As a fan of the music of Miles Davis and being interested enough in the man to have read his autobiography and the brilliant biography by Ian Carr, I was very keen to see 'Miles Ahead' which marks the directional debut of Don Cheadle who also stars in the role of Davis.
Having attended a lunchtime showing in a local cinema, I found myself on my homeward journey trying to make some kind of sense out of what I had just witnessed. As anticipated, the music was superb though the great clips were usually far too brief, but I have the records at home so I can listen to those whenever I please. So, what of the film?
The basic story centres on the so called "silent years" between 1976 and 1980, when Davis became a virtual recluse, rarely if ever straying from his New York home. He had turned 50 in 1976 and was recovering from a hip replacement operation but was also suffering from inflammation of the joints making it almost impossible for him to pick up and play the trumpet. The prodigious amounts of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes that he took, certainly did not aid his recovery. In the film, he is visited by a writer (Ewan McGregor) who claims to represent 'Rolling Stone' magazine and who is seeking a story but also has hopes of provoking Davis back into playing again.
All well and good, except that the story then flips back and forth as Davis recollects the tumultuous relationship he had with the dancer Frances Taylor, who in 1958, became his first wife. We get glimpses of how he controlled and abused her and there is a recreation of the famous incident when Davis was assaulted and arrested by police officers outside Birdland after having escorted a white female customer to a taxi cab.
Meanwhile back in the 1970's, the bogus journalist appears to win the confidence of Davis but a recently completed tape of a Davis session is stolen and the film recounts the efforts made to recover this precious recording. It is during these scenes that the film gets a bit surreal and for me, loses it's direction. The tape though was not a piece of fiction but actually dated from a session on 2 March 1978. It was a session that produced only one six or seven minute recording with Larry Coryell on guitar, and Davis, not on trumpet, but on organ and synthesiser. After this short attempt to return to the business of making music, Davis retreated back to his home, where he remained for a further two years, only emerging in 1980 to begin recording what would become The Man With The Horn'.
My overall impression of the film is very mixed. It was generally well directed and for me, captured the periods (the late 1950's and 1970's) very well but I just felt that the storyline was rather contrived and all became too surreal during a boxing match late in the film. Credit must be given to Cheadle however, for his portrayal of Davis. So convincing was he, that there were long periods when I totally forgot that I wasn't watching Davis himself.
I don't really see this movie winning any major awards but if, like me, you are a fan of Miles Davis, then I suggest you get yourself along to a cinema to see it. Just don't expect to see the Miles Davis life story or to learn anything new.
I find it unbelievable and inexcusable that in almost 2 years of writing this blog, I have only made reference to Miles Davis on one previous occasion. I shall rectify that immediately.
This is the latest addition to the coffee table.
I must confess that when I spotted it on one of my regular visits to The Sage in Gateshead, I
initially hesitated in making a purchase. Did I really need another book about Miles Davis?
Well The Sage had kindly reduced the price way below what even Amazon were asking, so the decision was effectively made for me.
The credit card was handed over, and the book was in the bag. Job done!
The book was published in 2012 and as the title suggests, is a chronological history of the life and career of Miles. With significant contributions from a host of well known musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter, writers and critics including, Ashley Kahn, Francis Davis, Garth Cartwright and Robin D G Kelley, plus promoters and fans such as George Wein and Bill Cosby, the book contains a wealth of information and fascinating insights.
Then of course, there are the photographs, with many coming through the lens of William "PoPsie" Randolph who captured Miles and his band members at various times including many candid shots taken at studio recording sessions.
I confess that I have not seen most of these photos before, and find them fascinating.
Other photographic contributions come from Francis Wolff, Lynn Goldsmith, William Gottlieb and Bob Willoughby.
All in all, it is a great collection and already it has driven me back to listen once again to the the wonderful back catalogue of the legend that was Miles Davis.
Currently on the hi-fi - 'Birth of the Cool'.
Lovely.
This is a hefty package and does not come cheap. Thankfully someone cared enough about me to do a deal with Santa one Christmas. A flip top box contains a total of 52 albums spread over 70 discs. In other words the complete released output of Miles Davis on the Columbia label spanning the years 1949-1985.
And that's a lot of great music!
Additionally the box also contains a previously unreleased DVD of a 1967 European tour by the Miles Davis Quintet featuring Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. Also a 250 page hardback book containing a short biography and notes and track lists of all of the albums included in the set.
So what about the quality of the box contents?
Well, the quality of the music is undeniable, after all, this is Miles Davis. The albums have all been remastered and many include bonus tracks that were not available on the original release. As there is a fair amount of live material included, there is inevitably some repetition of tracks, but as this is jazz and Miles never played a song the same way twice, it is interesting to compare different versions. Each album also comes in it's own mini replica cardboard LP sleeve. They look very nice but if I have a slight criticism of the package, it is in the quality of the album sleeves. They are not as robust nor as big as the recent mono box releases by The Beatles or Bob Dylan. Nevertheless this is a wonderful set and if you are a fan of Miles Davis and don't already own most of his Columbia albums, then this set is worth being good for. Who knows, in return, Santa might be good to you.
Incidentally, if you should be seeking a really good biography of Miles, I can highly recommend 'Miles Davis The Definitive Biography' by the late Ian Carr. As Carr was himself a jazz trumpeter, he knows his subject and this book is a fascinating and informative read.
First published by Harper Collins in 1998, it is to the best of my knowledge still available.
As a fan of the music of Miles Davis and being interested enough in the man to have read his autobiography and the brilliant biography by Ian Carr, I was very keen to see 'Miles Ahead' which marks the directional debut of Don Cheadle who also stars in the role of Davis.
