This film is about a journey: literally, across the Atlantic Ocean and, spiritually, of personal and artistic growth. The documentary tells the story of Chiara Civello, a young Roman musician, who won a scholarship to study music at the Berklee School in Boston and then moved to New York where, in February 2005 she recorded her first album, Last Quarter Moon. Italian singer/songwriter Chiara Civello is an eclectic, far-reaching artist whose songs could be described as an original mix of jazz, pop and Latin influences. The film was shot in new York and in Italy and covers a key period in Chiara's life, starting in the summer of 2005 and ending four years later, after the release of her second album, The Space Between.—Wolfgang Achtner, director
This film is about a journey: literally, across the Atlantic Ocean and, spiritually, of personal and artistic growth.
The documentary tells the story of Chiara Civello, a young Roman musician, who won a scholarship to study music at the Berklee School in Boston and then moved to New York where, in February 2005 she recorded her first album, Last Quarter Moon, for Verve, one of the most important American Jazz labels.
Italian singer/songwriter Chiara Civello is an eclectic, far-reaching artist whose songs could be described as an original mix of jazz, pop and Latin influences.
The documentary was shot in New York and in Italy and it covers a key period in Chiara's life as an artist, starting in the summer of 2005 and culminating four years later, after the release of her second album, The Space Between.
In New York, Chiara takes us on a guided tour of Williamsburg, the neighborhood in Brooklyn where she lives and where she finds the inspiration to write her songs: her favorite places include Rockaway Beach and the L train subway line. Chiara also takes us to jazz clubs in NY where some of her friends are playing and where she herself regularly performs. The section filmed in the United States includes exciting video of Chiara during the recording of her second album at Bennett Studios, in New Jersey, and a series of magic moments, as when Chiara plays the guitar and sings a selection of her songs on her roof at sunset, with New Yorks skyline in the background.
The section shot in Italy includes six live concerts, shot between 2005 and 2008. The first live performance includes the sound check and the first concert of the Italian tour of Chiara and her four-man band at the Casa del Jazz, in Rome as well as sold-out performances at Romes Auditorium della Musica.
The climax of Chiara's first summer tour in 2005, was her concert in Perugia, at the Umbria Jazz Festival. Chiara's American adventure had started here, back in 1993, when she won a scholarship offered by Bostons Berklee College of Music. In Perugia, the famous crooner Tony Bennett pays a visit to Chiara, sitting in the backstage area during her performance.
The film also chronicles the music world's recognition of Civello's increasing status: during her first visit to Umbria Jazz, Chiara performs in the afternoon, in Perugia's main square; three years later, on July 13, 2008, she's given the main performer slot in the evening concert at the Arena Santa Giuliana.
