Music runs through the soul of A Jazzman’s Blues. Tyler Perry’s long-in-the-works labor of love tells the story of Bayou (Joshua Boone) and Leanne (Solea Pfeiffer), two star-crossed lovers in the swamps of Georgia. As family and fate drive them apart, Bayou pursues a music career that brings him to the juke joints and clubs of Chicago. One of the songs Bayou performs is “Paper Airplanes,” an original track written by Ruth B. and Terence Blanchard for the film. Now you can see Ruth B. perform the song in a new music video. 

In the film, Ruth B.’s rendition of the song plays over the closing moments. Writer/director/producer Perry felt strongly that the tune was more than just background noise — it was the continuing expression of the film’s themes. “At the end of the movie, the son comes out and sits on the porch and you see him contemplating,” Perry tells Tudum. “And you hear this voice — Ruth’s voice — start to sing ‘Paper Airplanes.’ I felt like the music was a continuation of the movie.” 

So when it came time to film a music video for the melody, there was an obvious way to tie the film and the song together. “It was actually Tyler’s idea to fly me out to Atlanta and be able to shoot on the actual set,” Ruth B. says. “That was really incredible and exciting, even just to be able to see it after watching the movie.”

In the grand tradition of film-soundtrack music videos, the video also cuts together clips from the film and even integrates Ruth B. into the narrative. “We had a double of Bayou on set when we were recording the video,” Ruth B. tells us. “I actually perform in Bayou’s jukebox where he would perform with his mother. It’s really beautiful and definitely feels like it’s of that time.”

“I want to feel like she’s in the movie. I want to have Bayou run past, and she’s sitting on the porch,” Perry says. “And they put it together. I was just floored by it when I saw it. Anytime you see it, it takes you right back to all of the emotion of the movie.”

A Jazzman’s Blues ends on a tragic note, but Perry hopes the song brings a more hopeful message. “The movie has a lot of weight, it has a lot of heaviness,” he says. “But her voice, as soon as she starts to sing, does something to you. It’s like a salve that lets you know as much tragedy as they went through, it’s still OK.”

A Jazzman’s Blues is streaming on Netflix now.