The Miles Davis Story (2001)

Just watched this excellent documentary on the life and music of jazz icon Miles Davis. Produced by the UK's Channel 4, it features interviews with many of the people closest to him --- including wives, mistresses, producers and fellow musicians. It's a fascinating window onto the life of a man who participated in almost half a century of jazz history and is credited with revolutionizing the field on at least 3 occasions. As noted at the end of the show, he was one of those figures who seemed to fit many lifetimes worth of experiences into one relatively short life. He was also an artist in the truest sense: never content to sit back and become ensconced in the genres he helped to create, he was constantly innovating and pushing boundaries right to the end. Finally, he was one stylish cat: the sight of his gaunt figure prowling the stage in billowing kaleidoscopic robes and outlandish sunglasses, with trumpet in hand and sweat beading on his capacious brow, is surely one of the most distinctive in western music.