Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell

Until very recently, the work of composer Arthur Russell (1951-1992) was largely known only among experimental music enthusiasts. A former director of The Kitchen, Manhattan’s famed avant-garde art center, Russell created a blend of minimalism, disco, classical and pop — “Buddhist bubblegum,” quipped Allen Ginsberg — which has recently found a wide audience on CD. In this “affecting and informative portrait” (Film Comment), Matt Wolf tells the story of the enigmatic genius from Oskaloosa, Iowa, who is now revered as a seminal cult figure.