Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Trumpeter, Educator Jim Rotondi Dies at 61
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Miles Davis during the ’Round About Midnight sessions in June 1956
(Photo: Don Hunstein/Sony Music Archives/Courtesy of Abramorama/Eagle Rock)Dancer Frances Taylor, Davis’ first wife and occasional muse (who died in 2018 at age 89), is one of the movie’s more lively and entertaining interview subjects. She’s clearly enamored of the memory of their early relationship, even as the more painful details of their marriage come into focus. She describes, for instance, Davis’ jealousy when she got a role in West Side Story. He told her to back out of the production, and she did. She describes being struck by him for the first time. She describes leaving him.
Pianist Herbie Hancock, guitarist Carlos Santana, saxophonist Joshua Redman, writer/producer Greg Tate, historian/journalist Ashley Kahn and poet/educator Quincy Troupe (co-author of Miles: The Autobiography) are also interviewed.
Following the premiere at Film Forum, Nelson took the stage with Davis’ son Erin Davis and his nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. to field questions from the audience. At one point, a man asked Nelson why he hadn’t focused more on Davis’ many wives and girlfriends, who in the film tend to flit in and out as one-dimensional figures. It was a reasonable question, but Nelson bristled when the man repeated it after the director had already given his answer.
“I look forward to your film,” Nelson said curtly, ending the discussion. It might have seemed a bit hostile and defensive of him—but it also was completely in the spirit of Miles Davis. DB
Jim Rotondi was acclaimed for his wide, round trumpet tone, remarkable virtuosity and assured swing.
Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Charles Lloyd, seen here at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, makes DownBeat Poll history!
Jul 11, 2024 12:23 PM
The incomparable Charles Lloyd swept the 72nd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll, becoming the first artist ever to earn…
“Being president of Blue Note has been one of the coolest things that ever happened to me,” Was said. “It’s a gas to serve as one of the caretakers of that legacy.”
Jun 4, 2024 12:21 PM
Sitting with Don Was is a comfortable and unhurried exercise. He may seem slightly reserved at first, but ideas and…
The Century Room in downtown Tucson, Arizona, was born in 2021.
May 21, 2024 12:58 PM
Players got to play. It’s long been a part of jazz history: When there’s a venue vacuum, when there are fewer…
“She reminds me of my childhood and makes we want to cry,” Cécile McLorin Salvant, pictured here with writer Ashley Kahn, said of Dianne Reeves.
Jun 11, 2024 12:31 PM
Italy’s Umbria Jazz Winter is one of those rare annual festivals that not only coincides with a major holiday —…
