Miles Electric - A Different Kind of Blue (2004)

When he released "Bitches Brew" in 1970, Miles Davis opened up a new angle to jazz which stirred up emotions like no other record before. Some critics accused Davis of selling out, while the public bought it like crazy. It is one of the most examined albums of all time, even garnering a box set of the sessions. To date, "Bitches Brew" is one of the top selling jazz albums of all time. "Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue" examines the next step in the creative process...performing these songs live. The 1970 Isle of Wight featured an array of performers from The Who to Jethro Tull to Joni Mitchell. With improvisation playing a big role in the performance, the band (Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Gary Bartz and Dave Holland) had to be "on", yet ready to change on the fly. Directed by award-winning producer Murray Lerner, "Miles Electric" sits down with several of the performers who played with Miles, interspersed with his 1970 Isle of Wight performance, as well as artists such as Carlos Santana and Joni Mitchell, who describe the impact Miles Davis had towards music.

Belongs in every electronic musician's collection

If you play electronic music and like Miles, this is the one to have. I'm guessing from watching this that this was lovingly restored from analog film and tape. Considering the setting at a live venue in the early '70s, the sonic quality is simply amazing. If you're a keyboard player, you're in for a real treat: there's great playing by Herbie, Chick, and Keith Jarrett. The only keyboard player missing from the DVD who worked with Miles during this period is Josef Zawinul. -- Again an amazing recording. Get it now. July 6, 2008

Wonderful, with one tiny exception

The words: Perception and history from his collaborators, inspiration from Miles himself (most in his own unmistakable voice). And the high-quality film and sound that comprise this record of the landmark IOW set, which are transcendent. I'm grateful for all of it. I'm just wondering if we really needed to waste a minute or so of laser light on the pathetic ramblings of a neo-classicist wingnut like Stanley Crouch. Thankfully, we also get Dave Liebman explaining people like Stanley in the extra interviews: "You know, you have to take a test to be a bus driver. Nobody ever took a test to be a jazz critic. So I guess it must be a pretty low occupation." May 9, 2008

A Miles "Must-Have"

Phenomenal that there is such footage of this moment in hippie history. If you are a collector of Miles' fusion era music and videos, this is a must-have. You won't be disappointed. February 18, 2008

A fine documentary with a 37-minute live performance

MILES ELECTRIC is a documentary about Miles Davis' turn to electric instruments and long jams at the end of the 1960s, told through interviews and concert footage. Special attention is given to the 1970 performance at the Isle of Wight festival, where this new kind of music reached a live audience of 600,000.

The creators of the documentary were able to assemble a number of musicians who worked with Miles in the period. Besides prominent figures like Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and (disgustingly) Chick Corea, there are also interviews with lesser-known figures from the "On the Corner" album and live setups. The representative of jazz criticism--and the main antagonist of electric-period Miles--is Stanley Crouch. His gadfly antics were brought in to give some balance to the documentary, but the sort of fans who would buy this DVD probably won't much agree with him.

There are also interviews with figures only remotely connected to Miles Davis and his new music. Carlos Santana gives some insightful remarks on the spirit of the era, though he gets a bit too much attention, and the inclusion of Santana concert footage seems inappropriate considering that this is a documentary about Miles. Joni Mitchell is interviewed once the documentary begins to focus on the Isle of Wight performance, but as other reviewers have commented, she hardly belongs here.

Even if you have already read extensively on Miles' history as a musician and don't need the documentary, the DVD is a worthy purchase for the complete 37-minute set at the Isle of Wight festival. This performance has all that is best about Miles' music at the time: a large ensemble, a paradoxical cohension as everyone does their own thing, and the general sense that doing this was *fun*. It is a pity that the set is part of the documentary itself instead of on another section of the DVD (though one can hunt for it in the documentary menu). However, the inclusion of the performance serves to split the documentary into a first half on Miles' transition to electric and a second on Miles' general aesthetic and influence.

The presence of Joni Mitchell and Carlos Santana makes the documentary less than perfect, and the Isle of Wight set ranks a bit lower than other live performances available, but this is a very entertaining DVDs for fans of the great jazz innovator and his students. November 29, 2007

Electric Jazz at its best!

I have been listening to Miles for many, many years. I enjoy all of his musical explorations - his fifties quintet with Red Garland and Philly Joe, his sixties band with Herbie, Tony, Ron and Wayne and his many electric excursions. He truly changed the direction of jazz so many times... This DVD contains the 38 minute segment recorded at the Isle of White Festival. What a charge to see Keith and Chick on the same stage with Dave Holland and Gary Bartz! The interviews highlighted on this disc are also very helpful and informative. A very worthy addition to the Davis discography. February 25, 2006

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