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The Jewish Chronicle

Leonard Cohen's musical legacy up for grabs

January 27, 2011 15:25
Some of the hundreds of reels which made up Bird on A Wire

By

Jennifer Lipman,

Jennifer Lipman

1 min read

Rock music history is up for grabs after a lawyer decided to sell his collection of Leonard Cohen films.

Steven Machat is offering for sale 294 reels of film of the singer, a former client of his late father, music manager Marty Machat.

The material, which formed the basis of the iconic 1974 Tony Palmer film, Bird On A Wire, includes shots of Cohen as a child and at concerts in Jerusalem and Paris.

Marty Machat's partnership with Cohen ended badly, but not before he funded Bird on A Wire, recording Cohen on stage and behind the scenes of his 1972 European tour.