Before there was dialog, there was music. At first, perhaps, most practically, just to cover the awful racket of the projector; but more likely it has always been a psychological and emotional necessity, an essential part of telling the story, of sharing the feeling, of making the images, action and even spoken dialog when it finally came, truly real. REEL MUSIC is our contemplation of that. For 10 days of concerts, talks, and films Festival music director Chuck Redd and company invite you to explore and celebrate great moments and especially interesting dimensions of music in film. From the earliest days of the Silent Era (1894-1926) through the Golden Age (1927-60s) and beyond, from cartoons, shorts and commercials to musicals and period dramas, from context color, source music and background filler to leitmotifs, themes and story-advancing songs…and throwing in intriguing topics and insights along the way, we won’t cover everything, but we’ll touch on a lot!...and, of course, all with an especial focus on historic jazz and the Classic Songbook. Oregon Festival of American Music 2021: REEL MUSIC July 22-31, 2021 at The Shedd in Eugene.