Rudy Cipolla: A Portrait of a Mandolin Player (1986)
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Join us as Maestro Rudy Cipolla (1900-2000) walks around the neighborhood, listen to him reminisce about love lost and found, mortality, his passion for the mandolin and composing, his students, and bookstore on Judah Street, Inner Sunset district in San Francisco. You'll see his parents' wedding picture in San Marco d'Argentano, and an early photo of Rudy as a child and recent immigrant living in Portland, Oregon.
Rudy learned music by ear but in his early twenties (1920s) he became a member of Joseph Rybka's Plectrum Orchestra and began a professional career as a musician and arranger. His journey introduced him to the vaudeville circuit and his arrangements of Latin dances for his Argentine Trio played regularly on the NBC network. This video offers an intimate glimpse into his day-to-day activities and reveals how he handled life's challenges. His indomitable spirit and inner courage helped him face every day with music in his heart. Undefeated by the vicissitudes of life, he composed some of his best music as a octogenarian.
Rudy takes us on a gig to Caffè Trieste in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood where he performed "La Civetta" with Fabio Giotta and Theresa Norris. You'll see Rudy playing with mandolinist Matteo Casserino and with guitarist Gino di Michele who owned "Gino's Guitar Shop" across the street from Rudy's "Book Nook". After World War Two, Rudy and his younger brother Gino created a lending library with books to rent, magazines, toys, and candy for sale. He composed more than a hundred titles as he held court at the candy counter.
This is the 2021 restoration of the original 1986 documentary by videographers Richard Schatzman and Eric Eiserloh. (All credits are listed at TRT 18:00) The procedure to convert the DVD is explained at 19:45. About thirty hours of hard work by Schatzman made this into a beautifully restored, color-corrected and audio-enhanced mp4. The original languished for nearly 35 years and has never been located. Schatzmana restore this from my DVD copy, discovered while cleaning during Covid in 2020.
p.s. Rudy was not evicted and was able to stay there until the late 1990s when he and his niece June Winsenberg moved to Concord (in the East Bay). I last saw Rudy a couple of months before he died. He was in a wheel chair, couldn't hear much and was completely blind. We spent an afternoon holding hands.
Suggest turning on the CC if audio and spoken parts too soft.
What a gift!!!! Thank you! Thank you !Thank you! I am going to listen to this a lot more whenever I feel like I need more sweetness and Light in my life, which is all the time
I was recently reminiscing about Rudy as my father was very close friends with him back in the 1960s/70s. My aunt and uncle lived in the flat above the Book Nook, so we saw Rudy quite often. As a kid, my dad and I would go to his store, and he'd always ask me to take any candy I wanted. He was one of the most humble and kindest human beings I have ever met. It brought tears to my eyes to watch the part of this film where his living quarters were. He reminds me as a musician myself that though he didn't have much, it was his music that enriched his soul. Thank you so much for recreating this invaluable film. It is much cherished.
Please contact me for an interview. Zighi(at)sonic.net. Thank you!
I lived @ Kirkham near 10th Ave in SF 1958-1968 (age 9-19). Myself & neighborhood friends would visit Rudy’s Book Nook on Judah, to purchase candy & comic books. While browsing through his magazine collection, we listened to his beautiful Mandolin playing in the back. I was thrilled to discover Rudy in 1980, playing Mandolin with David Grisman & others at the Great American Music Hall to honor Rudy’s Birthday! David also assisted in creating Rudy’s Album- The World Of Rudy Cipolla. This video brings back wonderful memories of Rudy!
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experiences with Rudy. I played with Rudy and was with him for his 90th birthday, it was very special.what a special night! We miss him! Glad you’re enjoying the videos.
This film, shot on 16mm film while I was a film student at SF State and Eric Eiserloh was a student in the Humanities Department,
was to be a pilot project for a series of films we envisioned as short portrait films on artists, musicians, and characters that lived in San Francisco.
After viewing the film for the first time in 20 years, I realize we were onto something. Soon to retire from my job as a videographer for the state,
it gives me encouragement to consider revisiting that premise once again!
Back in the 70's and 80's, the rents were still reasonable in San Francisco, when interesting characters were doing interesting things in droves.
Unfortunately the Bay Area today is less conducive to characters like Rudy, with its frenetic pace and high rents.
But watching Rudy plow ahead with his eternal optimism, no matter what the odds were against him, is an example to inspire future creatives.
No matter how difficult the terrain, I'm hoping a new generation of creatives in the Bay Area continue the dream!
I am so glad Eric and I made this film over 30 years ago, and as Sheri noted, it's like taking a time machine back to a simpler pre-internet era.
And yet, irony of ironies, it is RUclips, a product of that technology that has helped uncover/resurrect the music and life of a gentle man called Rudy Cipolla.
And yes Eric-such fond memories and tears come to my eyes watching this film, which I can feel both intimate with and objective about at the same time,
a rather strange sensation. Perhaps time passed has given me that dual perspective.
Thank you Sheri for your persistence in contacting me to talk about releasing the video before the upcoming Mandolin Meetup,
and encouraging me to take the 30-40 hours required to restore the film to a respectable quality. It was definitely worth it.
May Rudy Cipolla and his music live through his students into the future!
Richard Schatzman
This film is so very precious. I lived on green st. in north beach in 2000 right before the ridiculous money came to town. it's almost unimaginable now to think of those little mom n' pop stores that made those neighborhoods so special. Thank you for sharing this. Interestingly this was when I first bought a mandolin, but never knew about Rudy til later. What a beautiful soul . . . Grateful to all involved. Bendiciones desde New Mexico
As one of the co-creators of this film, I'm thrilled to see that Richard has restored the film and made it available to the public. Brings back great memories, Bravo!
Thank you for your effort to preserve Rudy's lifetime. It's like stepping into a time capsule!
Thank you, Sheri. It's so beautiful (and kind of sad) to see what places like San Francisco and even Monterey were like; that people like Rudy could live, thrive, and create simple lives of beauty.
I agree whole-heartedly with Mr. Eiserloh. R. Schatzman
What a thrill to relive those magical and musical years.of playing the music of Rudy Cipolla. I had no idea this film had been made. It truly shows not only Rudy's inredible musical talent, but also his spirit. Thank you Richard Schatzman for taking the time and having the skill to make this portrait available. I love it!
I agree that he embodied that indomitable spirit, despite the adversities, he held on tight for the ride. He share all that with us. We are the lucky ones.
The opening melts my heart. Thank you for sharing Sheri, you are a treasure among the community.Thank you to Richard Schatzman for the restoration, and to Eric Eiserloh and Richard Schatzman for this wonderful portrait. Complimenti!
Thank you, Carlo. And you are sharing your mandolin talents with those great music students from your school. That's what will make the difference. Teach them about Rudy's music. I'll be glad to come to you and to distribute all the sheet music that's available.
@@Fisarmonica23 let’s get together soon and catch up Sheri!
Sheri, thank you so much for all your hard work in preserving Rudy's music and memory for future generations. What you've done is nothing short of amazing. And thank you to Richard Schatzman for this remarkable restoration. I saw the original video and appreciate all the work that you did to get to this result.
Rudy, mio cugino, your music lives on through the love shown by your friends. I think that's the best tribute that any of us who pick up an instrument can hope for. Bravo!
Yes to everything you've commented on. I never dreamed that something is such horrible shape could be transformed! And we get to glimpse into his life--such intimacy! A hero to all of us who knew him! He'd be thrilled to know that his musical cousin in Long Island is carrying on!