Musical icons the focus of two standout documentaries

Pioneering musicians Gil Scott-Heron and Ornette Coleman take centre stage in two exceptional documentaries.

Black Wax (1982) portrays Gil Scott-Heron, the jazz and soul maverick whose music was as revolutionary in sentiment as in sound. The documentary is directed by Robert Mugge, a filmmaker who has specialised in capturing the sounds of America - from the Delta Blues to Bluegrass - and who has crafted numerous intimate and revealing portraits of legendary musicians, including Al Green, Sonny Rollins and Robert Johnson.

Black Wax was filmed during a particularly productive and prolific period for Scott-Heron, with three albums released in the early-1980s. The film follows him around a number of Washington D.C. locations, from famous landmarks to local neighbourhoods and features a live set with his Midnight Band at the Wax Museum Nightclub.

Meanwhile, the work of jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeteer and composer, Ornette Coleman is the subject of Ornette: Made in America (1985). Tracing the progression of this most radical of artists over three decades, the approach of experimental filmmaker Shirley Clarke perfectly chimes with Coleman's innovative style.

Both screenings are part part of Brilliant Corners - a festival of jazz in Belfast, presented by Moving On Music.

Gil Scott-Heron Black Wax - Sat 05 March - Beanbag Cinema, Belfast - Doors 6:45pm - £5/£3

Ornette: Made in America - Sun 06 March - Beanbag Cinema, Belfast - Doors 6:45pm - £5/£3