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Chunk DeChunk-Chunk: Anti-Smooth Jazz Activist

In this rare, on-camera interview, legendary jazz activist Chunk DeChunk-Chunk explains the highly politicized fight to get "chunky jazz" the official recognition it so richly deserves, and what led to his disavowing all "smooth jazz."

  • Mary Birdsong
    Director
  • Mary Birdsong
    Writer
    Comedy Central (The Daily Show, Reno 911, Crossballs), ABC (Late Friday), NBC (Live On Tape), YouTube (Bitter Party of 5)
  • Mary Birdsong
    Producer
  • Mary Birdsong
    Key Cast
    "Chunk DeChunk-Chunk"
    The Descendants (by Alexander Payne, w/George Clooney), Succession (HBO). The Knick,
  • Mary Birdsong
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Short, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Parody, Absurd, Absurdist, Improvisation
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 15, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    1 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    iPhone 7+
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Mary Birdsong

Mary Birdsong's family hales from Baton Rouge, and she loves New Orleans because it's one of the last places on Earth you can set foot in and immediately know exactly what city you're in, without a second's hesitation. Because there is NO OTHER like it.

Known primarily as an actress -- from comedies like Reno 911 and The Daily Show, to to dramatic roles on HBO's hit series Succession and the Academy Award winning film THE DESCENDANTS, Mary has never been content to wait by the phone for her next project. So she began writing, directing, producing and editing her own videos, short films and stage plays. She's also a visual artist, and a singer who's appeared on Broadway in musicals like Hairspray, and with Martin Short in Fame Becomes Me. At one point she was even an R&B recording artist signed to Philly International Records, hand-picked by the legendary producing team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I'm not a fan of realism, or big budgets. What I AM a fan of is make-believe, and purposeful, inspired, honest fakery.
I'm excited and inspired by how technology (the smart phone in particular) is foisting upon the film industry it's own sort of "Arab Spring"-- a renaissance of democratization that enables nearly ANYONE to make their own films, and share them with the world.
I don't think political candidates should compete in a contest of who has the most money, and I don't think films should compete in that contest either.
Greatness (great ART, in particular) is often formed out of what we DON'T have rather than what we do.
I watched my mother struggle with money growing up, cleaning houses with her that belonged to wealthy tourists. My mom had a gift for some kind of crafty alchemy. And I absorbed her ability to take someone else's old discarded furniture from the sidewalk trash heap and turn it into something a beautiful wicker living room set, fit for the Kennedys. And she did it with zero dollars, a LOT of imagination, and a helluva lot of hard work.