“Echoes is beautifully shot and edited with a relaxed feel that flows like water.” —Bruce Boyd Raeburn, former Curator, Hogan Jazz Archive, Tulane University
“Ben Makinen’s latest documentary is a comprehensive and absorbing work that breaks tradition by highlighting exceptional and groundbreaking musicians while calling for change.” —The Sleepless Critic
All the credit’s gone to the Africans for the wonderful rhythm in jazz, but I think a lot of it should go to the American Indian.” —Ruth Ellington, Duke’s sister
Echoes of Tradition is a groundbreaking one-hour documentary film from award-winning director and executive producer Ben Makinen that uncovers hidden contributions of Native Americans—including Navajo/Diné, Ute, Nez Perce, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Abenaki peoples—to the genesis of jazz music. The film explores cultural intersectionality with the African diaspora, and uplifts voices from the Black, Creole, and European communities whose ancestral rhythms, spirituals, and traditions have long shaped the foundation of this art form called jazz.
Echoes of Tradition has secured a national distribution commitment through the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), ensuring its availability to Public Television stations across the United States. The film is now actively seeking underwriting partners who wish to align with a groundbreaking cultural documentary that honors Native American, Black, and LGBTQ+ contributions to jazz.
In recognizing the diversity of the many who have shaped jazz from the beginning Echoes also highlights LGBTQ+ musicians whose creative expressions and personal journeys embody jazz’s spirit of freedom and self-determination.
Culture bearers from the matriarch share their own stories and give voice to the legacies of their elders.
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Through captivating storytelling, live performances, archival footage, and interviews with GRAMMY-winning and internationally recognized musicians, historians, and cultural custodians, this film celebrates the profound influence of America’s Indigenous musical traditions on one of its most iconic art forms—jazz.
The film features performances and insights from internationally acclaimed artists including: