By Will Barber-Taylor

Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montreal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city’s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his own voice.

Films about music are often infused with sentiment. Music is as nostalgic as any form of expression; it wraps itself arounds us and transports us back to another point in our lives, dredging up memories and images that can delight us as well as make us despair. Will Niava’s fantastic short film Jazz Infernal does exactly that. Centred on Koffi (Ange Eric N’Guessan) the son of a famous jazz trumpeter known as The Elephant, finding his ways in Montreal after experiencing back home, Jazz Infernal shows how music can bind us together and heal some of the wounds of the past.

Directed with as much urgency and energy as the jazz that forms its soundtrack, there is a beautiful elegance and swiftness to Niava’s direction which brings the story alive. The sequence when Koffi, who has not played since his father’s death, finally plays the trumpet after being introduced as the son of a legend is incredibly in its visual dexterity and pace. We feel Koffi’s pain through the building of the intensity of the music and the flashbacks to his father, the focus on Ange Eric N’Guessan’s face in particular is brilliantly compelling. For a short that convey so much in such a short runtime, Niava does a truly magnificent job of delivering beautiful cinematography and profound storytelling at the same time. The sound design, script and actors all contribute to the elegance, style and sophistication of Jazz Infernal. It is a wonderful film that captures the power of music better than many other much longer musical biopics or films about music do in their entire runtimes. What Niava has produced is like any great work of jazz music; something that may deceive in its apparent simplicity but is as rich, fulfilling and emotionally engaging as any truly great work of art.