When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade, or in the case of Paul Thomas Anderson, you adapt and knock out one of the best documentaries of the year, "Junun." Unable to bring his usual tools into India, the director quickly embraced digital filmmaking, using drone cameras, GoPros and more to film the making of the titular album by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, and the Rajasthan Express. And while the finished movie runs less than an hour long, it seems there was plenty left on the cutting room floor.
Nonesuch Records has dropped a seven-minute outtake – a performance of the album’s, "Hu." And like the movie it was cut from, it’s a terrific look at the pure musicianship of the players making Junun, with this excerpt really allowing the viewer to appreciate the give and take between percussionists, singers, and string players. It’s solid stuff.
"Junun," album and movie, are both available for purchase on iTunes. [Rolling Stone]