Hip Planet

“Planet Groove” is the name of the in-the-works documentary film masterminded by five recent Dartmouth graduates— Les Grant ’89, Todd Richman ’92, Anne Sundberg ’90, Wes Wang ’90, Pamela White ’93— and senior Barry Cole. Scheduled for completion by next June, the film will chronicle the burgeoning groove movement, which combines jazz and hip-hop. The filmmakers say they will mix footage of contemporary and classic jazz performers, computer- generated animation, and modern graffiti art. Inspiration for the film comes from Giant Step, a roving dance party that has recently landed at the Supper Club in New York. The music at Giant Step is all-encompassing; while DJs Jazzy Nice and Smash spin jazz, soul, funk, and hip-hop, the Giant Step band (which includes rappers, scatters, and poets) improvises with special guests— including such stellar types as Ice-T, Branford Marsalis, Arrested Development, and Digable Planets.