Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

Miles Davis was one of the 20th century's great musical innovators; an icon of black America; and a difficult, deeply flawed man. This documentary uses his words (although almost no direct interview footage) and music to tell his story. Although it might sound like fairly standard fare, it's really interesting, mostly because Miles, his life and his musical journey are such good subjects; and because Miles' struggles are linked very closely to the broader history of black America. Tellingly, we do get a real sense of how his music evolved, from up-tempo bebop, through the cool beauty of his most famous tunes, to his later, genre-fusing innovations. It seems the real key to his longlasting musical relevence was his keenness to work with younger generations of musicians - although hardly a mentor in any normal sense, a remarkable cavalcade of talent passed through his various bands. But we also get a sense of his own innate talent and his personal contribution to the sound they produced. It's hard to think of any musician around today who might leave behind such an fascinating legacy.