an African martial art and is now a senior instructor with Pastinha’s Garden of Capoeira Angola, running the women’s division and co-directing the youth program.

• Picture Editor: Beth Spiegel | bio

  Beth Spiegel, a graduate of Cal Arts, has worked for National Geographic, Turner Productions, Nature, Disney and Wonderworks among others. She has received numerous awards including several Emmy Awards, the Genesis Award and an Oscar Nomination. She is also an accomplished visual artist and has illustrated several children’s books.

Bonus Features

• Scene Selections

Accolades