The Human Hambone

From the too-much-of-a-good-thing department comes this noisy, sometimes lively but ultimately so-so documentary about individuals who use their bodies as musical instruments. All parts of the anatomy that can be shown on camera are fair game for musical performances, from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet. There is a history to this behavior, going back to the 18th century when African slaves improvised musical expressions on their bodies because they were denied access to drums and other instruments. At least one of today's performers, Jimmy Slyde (the self-proclaimed “King of Slides”) earned a National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (to his credit, Slyde also incorporates tap dancing into his performance). But at 47 minutes, The Human Hambone feels overlong and repetitious, and while it might have made for an entertaining 10-minute news segment, the program eventually grows tiresome (a 30-minute version is also available, so perhaps director Mark Morgan realized there was fat to be cut from this hambone). While music appreciation can be highly individualistic, even the sturdiest aficionados of off-the-beaten-path music are likely to have their patience tested here. Optional. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)