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79-year old James Brewster is an uncompromising musician from the Caribbean island of St. Croix known for his humorous, provocative and playful compositions and lively performances. Scratch band music, also known as Quelbe, is an indigenous, grass-roots form of folk music that originated over a century ago in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is the official music of the Virgin Islands. The lyrics are a form of oral history used to immortalize historical events, spread rude gossip about one's neighbors, and relay the day-to-day trials and tribulations of living on a small Caribbean island. As a young boy, Jamesie made his own instrument out of a sardine can and a piece of white pine lumber. In the six decades that have followed, Jamesie and other musicians continued to use instruments that one can "scratch up" when performing and recording music along with more contemporary instruments. The music has crudeness to it that is intoxicating and rhythmic speaking to both the beauty and the hardship of the Crucian (of St. Croix) lifestyle. This engaging documentary includes performances by Jamesie and the All-Stars at: a St. Croix nightclub; a local Virgin Island agricultural fair; music festivals in Chicago and Indiana; jamming with his friends; and performing and teaching in Denmark. Interspersed is Jamesie talking with other musicians about the historical significance of the music and explaining how he came to create some of his songs, and, footage at his home revealing the more personal side of James Brewster.

This is an intelligent and enjoyable film, from which the viewer can learn much about scratch band music.... Leland has managed to craft a loving and mostly celebratory portrait of one of the tradition's foremost exponents.
<p>Kenneth Bilby, PH. D, Columbia College of Chicago, Center for Black Music Reseach</p>
Transforming Anthropology
full review

Jamesie: King of Scratch is of particular value in courses on Caribbean and African-American music because it shows how music within the region can be a reflection of shared experiences among people of African descent in the Americas.
Oliver Greene, Ph.D. Ethnomusicologist Georgia State University
Society for Ethnomusicology
full review

Leland&#39;s movie is an enchanting experience!
Elliot V. Kotek
Moving Picture Magazine
full review

A tasty profile, this is recommended.
C. Block
Video Librarian
full review

The film is a pleasant, visually compelling production and a welcome contribution to the existing literature on Caribbean music.
Daniel Neely, Columbia University
Caribbean Studies Vol. 36, No.2

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AWARDS & SCREENINGS:

• 2009 Muestra Internacional de Cine Documental y Etnográfico en Puerto Rico

• Gold Medal, Best documentary on a musical subject. Park City Music Film Festival

• North by Northeast Music and Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
• Bahamas International Film Festival
• Reelworld Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
• Globians International Film Festival, Postdam, Germany

• Trinidad and Tobago International Film Festival

• Caribbean Studies Association Conference Bahia, Brazil
• Aarhus International Film Festival, Denmark

• Bay Street Film Festival, September 2007 Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada Peoples Choice Award

• Parnu International Documentary and Anthropology Film Festival Estonia

• Dominican International Film Festival Domincan Republic

• Turks and Cacios Film Festival

• Santa Cruz Film Festival
• Womens International Film Festival, Miami Florida