Anacostia Delta: The Legacy of DC's TeleMasters

On a September evening at the Birchmere Music Hall in 2015, 30 of D.C. 's finest musicians gathered to celebrate their heroes and display the virtuosic, genre-blending music they proudly call their own. At center stage stood a Fender Telecaster, the signature instrument of the late Danny Gatton. As the undisputed master of this music, Gatton would blend jazz, blues, country, swing, rock, and bluegrass - sometimes in the same solo. He grew up in the D.C. neighborhood of Anacostia, which gave its name to this musical culture unique to the city - "Anacostia Delta." ANACOSTIA DELTA: THE LEGACY OF DC'S TELEMASTERS explores the universe of live music that permeated the culture of Washington, D.C., in the post-World War II era. The concert program traces the development of the Anacostia Delta scene and celebrates the grand guitar masters Gatton and Roy Buchanan, as well as unsung heroes such as Chick Hall, the influential owner of Bladensburg, Maryland's Surf Club. The concert also features stalwarts and leading lights of D.C.'s music scene, including Dave Chappell, Anthony Pirog, Billy Hancock, Steve Wolf, and Tom Principato, among many others, and highlights the musicians carrying the Anacostia Delta tradition forward. In between acts, the film presents interviews with the performers and gives viewers a look at their rehearsals leading up to the concert.

Duration: 1 hour 27 minutes and 42 seconds


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