Download or read book The Last Waltz of The Band written by Neil Minturn and published by Pendragon Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For Vol. 2 of the series CMS Sourcebooks in American Music, Neil Minturn acknowledges the phenomenon of rock and roll with a serious examination of Martin Scorsese's film, THE LAST WALTZ (1978), the celebrated "rockumentary" that so artfully captured for posterity the final performance of The Band. From 1861 to 1976, this partnership of one American and four Canadians produced an impressive body of popular song in the rock idiom between 1961 and 1976. Joining its members for their farewell performance are a variety of guests, who, like The Band itself, reflected the rich array of traditions that have nourished rock and roll since its emergence. Minturn approaches the substance of the performances and the film itself in terms of intimacy and tradition. He presents the San Francisco concert as a summation of an extraordinary musical journey and prefaces his "scene-by-scene" analysis with a cogent introduction to documentary filmmaking. Selected performances are discussed in detail.