The Miles Davis Movie: Is Don Cheadle the right choice to play Miles Davis?

From the very start, when Don Cheadle was announced as the actor to portray Miles Davis (as well as its director) in the biopic, I have been on board with my support.

Let’s face it: this is a big deal for fans of Miles Davis who have been waiting for a big screen movie bio about the jazz legend. With recent films like “Walk the Line” and “Ray” becoming huge hits, in theaters and with critics, biopics are big business these days, so I’m sure plenty of movie lovers (as well as the critics) will be intrigued by this movie about such a fascinating figure that’s part of our entertainment and cultural history.

I’m sure the idea for a film has been discussed for ages, but now it’s happening and Don Cheadle is going to be the actor to make Miles come to life.

As a fan of Cheadle, particularly for roles in “Devil in a Blue Dress,” “Out of Sight” and “Traffic,” I have a feeling he will do the jazz legend justice in portraying his many moods, his many levels of genius. From afar it seems like a tough role to pin down – but that’s why some of these actors get paid the big bucks.

Jamie Foxx did a wonderful job as Ray Charles, and I can’t imagine those were easy shoes to slip into for the cameras.

At this moment I cannot think of an actor, not accounting for some multi-talented newcomer who might be perfect for the part but only casting directors know about, who would be a better fit to play the role of Miles Davis.

So I ask: Is Don Cheadle the best actor for the role, or did you have someone else in mind?

I’m anxious to see how Cheadle handles the performance sequences, as a director and actor, wondering how he intends to capture the subtlety and style of Miles Davis performing on stage.

I would love to know how Cheadle plans to ‘come after’ the story –

Where will he begin the narrative?
What kind of tone?
What are the central themes?
What segments of Davis’ career (be-bop, modal, fusion) will get the most attention?
Who is going to play John Coltrane?!

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of news out there regarding the production, but I’ll keep my eyes open. I have high expectations for what could be a fantastic movie experience.

I think it’s a tall order to make a Miles Davis biopic ‘work,’ but I feel good about Cheadle and this cinematic endeavor he has chosen – it’s sure to be something special.

Once Again

The ‘official’ MilesDavis.com should be something special, and one day it might be. But for now it’s not. The ‘Miles Davis’ brand seems to get stronger each passing year, the legend of the great trumpeter re-told by those who lived through the excitement and intrigue of his musical career and cultural impact to a younger generation becoming acquainted with the inherent ‘cool’ of the iconic musician.

That said, Miles Davis’ official website should be top-shelf across the board; a ‘Net salon of sorts for devotees and curious observers to congregate – listen to music, read essays, get news updates, buy merchandise and engage in all sorts of lively conversation.

Off the top of my head… the Hall and Oates official website is a treat all-around and serves as a shining example of how a strong community of fans, news and cool features can make an artist’s website a grand experience. MilesDavis.com is not that. I can think of plenty things to do with a superb domain and brand name like ‘Miles Davis.’ It could be big.

Have you seen the official Elvis Presley website? Well, the thing is a work of art, a new media shrine to the ‘King’ with all the bells and whistles to keep fans, old and new, coming back for more.

MilesDavis.com, I imagine, could be like this.

Anyway –

Because I’m not sure what MilesDavis.com has in store, I’m just going to assume it will eventually be the de-facto ‘Net destination for all things Miles; musical, social, cultural and so on…

Then again, I wrote this same post in March of ’07 (scroll down), and more than a year later the MilesDavis.com website continues to be bleak. A news update here and there, but that’s it. The forum is filled with spam and there isn’t any sense someone is even caring for the site at all. I cannot understand why the site languishes when it could be the ‘coolest’ destination going.

Look, I know there can’t exactly be tour updates, but the legacy is so enormous and the legend is so massive that surely the site can find avenues to fill with exciting content.

One check of a Google news alert and it’s clear to see that people still write about, talk about and think about Miles Davis.

And there’s a movie in the works! Hello!

I’d be very curious to know what the game plan is for Miles Davis Properties, LLC, which represents the site – mostly where the site is concerned. If Davis’ nephew, Vincent Wilburn, Jr., and the rest of the family that make up the foundation of Miles Davis Properties want to “keep Miles’ spirit alive,” then I would suggest hiring a content producer to get that site whipped into shape. No time like the present…

So, in the meantime, I’m back again to try and bring news and information (and some fun) to the Miles Davis experience – at least until the big machine at MilesDavis.com gets rolling to where it should be. I’m not attempting to be a fill-in for what I think the official website should be, I’m just here to have a good time and preach the Miles Davis gospel.

Trust me, I wish MilesDavis.com was in the same ballpark as Elvis.com, or R.E.M.’s official site. I know it’s not easy. It’s a job to maintain a dynamic site. But still… it’s Miles Davis.

The man deserves a fantastic official website!

Don Cheadle in Miles Davis Biopic

Variety: Don Cheadle has solidified five feature film projects that he’ll produce and star in. Among them is a biopic of jazz legend Miles Davis, on which he plans to make his feature directing debut.

“Nixon” scribes Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson are penning the Davis film, and Liberman and Zerman said they have secured music and life rights to the jazz legend, with whom Cheadle has long been intrigued.

photographs & memories

Begin the Beguine

The ‘official’ MilesDavis.com should be something special, and one day it might be. The ‘Miles Davis’ brand seems to get stronger each passing year, the legend of the great trumpeter re-told by those who lived through the excitement and intrigue of his musical career and cultural impact to a younger generation becoming acquainted with the inherent ‘cool’ of the iconic musician.

That said, Miles Davis’ official website should be top-shelf across the board; a ‘Net salon for devotees and curious observers to congregate; listen to music, read essays, get news updates, buy merchandise and engage in all kinds of conversation. And so on…

Because I’m not sure what MilesDavis.com has in store, I’m just going to assume it will eventually be the de-facto ‘Net destination for all things Miles; musical, social, cultural etc.

But here I am, a great admirer of Miles Davis, who will try and bring news, information and fun(!) to the Miles Davis experience – at least until the big machine at MilesDavis.com gets rolling.

Oh, and there’s a Miles Davis biopic in the works, which I plan to talk about incessantly until it premiers.

Bio

Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was one of the most distinguished jazz musicians of the latter half of the 20th century. A trumpeter, bandleader and composer, Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz from World War II to the 1990s. He played on various early bebop records and recorded one of the first cool jazz records.

He was partially responsible for the development of modal jazz, and jazz fusion arose from his work with other musicians in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Free jazz was the only post-war jazz style not significantly influenced by Davis, although some musicians from his bands later pursued this style. His recordings, along with the live performances of his many influential bands, were vital in jazz’s acceptance as music with lasting artistic value. A popularizer as well as an innovator, Davis became famous for his languid, melodic style and his laconic, and at times confrontational, personality. As an increasingly well-paid and fashionably-dressed jazz musician, Davis was also a symbol of jazz music’s commercial potential.

Davis was late in a line of jazz trumpeters that started with Buddy Bolden and ran through Joe “King” Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie. He has been compared to Duke Ellington as a musical innovator: both were skillful players on their instruments, but were not considered technical virtuosos. Ellington’s main strength was as a composer and leader of a large band, while Davis had a talent for drawing together talented musicians in small groups and allowing them space to develop. Many of the major figures in post-war jazz played in one of Davis’s groups at some point in their career.