Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (TWC)
Do you love hip-hop and classic martial arts movies? If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite kung-fu movies would be like with a hip-hop soundtrack, Shaolin Jazz has an outdoor movie series for you. On Tuesday nights this month on Freedom Plaza, the duo will set martial arts films to a live DJ set.
The intersection of hip-hop and kung fu may first bring to mind The Wu-Tang Clan, the legendary rap collective that brought curator Gerald Watson and DJ 2-Tone Jones together in the first place. Watson conceived of a mash-up project blending the Wu with jazz music, inspired by the album covers designed for Logan Walters’ Blue Note series. The result was The 37th Chamber mixtape, a well-regarded collection of reworked Wu songs. Watson and Jones continued doing projects together under the Shaolin Jazz banner, including the Can I Kick It? film series.
While Can I Kick It? has operated out of different venues, they’ve collaborated with DowntownDC BID to conduct their first outdoor screenings. These summer programs are free, all-ages events, preceded by a special happy hour at Boss Shepherd’s, ping pong at Freedom Plaza, and popcorn courtesy of Pret A Manger. Zipcar will also provide seat cushions for guests while supplies last.
The concept of a film being remixed live by a DJ is nothing new, but don’t assume this is going to be a prefabricated set list haphazardly laid over an existing film. The process Jones utilizes to produce these revamped scores is considerably more involved.
“This isn’t just playing a DJ set during a movie,” Jones said. “We incorporate the music with the movie so you can still follow the plot and hear the dialogue. You might have one scene using a song with lyrics and another using instrumental beds underneath. It’s weaving music over and under the film audio, just scoring the film, scene by scene.”
“It’s a process!” Watson added. He recently got to witness the work Jones puts into planning a show and was impressed by how complex it was. “This guy is taking minute by minute, almost second by second, just stopping, going, and putting in a lot of work to make sure everything goes together.”
Last month, they screened Black Belt Jones, a film whose theme was sampled by producer Marley Marl for LL Cool Jones’ “Jingling Baby.” Jones used the film’s original score to blend seamlessly into a that track, a subtle maneuver Watson wasn’t even aware he pulled off until discussing the series with us here.
After Ang Lee’s Oscar winner this week, they’ll also be screening The Matrix and The Last Dragon, they’ll be saving the best for last. The final show of this summer series is going to be Big Trouble in Little China, a film both men have loved since its original release. This will be the second time the Kurt Russell cult hit will grace Can I Kick It?, but even if you saw them reframe the film the first time, this will be a new experience.
“It’s not going to be the same soundtrack. I plan to get as deep, if not deeper, than I have on the other films,” Jones said. “If you were even able to remember what we played, at least 50 percent of the songs will be different. We purposely put that one last because that’s going to be a big one.”
Both men have a palpable passion for these films and the music, and it’s a feeling they will share with a wider audience this month.
Tuesdays in June at Freedom Plaza, 13th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Free. All events start at 6 p.m., with film screenings beginning at 8:30 p.m. June 6: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; June 13: The Matrix; June 20 The Last Dragon; June 27 Big Trouble in Little China
