Who would have thought that the miraculous maestro of Mexico City, the infamous Conlon Nancarrow, was born and bred in Texarkana, Arkansas? Living in semi-obscurity for more than a half-century until his death in 1997, he was a composer of demanding, multirhythmic canons for player piano. James Greeson's smoothly composed Conlon Nancarrow: Virtuoso of the Player Piano provides contrapuntal insights about an irascible composer who invented a virtuosic, heavily cadenced music that outdistanced the skills of flesh-and-blood musicians. Champion of the player piano, the only instrument robust enough to undertake his music, Conlon Nancarrow could roll with the punches.

We regret that filmmaker James R. Greeson is no longer able to join us in person for this screening.