HBO Max (2); Dave Hogan/Courtesy of Getty/HBO
If you want to go behind the music,HBO Maxis singing your song.
There's something inherently personal about appreciating music, so it's only natural to want to learn more about the artists behind the songs stuck in our heads. HBO Max is a particularly rich seam for documentaries about 20th century legends in the rock and R&B realm, but there are pockets of Latin jazz and folk, too. (Not so much when it comes to Western classical. Fans of J.S. Bach, it's time to activate your Kanopy account.)
Entertainment Weeklyhas narrowed down the 10 bestmusic documentariesstreaming on HBO Max that'll get your toes tapping — and teach you a thing or two about the voices you thought you knew so well.
Buena Vista Social Club(1999)
Wim Wenders' tag-along with Ry Cooder to make recordings with aging giants of traditional Cuban music was a revelation for so many viewers unaware of the art form. On its surface, this is a "making of" movie with musicians hanging out in the studio; but it doubles as an exploration of Cuban culture, observing its decaying architecture and hot nights with old-timers at the beach swapping stories while playing dominoes.
The film climaxes with a triumphant visit by the musicians,some in their 90s, to New York's Carnegie Hall. The project's success launched a series of secondary albums (and copycats) and a hit Broadway musical.
Don't Look Back(1967)
Rarely do you get to see mythmaking happen before your own eyes. WithDon't Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker, one of the architects of "direct cinema," deployed a new handheld 16mm camera and portable Nagra audio recorder to pretty much invent the modern music documentary. It didn't hurt that his subject was Bob Dylan in 1965, the leading light of the folk revivalism scene on the cusp of embracing electric instruments.
Most of the film followsDylan and his entourage(including Joan Baez) on a tour of England, trading wits with journalists and getting hammered at a notorious hotel party that involves someone (who? whoooo? we'll never know) throwing a glass out a window. No one ever wore sunglasses better.
George Harrison: Living in the Material World(2011)
Apple Corps Limited/Courtesy of HBO
Everyone has hobbies. Some knit, some play backgammon, and some (like Martin Scorsese) make documentaries about people that interest them.George Harrison: Living in the Material Worldfocuses on the most enigmatic Beatle. This two-part investigation begins with Harrison's early days in Liverpool through his Fab Four years, including sojourns to India that radically changed the aims (and style) of the counterculture in Europe and North America.
Harrison'spost-Beatles careerwas the coolest of anyone's (no disrespect to Paul's "Silly Love Songs"): releasing the triple-album masterpieceAll Things Must Pass, organizing some of the first global benefit concerts, and becoming a successful film producer. The Traveling Wilburys albums weren't so bad, either. And Scorsese approaches it all through the lens of Harrison's humble humanism.
Gimme Shelter(1970)
This is the only film on this list that doubles as crime-scene reporting. For many, the concept of "The Sixties" as a doe-eyed exploration of peace and harmonyended at California's Altamont Speedway, where a free festival headlined by the Rolling Stones was hastily assembled in a quixotic attempt to replicate Woodstock's lightning-in-a-bottle.
The film is framed by band members looking at footage — first of their triumphant concerts at Madison Square Garden, a visit to Muscle Shoals, Ala., then the tragedy at Altamont. The Stones took the stage as tensions rose between fans and drunken Hells Angels, leading to a fateful skirmish that marked the end of an era.
It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley(2025)
Merri Cyr./Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
It's Never Over, Jeff Buckleyshows how the great singer-songwriter, who only released one completed studio albumbefore he died in a freak accidentin 1997, was hardwired to express himself through song. Though he barely knew his absentee father Tim Buckley (who also died young), the specter of that similarly genre-defying artist was always in his life.
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Alternately embracing and dodging comparisons, the younger Buckley rode the wave of notoriety in the downtown Manhattan scene, securing a recording contract and an army of dedicated followers. It didn't hurt that he was handsome as hell, but the sudden thrust onto magazine covers (balanced by only modest sales) sent him into a tailspin. Though poised for a remarkable second act, cruel fate intervened.
Listening to Kenny G(2021)
Kenny G knows people think he's a joke, and he's laughing all the way to the bank. Somehow this dopey guy who makes music for people who don't ever think about music secured himself adecades-long career. Director Penny Lane interviews jazz critics who howl at his wretchedness, then balances it with fans who simply don't care. What is "good art," anyway?
By and large, Kenny comes off as a nice guy, if not a smidge obnoxious. But wouldn't you be a little defensive if everyone had publicly mocked your work? Above all, this doc is an examination of the mercurial nature of taste and individuality. And it may even get you to listen to some Kenny G.
Luther: Never Too Much(2024)
This look at "love doctor" Luther Vandross is a celebration of his great career and a sad look at how culture wasn't ready to accept him for who he was. As a closeted gay man who shed and gained weight in the public eye, the spotlight often took a toll on his mental and physical health, making him an unfortunate punchline.
For those who knew him, and those who packed theaters to see him, he was atitan of romantic R&Band a great professional.Never Too Muchbalances personal stories with examples of his remarkable musical output, including early years singing and arranging on David Bowie's ode to Philly Soul,Young Americans.
Monterey Pop(1968)
AfterDon't Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker continued to cover the contemporary music scene, capturing 1967's Monterey International Pop Festival. In a time before YouTube (to say nothing of MTV), footage of stars like Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and Simon & Garfunkel were harder to come by, soevery captured momentbecame precious. Most memorable inMonterey Popis Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar ablaze (not a euphemism) and the Who smashing their instruments.
Also groundbreaking was the way Pennebaker shot Otis Redding's performance, using flashes from stage lights (previously considered a filmmaking "error") as something of a dance partner and in-camera editing technique. Perhaps most important was including the audience, offering fashion tips for everyone watching in theaters.
One to One: John & Yoko(2024)
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
You'd assume we don't need another John Lennon documentary, butOne to One: John & Yokois much more than a typical biography. It focuses on 18 monthsin the couple's lifewhen they lived in an unglamorous Manhattan apartment while involving themselves in major political and artistic affairs. Despite great wealth, they lived simply, watched a lot of television, and recorded many of their phone calls so they could one day get used in a project like this.
The film is a collage of the time and place — a city and culture undergoing tumultuous change. It concludes with one of Lennon's few post-1966 concert appearances, a benefit concert for a school for the disabled inspired by a news report from, of all people, Geraldo Rivera.
Tina(2021)
Courtesy of HBO
If ever anyone deserved a victory lap, it was Tina Turner. This film, released only a couple of years before her death, is a comprehensive reflection of her difficult life, which ultimately ended with her finding solace in Switzerland with a good man by her side.
This isn't just a documentary about a gifted performer, but a condemnation of institutional sexism and racism that dominated mass medianot too long ago. Bravely, Turnerfaces her biographyone last time to show that demons from the past can be overcome. There's also some incredible concert footage to boot.
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