Director Murray Lerner bookends a dynamic 38-minute performance by Miles Davis shot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival with contemporary interviews that reflect on the trumpeter’s controversial electric period in the late 60s and early 70s. While neocon jazz critic Stanley Crouch assails Davis for chasing mainstream success by embracing the language of rock music, former sidemen like Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea, as well as admirers like Joni Mitchell and Carlos Santana, praise him for extending the music’s vocabulary and changing its direction in years to come. As intelligent and passionate as the commentary is, however, the beautifully filmed and recorded performance that lies at the center of this video documentary testifies to the trumpeter’s genius better than any words could ever do. 87 min.
