"New Orleans Music In Exile" can best be described as a documentary on New Orleans musicians Post-Katrina, accompanied by interviews and performances of the groups/bands/artists like Dr. John, Tribe 13, etc. Throughout the film, we learn that many musicians' homes, music clubs and so forth have been badly damaged. Even worse, others, like the band The Iguanas, were forced to move to Houston in order to make a living. Thankfully, the documentary is not all sad stories. In light of the tragic events and the fact that the city may never be the same, people still bonded and gathered the strength to begin anew. We really get to see humanity at its best in portions of this movie.

Another inspiring moment, was the realization of how important art (in this case music) can really be. Although music artists may have been hurt the most by Katrina, its effects on the community were equally daunting. New Orleans is a city deeply rooted in a rich history of music. Generations of musical families have lived there and have created music. Tourists may embrace the wide variety of music (Jazz, Rock, etc.), but the community itself lives and breathes the music. When Katrina struck, and a club scrambled to put on a concert shortly after, local people flocked to it. It proved not only to be a relief from the tragedy surrounding them, but to also show how deeply affecting music can be in one's life. I think that really proves how art is not merely a form of entertainment.

The documentary did frustrate me at times. The editing by Robert Mugge was flimsy and disorganized. One moment a performer would be singing a personal song on screen. Before the song is finished, Mugge would cut to another scene. I found it to be rude and downright obnoxious, especially since many performances were shown in their entirety. I was also puzzled as to why there was no mention or footage of the real chaos that took place at Katrina (the looters, riots, gun toters). Granted, that subject was not the focus of the documentary, but these events really exemplify the tragic state New Orleans was in.

The DVD

Video:
The 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen varies in quality. Obviously, the documentary footage looks better than the home video footage from the Katrina disaster. However, with a documentary like this, quality simply doesn't matter.

Sound: The Dolby Digital Stereo track is a vast improvement over the concert I reviewed yesterday ("SXSW LIVE 2007"). All of the interviews and performances are equally clear in sound.

Extras: There are 7 deleted performances. * Jon Cleary- "A History Of New Orleans Piano," which is an informative demonstration of various Piano styles.

* Big Chief Monk Boudreaux- "Meet The Boys On The Battlefront"

* Marcia Ball- "That's What I Get"

* Papa Mali- "Keep Happy"

* beatinpath- "The Weight Of The World"- My favorite of the seven. The band does a great job of joking around on stage, not to mention they're an insanely talented rock group.

* Theresa Andersson- "Lie To Me"

* World Leader Pretend- "A Grammarian Stuck In A Medical Drama"- Nice guitar jamming in this song.

Last, but not least there is a 17 1/2 minute extra titled "A New Orleans Rescue" told by Dave Spizale with accompanying photos he and his son Matt took. Dave's fascinating story revolves around rescuing 17 Palestinians and hospital patients from the Katrina disaster. A must watch.

Final Thoughts:
"New Orleans Music In Exile" is a heartfelt depiction of Katrina's effects on New Orlean's historically important music scene. I would have RECOMMENDED this disk, but it's not a movie you'd watch more than once. By all means, give it a rent.

Film and television enthusiast Nick Lyons recently had his first book published titled "Attack of the Sci-Fi Trivia." It is available on Amazon.com.