The Miles Davis Movie: News? Yes, but don’t get too excited…

With Don Cheadle making the press rounds to promote Traitor, we have been able to get a bit of (new) information regarding the Miles Davis movie. For the most part each interview/feature with Cheadle offers the same news about the Miles Davis project; it’s clear their is anticipation and intrigue about the project, which is a good sign. Usually any story with Cheadle nowadays contains a section about the status of the Miles Davis movie.

News-wise, it seems that Time Warner’s shuttering of Picturehouse earlier this year has stalled the flow of the Miles Davis movie.

Via The Hartford Courant: Cheadle’s Crescendo banner is still trying to mount a biopic of jazz great Miles Davis, with Cheadle to star and make his directorial debut. A green light appeared close until the distributor Picturehouse, folded. He remains optimistic and continues to polish the script.

But Cheadle does tell comingsoon.net that the script is complete and currently in development. It seems that whole Picturehouse shutdown really slowed the Miles Davis project.

We have a script and we’re still developing it. We sold the movie to HBO-Picturehouse several months ago and then HBO and Picturehouse did their thing, so now we’re trying to figure out if that’s where we’re going to make it or if we’re going to make it somewhere else.

Did I start my blog a year too soon. No! I will just re-run old posts if necessary.!!

Am I anxious times 100? I am. I want this glacier-like to speed up, but at least I know the Miles Davis project is happening. It sounds like it needs a home, so hopefully we’ll be hearing soon about one studio or another ready to swoop in and be part of cinema history. Cinema history, I say!

The Miles Davis Movie: Cheadle on Late Show; no mention of ‘Miles,’ but I’m excited anyway…

Don Cheadle, the man tasked with filming and portraying the legendary Miles Davis for the upcoming film, was on the Late Show Tuesday night to promote his new film, Traitor.

Did he mention anything about the Miles Davis biopic? No. Did he really have the time? No.

Perhaps if he shows up on “Charlie Rose” he’ll have the chance to discuss the Miles Davis project. But for now it’s all about Traitor, which is fine. There will be time to ignite the Miles Davis promotion machine.

I’ll say that when he walked out on stage I instantly envisioned him as Miles Davis; the ‘look’ is there, and I think he’s going to really make Miles Davis come alive on screen.

News about the Miles Davis biopic is slim these days, but we’ll take what we can get. Soon enough it’ll change and the tsunami of Miles Davis Movie news, analysis and opinion will flood the media landscape.

That’s going to be fun.

The Miles Davis Movie: Filming ‘Bitches Brew’

‘Electric’ Miles is not my favorite chapter in the legend’s musical history, but I’m no less impressed and entertained by the supremely talented musicians associated with some pretty revolutionary recordings – namely Bitches Brew.

I’m torn on how much, if any, movie time in the Miles Davis film is going to be devoted to the years covering the late-’60s to the mid ’70s. Of course we’d get to see Don Cheadle dressed in some wild costumes, but it remains how this chaotic and inventive funk-rock-jazz period for Miles will be represented in the movie.

They could choose to focus primarily on Bitches Brew, a masterpiece in some circles and notable for spinning modern jazz on its head.

It certainly was a time of great change for Miles and jazz music, to say nothing of the culture in general, so clearly we have some drama to mine here for the film.

How much of the actual music they’d feature I don’t know, but to hear something like “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” might be pretty damn cool.

This is a revolutionary recording no matter how you slice it; it all but started the genre known as jazz-rock fusion.

And there were some incredible musicians associated with the album: Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, etc.

It’s a fascinating chapter for Miles, and if the film intends to follow Davis’ life right up to the end then obviously they cannot skip over the electric period.

I have already written about Betty Mabry’s inclusion in the film, and there’s a clear link between her influences and Bitches Brew.

There is plenty of opinion about Bitches Brew, the recording and the moment in jazz (music) history it represents. I’d think the Miles Davis movie would be wise to find room for it in the narrative.

When listening to the music of Bitches Brew and the Bitches Brew sessions, space and time tremble, quiver, and become elastic. One moment, you’re traveling rapidly, furiously backward toward the Big Bang—the next, you’ve stopped and hang suspended, a million light years from nowhere, curling dangerously across some cosmic bump.

Then, all at once, you’re surging forth, speed increasing, any ability to gauge time lost in the burn, spinning and tumbling upward, downward, outward. (David Beckman, AAJ)

The Miles Davis Movie: Filming the ‘Second Great Quintet’

I’m fascinated by debate, specifically the type of competitive debate you see on high school and college campuses and in big state and national tournaments. I’ve seen HBO’s documentary “Resolved” about 100 times now, and I always get so jazzed watching the debaters in action.

I’d like to see an advanced debate played about over the issue of Miles Davis’ First Great Quintet versus his Second Great Quintet.

I would like to hear some real pros go to the mat over why one or the other quintet is ‘better.’ They are both equally legendary and amazing, so there’s no debate there – but if you have a situation where a winner must be chosen it would be an interesting topic to hear the different positions and arguments.

Speaking of debates, I found this nice, write-up from the website thenewblackmagazine.com:

There is no confusing the two quintets. Both sound magnifique but they have very little in common except the leader of each is Miles. Yet, even in that regard they are different. Even though immediately identifiable as Miles, the sound of his trumpet is different in each quintet.

The first quintet emphasizes Miles’ lyrical minimalism, especially the steel-strong fragility of his muted work. The second period is aggressive; the horn sound is both fatter and faster—indeed, middle period Miles is the peak of Miles’ technique as a trumpeter.

Oh yes, and there’s a Miles Davis movie on the way and you’d think the likes of the great Wayne Shorter (sax), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums) would be making an appearance – at least actors portraying the great musicians that is.

And because there’s no way I could do proper justice to breaking down the musical output of the Second Great Quintet, let me take this opportunity to happily link to Matthew Asprey’s Blog (Honey for the Bears), who in February wrote a fantastic overview of the recordings of Miles’ second great quintet (coming on the news of the passing of the legendary producer Teo Macero).

Part I
Part II

I own the bulk of what the Second Great Quintet recorded; I love some of it, like some of it and some I am indifferent. I tend to lean towards the First Great Quintet, but somehow I marvel at the hearing (at watching) the Second Great Quintet in action. That’s magic pure and simple. Those guys are just on a different level….

Knowing the film will not be 4 hours long one cannot assume there will be too much movie time spent on this collection of jazz greats Davis assembled, but we can wonder how much of their music will be featured, or the characters themselves…

Because Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter are still with us (R.I.P. Tony W!), Don Cheadle has access to those who were with Miles, deep down in the musical hole where the magic happens. They can provide so much context, I’m sure it’d make your head spin.

But this is a good thing…

I mention the ‘performance’ component of the Miles Davis film and how those scenes may serve as the heart of the movie – the ‘wow’ moments that people talk about.

When I think about “Ray” the first thing that jumps to mind is the sequence in the studio when he sings “Hit the Road Jack” and how it segues to the live show. And I think about how “Marianne” is presented and cut. Basically I think about the music and how it’s delivered on screen in a variety of methods.

Will the Miles Davis movie have some showstoppers? I say yes. I think we’ll some a blend of great music, great acting and great filmmaking come together to create something special.

To wrap up my thoughts about the Second Great Quintet and the Miles Davis movie, I’ll just reiterate what I said when discussing the First Great Quintet –

“I’m happy just to see the Second Great Quintet celebrated one way or the other in the movie – they, and their music, is most deserved.”

The Miles Davis Movie: Quiet times in newsville

I was just about to embark on a rant about the troubling lack of any Miles Davis biopic news and lament the fact that I might have commenced my account of all things ‘Miles Davis movie’ about three or four months too soon.

Then I stumbled onto a BET interview with Don Cheadle from last month.

Alas, a sliver of news.

He’s [Cheadle] busy developing his Miles Davis project, which is his No. 1 priority at the moment. Cheadle will not only star in the film, but direct it, too.

“It’s insane, it’s an insane thing that I’m attempting to do but I’m going to do it,” he said. “I hope I don’t die of exhaustion in the process.”

Miles is a passion project for Cheadle, a gifted musician in his own right.

“Yeah, I was a big fan of him,” he said. “I grew up playing jazz my whole life, and it’s something that his music has been very close to my heart and a big part of my family life and everything. And I’m obviously learning more and more about him every day as I pore through everything that’s ever been written about him. But like I say, that’s a while away, but I’m trying to take my time and work on that. And hopefully when it’s ready to come out of the oven, it will.”

From the above quote I glean two things: A) Cheadle is presently working on the Miles Davis movie, which is nice and B) it’s going to be a lot longer until we see this movie in theatres.

And that’s okay. At least we know the movie is a go, and it’s happening. But obviously this thing is not ready to go in front of the cameras anytime soon. That part is a bummer, but if they’re working on something special I guess it is best not to rush it.

And the band played on….

The Miles Davis Movie: Filming ‘Kind of Blue’

It is not just one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, but one of the best albums… period!

By some accounts it’s the best-selling jazz record of all time.

It’s the one album most non-jazz fans know about, or even own.

I like to think there’s a part in the minds of music fans who don’t care much for jazz music who feel they should at least have this album in their collection – just because.

Kind of Blue

The tile alone elicits a variety of feelings and thoughts.

Recorded at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22 of 1959, the seminal recording hit the streets on August 17, 1959.

Another landmark moment for Miles Davis, jazz and music in general.

The players:

Miles Davis – trumpet
Julian “Cannonball” Adderley – alto saxophone
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Wynton Kelly – piano
Bill Evans – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Jimmy Cobb – drums

Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s review for AllMusic.com says it best:

Kind of Blue isn’t merely an artistic highlight for Miles Davis, it’s an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album, a universally acknowledged standard of excellence.

There are books and essays, radio programs and websites dedicated specifically to “Kind of Blue.”

Philip B. Pape (for allaboutjazz.com) writes:

This album throws away conventional song and chord structure that had been definitive to most jazz artists, welcoming a new structure based on modes. More than a milestone in jazz, Kind of Blue is a defining moment of twentieth century music.

Ashley Kahn’s “Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece” is a comprehensive account on the making of the album.

There’s also a production from NPR about how the album was produced and its endless popularity.

So…let’s discuss the filming of the making of “Kind of Blue.”

Yep, it’ll be in the Miles Davis movie. If we can get scenes that incorporate the entire septet I’ll be quite happy. I think you could make the case that Cheadle, as director, can spend a little extra time with the “Kind of Blue” sessions, as well as goings on outside the studio.

You might also say that the music from “Kind of Blue” is the most recognizable to audience members not entirely immersed in jazz/Miles Davis history, but definitely are aware of those famous, ‘modal’ harmonies associated with tracks like “So What” and “Blue in Green.”

As I’ve mentioned before in other ‘filming’ posts, it’s all about the director’s vision, and to another degree, the cinematographer. And the editor as well…

The aforementioned, legendary pianist Bill Evans also wrote the liner notes for the “Kind of Blue” album and in commenting on the challenge of group improvisation notes that:

“Miles conceived these settings only hours before the recording dates and arrived with sketches which indicated to the group what was to be played. Therefore, you will hear something close to pure spontaneity in these performances.”

So right there you can see the movie scene unfolding, with the musicians in the studio, and Davis providing only the basic ideas of what he wants before the band begins recording.

In a film that must cover a lot of important ground in 2-plus hours only so much time can be spent in the studio watching the construction of “Kind of Blue.”

But the “Kind of Blue” chapter is positively an essential one for the film to explore. It also offers the opportunity to hear some of Davis’ more famous songs worked into the movie, sure to elicit happiness from any audience.

The Miles Davis Movie: What are your expectations?

For me, I’ll say high, very high.

Soaring.

I want the Miles Davis movie to be a classic. I want the film to be a critical success as well as a box office champ. No, we’re not talking “Dark Knight” numbers, but solid box office in the U.S. and abroad.

I want Don Cheadle to be nominated for an Oscar. I want the film to be nominated in multiple categories.

I have set my expectations high for the acting, directing and writing, the lighting and costume design, the cinematography and the damn catering table.

I want to see photos and video clips of Miles Davis splashed across TV and computer screens. I want to see respectable magazines run profound essays on the legacy of Miles Davis and his impact on culture in America.

I want to see his record sales get even better. I want to see iTunes numbers go through the roof for Miles Davis tracks.

I want people to be excited about the movie. I want people to be excited about jazz.

I want the Miles Davis biopic to be an Official Selection at mega film festivals in Cannes and Sundance, Toronto, Telluride and Berlin.

I want people to be excited about Miles Davis. He was part saint, part sinner, but his story is remarkable. His impact on ‘music’ is legendary.

I want to see a good review in “The New Yorker.” I want to see Don Cheadle on “Charlie Rose.”

I want the DVD to be brimming with extras and commentary and deleted scenes.

Yes, I have high expectations for the Miles Davis movie.

I’m curious to know what other Miles Davis/movie fans think. Will it make an impact – in the movie-media sense, not on the world! –, or does it come and go, lost in a sea of entertainment content?

Are you expecting greatness, or hoping it’s entertaining enough? Are you worried it’s going to be ‘a rental,’ or are you confident you’ll have to see more than once (like that same day!)?

Is there a broad enough audience for the film? Will it be more like “Ray” or more like “Round Midnight?”

It’s just a movie. But for some (me!) it’s finally a chance to see the life of Miles Davis produced for the big screen. It’s long overdue, but no time like the present.

My expectations are high, very high. And the waiting is killing me.