Sophisticated, indifferent, and cool in person, but sensitive, vulnerable, and intimate on stage, Miles Davis redefined the magic of jazz with his trumpet and his vision. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool is Stanley Nelson’s new documentary, and first of its kind, to not only navigate through the legend’s life and career, but to also plunge into Miles Davis’ personhood.
Beginning with his life as a wealthy St. Louis native, the documentary travels through Davis’ life in New York, his redefining affair with Juliette Greco in Paris, his epoch- making album Kind of Blue (1959), his epoch- adapting album Bitches Brew (1970), his drug addiction, his lovers, and his quintets. With first person narration voiced by Carl Lumbly, and exclusive interviews from his lifelong collaborators like Quincy Jones, as well as partners like Frances Taylor, Miles Davis is brought to life along with his overcoming of the pain of being born an artist, to become the artist he was. His relationship with his race, his own arrogance, and his genius are shown raw, as facts and experiences, for the audience to develop their own interpretation of this immortal musician.
The New York screening of Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool took place at the Byrant Park Hotel on Sunday, December 1st, and was followed by a Q&A with director Stanley Nelson and producer Nicole London. Released by Abramorama and Eagle Rock Entertainment, and supported by Firelight, a production company dedicated to creators of color, the documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2019, and will be available online in February 2020 through PBS American Masters Pictures. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool is also a GRAMMY nominee for ‘Best Music Film’. Check out the trailer.
