Make It Funky (film)

Make It Funky!
American DVD cover
Directed by	Michael Murphy
Written by	Michael Murphy
Produced by	Cilista Eberle Michael Murphy
Starring	Allen Toussaint Bonnie Raitt and others
Narrated by	Art Neville
Edited by	Christy Suire
Music by	Art Neville (musical consultant) Steve Jordan (musical director) Allen Toussaint (musical director) Gregory Davis (musical director)
Production companies	Bottom of the Ninth Productions Michael Murphy Productions
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date	September 9, 2005 (2005-09-09)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Make It Funky! is a 2005 American documentary film directed, written and co-produced by Michael Murphy. Subtitled in the original version as "It all began in New Orleans", the film presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk and jazz.^[1] The film was scheduled for theatrical release in September 2005, but was pulled by distributor Sony Pictures Releasing so that they did not appear to take commercial advantage of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Using an April 27, 2004 concert at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans as the backdrop, the film also includes archival performance footage, still photographs, and interviews with many musicians and others involved in the early years and heyday of New Orleans music. The film is narrated by Art Neville, and the interviewees include local music pioneers Allen Toussaint, Lloyd Price, Irma Thomas, and Aaron Neville, contemporary New Orleans musicians Kermit Ruffins and Trombone Shorty, as well as rock musicians Bonnie Raitt and Keith Richards, who describe the influence of New Orleans music on their careers. The opening screen text states "the story of how this music was made reflects a struggle for social and racial equality between black and white America. It is also a story of how music can unite, uplift, and in the case of New Orleans, create a sound that influenced the world."^[2]