Remembering The Wizard Of Woo: Bernie Worrell Documentary
by Andy Kahn
Photo by Jeremy Gordon
Acclaimed keyboardist Bernie Worrell died on this date in 2016 at the age of 72. The Wizard Of Woo was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of Parliament-Funkadelic, on of the many projects he was affiliated with during his long and accomplished career.
This edition of Sunday Cinema celebrates the life and work of one of the most talented and funkiest keyboardists the world has ever heard by presenting a documentary short about Worrell. The 2005 Stranger: Bernie Worrell On Earth examines Worrell's origins and his diverse life as a working musician.
Many of Worrell's collaborators and admirers appear in the documentary, including Talking Heads members David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, P-Funk's George Clinton and Bootsy Collins, Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes, Living Colour's Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish, Bad Brains' Dr. Know, producer Bill Laswell, rapper Yasiin Bey and others.
Live footage of Worrell performing with various groups including Talking Heads, Gov't Mule and Parliament-Funkadelic is interspersed throughout the documentary. Watch below:
