Ep542: Music Documentary Producer Jeanne Elfant Festa

Ep542: Music Documentary Producer Jeanne Elfant Festa

From The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds by The Vinyl Guide

April 2, 2026 · 57 min · Episode 542

About this episode

Documentary producer Jeanne Elfant Festa discusses her latest film on Billy Preston and shares personal stories about her music journey and vinyl collection.

Documentary producer & record collector Jeanne Elfant Festa has made films about The Beatles , Foo Fighters , Pavarotti , Bee Gees and more. Today she discusses her latest movie on Billy Preston — revealing rare archive footage, Olivia Harrison's key role, and Eric Clapton's emotional on-camera tribute and a lot more. Check outtrailer and documentary screenings here Topics Include: Jeanne lost her entire vinyl collection in the Palisades fire. Her family and animals all escaped the fire safely. A custom-built, mathematically designed sound room housed the collection. Rebuilding takes time — the turntable alone hasn't been replaced yet. Music passion began with her Brooklyn-raised parents' rich jazz collection. Her dad snuck into the Apollo Theater via the fire escape. He carried a saxophone, jamming with musicians at the loading dock. The family soundtrack: Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker. Jeanne and her dad bonded over Bruce Springsteen's sax player. Her father did house calls exclusively for one patient — Miles Davis. Storytelling instincts came from parents who loved plays, movies, and performance. Her own record collection ranged from Rage…

People in this episode

Guest: Jeanne Elfant Festa

Topics covered

  • documentary filmmaking
  • music history
  • vinyl collection
  • personal stories
  • music passion
  • record collecting

Keywords

  • documentary
  • music
  • vinyl
  • record collection
  • Billy Preston
  • Jeanne Elfant Festa
  • Foo Fighters
  • Apollo Theater
  • Palisades fire

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Beatles, Foo Fighters, Pavarotti, Bee Gees

Books & works: Billy Preston, Rage Against the Machine, Supertramp

Places: Apollo Theater, Palisades

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