You Had Me, Then You Lost Me

Miles Davis died 18 years ago today.  There's a documentary out about him, Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool.  It's a pretty good recap of his life, but it has a problem that's hard to get around.

Davis was a giant of jazz.  There's Armstrong, Ellington and only a few others as important.  He was first noticed in the mid-40s playing bebop, and by the end of the decade revolutionized the world of jazz with his nonet and the music that would become Birth Of The Cool.

Then, a decade later, came Kind Of Blue with its modal improvisations.  Once again he revolutionized the music, along with creating the best-selling jazz album of all. So far so good.  His career is full of highlights.

Then, a decade later, he recorded Bitches Brew.  He recognized that jazz was dying and rock and funk were taking over, so he incorporated new sounds.  This jazz-fusion album was his fastest-selling, and he became bigger than ever.

But--and here's the problem--the music is awful.  It's not good jazz, it's not good rock, it's not good funk.  So what if it was a revolutionary sound?  As long as you tell his biography chronologically, your final act has his worst stuff.

So while you're enjoying his work along the way, you're steeling yourself for the letdown.  But then, life is not built like a Hollywood story.