Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool
At 10:45 p.m. on Arte
The legend of Miles Davis (1926-1991) spans several albums including Kind of Blue or Birth of the Cool, pieces cdry So What or Blue in Green, the soundtrack of the film Elevator for the scaffold and some glamorous photos with Juliette Gréco, his lover from Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Those who would like to discover the American trumpeter and composer in more detail will be delighted by this new documentary of almost two hours.
A rebellious jazz myth
Woven from testimonies of jazzmen, the film is especially valuable for the admiration they have for his style. We focus on the way Miles Davis writes like a classical composer. This son of a rich black dentist studied at the Juilliard School in New York without fear, like many of his bebop peers, of “play like a white man” or from “lose the feeling”. Spotted by Charlie “Bird” Parker, friend of Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane, Miles Davis wants “to create concert music that can be heard everywhere”.
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter salutes “the pure, elegant and tasty sound” with his trumpet and the “lyricism” of his compositions. Guitarist Carlos Santana praises the understated romanticism of his ballads. For pianist Herbie Hancock, “Miles plays like ricocheting on pond water.” René Urtreger, great French pianist, salutes “innovative and popular music”. And bassist Marcus Miller recounts with fascination how Miles Davis improvised the soundtrack for‘Elevator to the scaffold at the same time as he watched Louis Malle’s film.
Illuminating the story of a jazz rebel, testifying to the racist oppression that weighs on the African-American artist and not hiding his addictions, the documentary does not dwell too much on the mistreatment he inflicted to his loved ones. But a single, chilling testimony from his ex-wife Frances Taylor, whom he forced out of jealousy to give up West Side Story for which the dancer had been selected, is enough to reveal skin-deep violence.
