
ABOUT
The Poster Museum sessions started as a solution to the pandemic lockdown.
Musicians were practicing but they weren’t playing live.
The first show was like coming up for air after a long spell underwater -
a jolt of life for musicians and audience alike. As New York City reawakened,
the sessions became a neighborhood fixture and a musical beacon of hope.
A SHORT CONCERT FILM BY NELSON HUME

"Performing live in the spirit of the New York loft scene of the 1970's...
Ameen is a rare jewel" — All About Jazz, 2024
"Formula One Jazz!" — Jazz Weekly, 2024
Best Albums of 2024 List: "Robby Ameen's LIVE AT THE POSTER MUSEUM!"
— Downbeat Magazine,
MEET THE BAND

THE BACKSTORY
I’ve known Robby Ameen most of my life and have seen him play on big stages like Carnegie Hall and smaller clubs like the Blue Note. All that ended when the pandemic hit New York and we all became shut-ins. After the initial lock down eased, Robby let me know he was planning a jam session at the poster shop on his block with some friends and that I should stop by.
Philip Williams Poster Museum is a street level loft space in lower Manhattan. Every inch is jammed with amazing posters, small and large, but somehow Robby cleared enough space for musicians and a few spectators. We all wore masks, except the horn players, but it was live music in front of a socially starved audience - it was amazing. This jam session grew into a semi regular “residency” and though word got out and the audience swelled it always felt like the best kept secret in New York.
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Robby’s band, all world class jazz musicians, have known each other for years, some since they were teens busking on the streets. Many lead their own bands, and each have taken turns playing for the other. You hear this history in the music. Seeing them live, in the tight confines of the poster shop, is to be at the center of a finely tuned vortex of sound and rhythm. It’s an exhilarating rush and sometimes hard to keep up. The unique pleasure of making this film was that with each viewing, the footage grew in complexity and depth. The more we watched, the more we heard the subtle communication between the instruments and appreciated the ferocious talent of these musicians.
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This film, on the surface, is simply the recording of an underground jazz concert on February 1st, 2024. It is also the result of resilience during the pandemic, the hardest of hard times for the New York City jazz scene. It’s a record of friendship and community. And, strong evidence that Latin Jazz – a New York original, with roots reaching back through time to Puerto Rico and Cuba – is still pulsing through these streets.
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We hope you enjoy the music as much as we have.
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– NELSON HUME, Director & Cinematographer

THE FILMMAKERS
NELSON HUME – DIRECTOR & CINEMATOGRAPHER
Nelson Hume graduated from NYU Graduate School of Film and TV receiving the WTC Johnson Fellowship Award. Shortly after, he directed the narrative feature film Sunburn, starring Cillian Murphy and produced by Jean Doumanian.
As cinematographer, he has enjoyed numerous collaborations with noted directors Kevin Macdonald, Amir Bar-lev, Kristi Jacobson, Sam Pollard, Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles, Ricki Stern, Jesse Sweet and Joshua Zeman.
His credits include Whitney, Long Strange Trip, Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison and Why We Hate produced by Alex Gibney and Steven Spielberg. Forthcoming projects include the Disney series, Harlem Skate and Check Point Zoo, a documentary about the daring rescue of zoo animals trapped by the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
VANESSA GOULD – PRODUCER & EDITOR
Vanessa Gould is a filmmaker based in New York. Her work as director includes OBIT (Kino Lorber, 2017), critically acclaimed by the LA Times, New York Times, TIME, The Nation, NPR, Vogue, BBC and Esquire; and, BETWEEN THE FOLDS (PBS, 2010) for which she received a Peabody Award. Additionally, her work in numerous capacities can be seen via film festivals, television, web and museums including Showtime, Netflix, Tribeca Film Festival, The New York Times, The Whitney Museum, Tiffany and PBS.
ADDITIONAL CREW
Camera Operators
1st Assistant Camera
Live Sound Recording
Final Mix
Mastering
DAN HERSEY, MILO HUME
ZACH TIDMORE
DAVID FIELDS
DAVID KOWALSKI in Hackensack, NJ
STEVE FALLONE at Sterling Sound, NYC
Filmed & recorded live on February 1, 2024 at Phillip Williams Posters, Tribeca, NYC
Post Finishing Services
Online Editor
Colorist
Technical Supervisor
DI Producer
Sound Design
Title Sequence
Special Thanks
FINAL FRAME
BEN KIVIAT
WILL COX
CRAIG PENNER
JESSICA HINDS
BILL CHESLEY
VANESSA GOULD
PHILLIP WILLIAMS POSTER MUSEUM
FINAL FRAME
CINEMA-VISION
