From Jazz to Jackboots, directed by Justin Stephenson

JANUARY 2025

"…they loathe art, the product of a yearning for life, because that, too, evades control." Josef Skvorecky

"From Jazz to Jackboots" is an experimental animated dance film exploring the Nazi regime's methodical censorship of jazz through their "10 Rules and Regulations for Dance Bands." The film reimagines itself through progressively restricted variations of jazz standard, "Minnie the Moocher," transitioning from the freeform of expressionist painting and collage to statuesque perfection. Through sophisticated animation techniques and meticulous visual design, the work unfolds as simultaneously joyful, lyrical, ethereal, surgical, horrific and funereal—a timely reminder that the battle between artistic expression and authoritarian control remains urgently relevant today.” Justin Stephenson

Andrew Burashko, creator/writer/musical director/executive producer
Justin Stephenson, director/animator

Guillaume Côté, choreographer
Kelly Shaw, dancer
Evan Webb, dancer

Minnie the Moocher by Cab Calloway
arranged by Andrew Burashko and Jim McGrath
Jim McGrath, conductor
Andrew Burashko, piano
William Carn, trombone
Drew Comstock, cello
Terri Croft, violin
Davide diRenzo, drums
Andrew Downing, double bass
John Johnson, alto sax
Larry Larson, trumpet
Kevin Turcotte, trumpet
Perry White, tenor sax
Tony Zorzi, guitar

San Souci Festival (2025)
Santa Fe International Film Festival (2025)
Charlotte Film Festival (2025)
Tampa Animation Festival (2025) - WINNER for BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
Annapolis Film Festival (2026) - SPECIAL JURY PRIZE for CREATIVE SOCIAL COMMENTARY
Across The Globe Film Festival (2026)
American Documentary & Animation Festival (2026)
Phoenix Film Festival (2026)
FOCUS Wales Film Festival (2026) - FINALIST for BEST ANIMATION
New York City Independent Film Festival - WINNER for BEST ARTHOUSE FILM

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: 6 Protest Songs, directed by Jessica Rowe

APRIL 26, 2022

In May of 2018, Art of Time Ensemble presented a highly successful festival of protest music at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre in Toronto, ON over three nights entitled "All We Are Saying". In September 2022 we restaged some of those performances with Jackie Richardson, Shakura S’Aida and Tom Wilson and created an intimate concert documentary with the intention of making these performances accessible and free to people across the city through various community partnerships. The six songs, spanning forty years, collectively speak to the injustices of racism and war and reflect our present day as strongly as when they were penned. The songs include Sam Cooke's Civil Rights anthem "A Change is Gonna Come" (1964), Abel Meeropol's harrowing depiction of hate, "Strange Fruit" (1939) made famous by Billie Holiday and Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (1970), whose present-day relevance needs no explanation.

1. Jackie Richardson

2. Compared to What, Gene McDaniels
arranged by Tom Szczesniak
Jackie Richardson singer, Justin Abedin guitar, Amahl Arulanandam cello, Andrew Burashko piano, Yanet Campbell Secades violin, Tara Davidson alto sax, Davide di Renzo drums, John Johnson tenor sax, Drew Jurecka violin, George Koller bass, Kevin Turcotte trumpet

3. Tom Wilson

4. A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall, Bob Dylan
Tom Wilson, singer

5. Shakura S’Aida

6. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Gil Scott Heron
arranged by Jonathan Goldsmith
Shakura S’Aida singer, Justin Abedin guitar, Amahl Arulanandam cello, Andrew Burashko piano, Yanet Campbell Secades violin, Tara Davidson alto sax, Davide di Renzo drums, John Johnson tenor sax, Drew Jurecka violin, George Koller bass, Kevin Turcotte trumpet

7. Tom Wilson

8. Red Brother Red Sister, Bruce Cockburn
arranged by Andrew Downing
Tom Wilson singer, Justin Abedin guitar, Amahl Arulanandam cello, Andrew Burashko piano, Yanet Campbell Secades violin, Tara Davidson alto sax, George Koller double bass

9. Shakura S’Aida

10. Strange Fruit, Abel Meeropol
arranged by Andrew Staniland
Shakura S’Aida singer, Justin Abedin guitar, Amahl Arulanandam cello, Andrew Burashko piano, Yanet Campbell Secades violin, Tara Davidson alto sax, Davide di Renzo drums, John Johnson tenor sax, Drew Jurecka violin, George Koller double bass, Kevin Turcotte trumpet

11. Jackie Richardson

12. A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
Jackie Richardson singer, Andrew Burashko piano

Jessica Rowe, director
Earl McCluskie, audio engineer
Arun Srinivasan, lighting designer

All We Are Saying (2018) - Toronto, ON