Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Griffin (class of 2027) and features a film documentary about jazz legend Miles Davis. Thanks, Griffin!
A revolutionary figure in the Jazz genre, Miles Davis is the most influential figure in Jazz since Louis Armstrong. The British documentary The Miles Davis Story follows the artist throughout his career, beginning from high school up until his death. The film explores the man behind the music through a collection of interviews from his close musician colleagues, family, friends, past relationships, historians and rare interview footage of Miles himself.
What I found very interesting was how popular Miles Davis became outside America. Europeans were much more accepting and interested in Jazz than back home, where the scene for the genre was dying in New York. They held Davis to a higher regard as well, treating his music as high-class art, and he wasn’t scrutinized for drinking or smoking like he would in the U.S. for “indecent behavior.” Another topic I found surprising was the amount of direct conflict Miles Davis faced with segregation. I have never thought of the artist as very political, but it was unavoidable for him not to confront these truths, partially from the flamboyant lifestyle that many did not approve of. Aware of these cultural tensions, he often supported other black artists and figures. Davis was incredible at finding new talent to play alongside and drive for new innovations in sound throughout his entire career. This is proven by just how many bandmates were interviewed.
The artist didn’t come without his flaws. The documentary explores every facet of his pioneering career, which includes issues with his romantic affairs and struggle with drugs that ultimately played a part in his untimely death. Throughout it all, one thing was certain: Miles Davis had a gift to constantly innovate his music at every age and cared more passionately about his work than anything. His story is quite reminiscent of another late and great legend of music, Prince, who would follow in remarkably similar footsteps. The film’s interviews add great layers to who this artist really was, on top of the beautiful music, and some gorgeous photography and cinematography of Miles Davis throughout his life. Check out The Miles Davis Story from the music library today to see it for yourself!