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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
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Message started by Palomino on 02/27/20 at 17:07:11

Title: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Palomino on 02/27/20 at 17:07:11

If any of you Jazz fans are also Miles Davis fans, I watched American Masters: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool last night on PBS. I don't know if/when they will re-air it but worth a watch for sure. .

I particularly liked the songs they chose for the soundtrack.

Kind of Blue was my first Jazz album purchase and I enjoy it to this day and now own it in various formats.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by lazb on 02/27/20 at 18:52:28

Me too, Pal! It was a bit of a revelation for me as I knew nothing about him personally or about his life, personal and musical. Well done and informative and, yes, the sound track was good!

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Lon on 02/27/20 at 20:00:46

It's on my DVR, waiting for the right time to watch it. I've been a Miles Davis fan since about '72 and have seen almost everything else on tape there is to see so don't expect it to be too revelatory to me. My best friend, also a Miles fan that long, says it's great if not too "new" so I'm looking forward to it.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Palomino on 02/27/20 at 21:00:14

I recorded it as well. I want to watch it again to build a Miles Tidal playlist using Shazam to source the tracks.

I really hadn't watched any other film on him so I was interested. I'd heard bits and pieces about his life, but this film kind of brought it all together. Like I remember him dropping off the radar for a while. Now I know why.

Also, if you look at the careers he helped launch...its a decent who's who in the jazz community. I really had no idea the list was that long.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Lon on 02/27/20 at 21:12:26

Yes, he was a big influence on the genre and a great band leader. He got his start thanks to Charlie Parker, and he seemed to have not forgotten that musicians needed to work together and that start he got from Parker that really did launch his career. He managed to tread carefully around discovering, developing and in some ways exploiting talent. Many benefited.

And to paraphrase a Charles Mingus composition title, "If Miles Davis were a Gunslinger There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats."

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Geno on 02/27/20 at 23:08:32

I watched it. I’m an avid PBS watcher (not much else I like to watch on TV anymore). I thought it was very well done. Several things that I didn’t know about him. For instance, I did not know that it is his wife on the cover of the Someday My Prince Will Come album. And when he was asked to play on the soundtrack to the French film. His parts were played after the film was made. He watched scenes and played what he felt as he watched. Unbelievable to watch him do that and hauntingly beautiful.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Lon on 02/28/20 at 01:50:13

Right . . .the beautiful dancer Francis Taylor Davis was also on the cover of "E.S.P." and both "Friday Night at the Blackhawk" and of course "Saturday Night at the Blackhawk." Other wives on his covers are Cecily Tyson (before she was his wife) and Betty Mabry Davis.

I love that soundtrack. . . really have never been into the movie itself, though I have friends who really dig it.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Lon on 03/15/20 at 20:11:50

I finally watched this. I really didn't learn much about Miles I hadn't known from listening to him and reading about him since the early 'seventies, but I certainly saw some interesting footage I had not seen before. What a well done documentary, balancing well biographic and musical content.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Rivieraranch on 03/16/20 at 02:01:46

It is on Netflix. Very nice presentation with Davis narrating much of it. Hi choice of women was awesome.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Lon on 03/16/20 at 03:36:51

It's Carl Lumley narrating, reading Davis' and Quincy Troupe's text from the Davis autobiography though. But I am sure you knew that. Just wanted to be clear.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Rivieraranch on 03/16/20 at 14:11:40

Truthfully, I was fooled by the narration. I didn't read the credits at all; so I thought that the narration was Davis from some taped interview.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Lon on 03/16/20 at 18:22:14

Carl thanks you for the compliment!

;)

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by bokat57 on 03/16/20 at 19:43:49

I also thought it was a well done documentary.
I would recommend the book titled "Miles Davis The Autobiography" from 1989. It really covers the life of Miles Davis in great detail.
Since I watched it about 4 days ago I have been on a Miles music marathon. Great Stuff !
Thanks
Bob

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by donovan on 03/24/20 at 04:00:27

I caught Elevator To the Gallows a few nights ago. It was on TCM. Quite an amazing score he and his impromptu quartet made for that film.

Title: Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Post by Lon on 03/24/20 at 04:19:21

I've never been a fan of the film but I do like that soundtrack. Over time I keep being amazed at how awesome Barney Wilen played--he was only 18. I'm a big fan of his work, he was independently wealthy and didn't work as often as others, but he had a beautiful sound on all the saxophones he played.

And Kenny Clarke! Kenny was an inspiration for me as a drummer, his work in the 'fifties especially impresses me and I learned a lot studying his work, especially the many sessions he did for the Savoy label where he was almost the house drummer.