Support JB's film about John Jensen and his latest gig

My name is JB Letchinger and I'm a cinematographer and sometimes filmmaker. I have a fascination with music that was kindled at a preschool age by my father, then slowly extinguished by traditional approaches to practicing and music education (and as a 10 year old I chose to watch Batman and The Three Stooges rather than practice). When I realized six or seven years later how much I enjoyed listening to music, discovered most of my musician friends could jam with other people and that I had not altogether forgotten how to play the piano, I was introduced to John Jensen and began private piano lessons again at 17, in the early 80s.

John was a fantastic teacher, a gifted artist and has inspired me to play for the next 40 years of my life. We went our separate ways but stayed in touch, off and on. He reached out again recently about a new performance in Northern California later this month. I saw this as an opportunity to finally get him on film and find out why he was so great at helping me get back into playing music. Perhaps this can inspire others; he's almost 80 and still performing and playing classical music and jazz. Most can only do one or the other. A brief online bio is here. This mini doc will include footage from his performance in June of 2024, interviews, off the cuff remarks, rehearsal footage and as much reflection as we can handle. Travel from L.A. to Carmel, lodging, living, editing and professional sound recording costs need to be addressed somehow. If the target funds can't be reached there are a few shortcuts that can be tried, every bit helps as regular freelancing has slowed and defraying travel expenses would be a big help. Perhaps with a solid short film here, an NEH grant could be attainable for a longer form piece. Full length performance footage can be made available to supporters of $50 or more.

Addition information about me and my work here

Thank you!