Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Shedding light on Miles' electric period

If you have had trouble figuring out what MILES DAVIS was doing during his polarizing "electric period," I suggest watching the 2004 MURRAY LERNER documentary "MILES ELECTRIC: A DIFFERENT KIND OF BLUE."
I watched the 87-minute film last night.
The film features musicians who worked with Davis during that turbulent time of musical change. The now-greying jazzmen recall a brave journey into new musical directions -- with critic Stanley Crouch on hand to continue to accuse Davis of "selling out."
Carlos Santana and Joni Mitchell are among other musicians who speak about Davis' influence, before the film wraps up with a 38-minute set the Davis band performed at the 1970 ISLE OF WIGHT music festival.
The gig is extraordinary, as the band shift moods during a marathon medley.
I also found the 2003 interviews with the participants fascinating, as Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea and others discuss the musical excitement of the time, and the thrill of discovery they shared with Davis.
I highly recommend the film.

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