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When Burlington's annual Discover Jazz Festival honored local legend Big Joe Burrell in June, Vermont ETV was there to capture the event for broadcast. Saxman/vocalist Burrell performs solo and with his longtime partners, the Unknown Blues Band. At the end of the evening, "the godfather of Austin blues" meets "the Godfather of Burlington blues," as singer/guitarist W.C. Clark joins Burrell for a jam session. Between numbers, Big Joe talks about his more than 50 years in music, and some of the people he has influenced talk about him. Among those who pay tribute to their fiend and recall decades of enjoying his music are: Vocalist Christine Adler, who sings with Big Joe Burrell and the Unknown Blues Band on her CD, "You Can't Do Me" | Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's Homemade | The members of the Unknown Blues Band -- guitarist Paul Asbell, keyboardist Charles Eller, bassist Tony Markellis, and drummer Lucas Adler | Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff, saxophonist with W.C. Clark | Entrepreneur Alan Newman of Magic Hat Brewing Company. According to producer Chris McClure, Vermont ETV is able to present "A Tribute to Big Joe Burrell thanks to an unprecedented collaboration of local media organizations. WCAX-TV Channel 3, WPTZ-TV Channel 5, Resolution Inc. and Charles Eller Studios all contributed production service for the public TV special. Production funding is from corporate underwriters Ben & Jerry's Homemade and Magic Hat Brewing Company.
Joe Merone | Joe Merone | Director |
Scott Esmond | Scott Esmond | Co-Director |
Chris McClure | Chris McClure | Producer |
Ron Clark | Ron Clark | Camera |
Neil Hilt | Neil Hilt | Camera |
Paul MacGowan | Paul MacGowan | Camera |
Brian Young | Brian Young | Audio |
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The Vermont International Film Festival is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enrich the community and bring the world to Vermont through film.
Launched in 2014 by a group of filmmakers, archivists and concerned members of the public who wished to ensure the survival of artists’ films in Vermont, VAMP officially became a program of VTIFF in May 2015. The VAMP committee has broadened the initial concept to include all types of films and videos made by VT filmmakers or shot in Vermont.
© 2025 VTIFF All Rights Reserved.