Learn about Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool and jazz history in the making.
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Miles Davis was among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.

An iconic trumpeter and composer, Miles changed the genre of jazz more times than anyone before him or anyone since. He invented what we today call cool jazz, hard bop, and jazz fusion. His album Kind of Blue is one of the greatest pieces of art of the 20th century. 
Award-winning director and producer, Stanley Nelson, joins us to discuss his documentary Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool. We learn about the music innovator's life journey, and the challenges that Stanley faced bringing Miles's story to the big screen. 

Available to watch on PBS, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, the film tells the story of Miles’s genius. His career encapsulated everything from playing with Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie to influencing generations of musicians. Miles was also a trend-setter and fashion icon, who way too often succumbed to his destructive drug addictions.

Time Stamps:
00:00 - Guest introduction and film trailer.
03:58 - A brief summary of who Miles Davis was. 
08:03 - What he meant to the world of music.
11:31 - The essence of his genius and his obsession with music.
16:21 - How the director Stanley Nelson came up with the film's title.
18:59 - Miles's distinctive music style.
20:17 - The complexities of his personality.
23:43 - How the idea for making this film was born.
25:24 - The challenges of making a documentary about an indisputable legend.
28:55 - Why it was important to include all aspects of Miles’ life.
30:22 - Using a voice-over in the film and why Miles Davis had such a raspy voice.
33:31 - What it was like interviewing Francis Taylor.
37:12 - Miles’s abusive relationships with women.
38:53 - The race issues that Miles faced because of his skin colour.
44:20 - What Miles meant to the African-American community.
49:37 - What would Miles think of the past year if he were still alive? 
51:57 - What it was like for Stanley to win a National Humanities medal.
53:16 - Stanley’s upcoming projects and and his advice to aspiring documentarians.
57:28 - The special age of documentary filmmaking. 

Resources:
Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool (2020): https://www.milesdavismovie.com/
Kind Of Blue (1959): https://www.milesdavis.com/albums/kin...
Someday My Prince Will Come: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somed...)
Crack: https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews...

Related:
Chuck Berry: The Original King of Rock and Roll on Factual America
Uprooted: American History through Jazz Dance on Factual America
Streetlight Harmonies: The Lasting Legacy of Doo-Wop on Factual America

Connect with Stanley Nelson:
Website: http://www.firelightmedia.tv/stanley-...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StanleyNelson1?re...

Connect with Matthew Sherwood:
Facebook:   / matthew.sherwood.14  
LinkedIn:   / matthewsherwood  
Twitter:   / sherwood1967  

#milesdavis #jazzmusic #jazz

▬▬ FACTUAL AMERICA PODCAST ▬▬

Factual America explores the themes that make America unique through the lens of documentaries about America. Each episode a guest chooses a film and then discusses it with host, Matthew Sherwood. Guests include leading documentary filmmakers as well as experts on the American experience.

Matthew Sherwood was born and raised in Texas. He came to the UK in 2001 to work for The Economist. Matthew has worked in journalism and publishing and has a wealth of experience writing for publications, interviewing world leaders, and chairing conferences. Formally he spent his time helping diverse audiences understand the global trends impacting upon their lives.

Emmett Glynn is the producer of Factual America. Known to many in the broadcast world, Emmett is a London-based sound designer and producer who has delivered over 100hrs of TV documentaries for Channel 5, Channel 4 and the BBC. He produces three other podcasts and is developing documentaries alongside Alamo Pictures.

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