Forums - Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool

Palomino

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Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
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.

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lazb Seasoned Member Posts: 374	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #1 - 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!
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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23460	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #2 - 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.
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Palomino

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Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Reply #3 - 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.

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Lon

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"Love without
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Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Reply #4 - 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."

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Geno

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Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Reply #5 - 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.

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Lon

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"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23460

Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Reply #6 - 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.

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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23460	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #7 - 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.
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Rivieraranch Seasoned Member Posts: 2126	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #8 - 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.
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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23460	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #9 - 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.
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Rivieraranch Seasoned Member Posts: 2126	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #10 - 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.
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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 23460	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #11 - 03/16/20 at 18:22:14 Carl thanks you for the compliment! ;)
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bokat57 Ex Member	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #12 - 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
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donovan Verified Member Posts: 48	Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool Reply #13 - 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.
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Lon

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"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

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Re: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Reply #14 - 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.

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