A Different Kind of Blue

Overview

A Different Kind of Blue, also known as Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue, is a 2004 documentary and concert film directed by Murray Lerner. Its central event is Miles Davis’s performance at the British Isle of Wight Festival on August 29, 1970. The 87-minute film presents footage from that performance alongside interview clips with the musicians who played with Davis and other artists connected to his musical orbit at the time, including Carlos Santana.

The film’s focus is both a specific festival appearance and the people around it. The performance footage gives the film its concert-film foundation, while the interviews add perspectives from band participants and fellow musicians. It is an English-language film from the United States, listed as a documentary film, concert film and musical film.

For viewers browsing Documentaries by Murray Lerner, this is a music-centered entry built around one live performance rather than a broad survey of Davis’s career. It also belongs among Music documentaries and Documentaries of the 2000s.

Key features

• Performance at the center: The film presents Miles Davis performing at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 29, 1970.
• Interviews with musical peers: Interview clips feature every member of the performing band, along with other musicians from Davis’s circle at the time, including Carlos Santana.
• Compact runtime: At 87 minutes, the film combines concert footage and interviews in a feature-length presentation.
• Documentary and concert-film blend: Its subject and format bring recorded performance together with recollections and viewpoints from participating and related musicians.

Who it's for

This film is a natural choice for viewers interested in Miles Davis, live jazz performance, or documentaries that bring musicians’ perspectives into a concert setting. Students and teachers exploring music documentaries can use its defined focus—a single performance and interviews with the band and Davis’s contemporaries—as a starting point for discussion about how a concert film can frame a musical event.

Fans looking for a comprehensive biography of Davis should note the stated scope: the film presents footage of one festival performance and interviews with musicians connected to that period. Its appeal is most direct for people who want to spend time with that performance and hear from its participants and musical peers.

Alternatives

For another music-film option, Message to Love is listed alongside this film as an alternative. Viewers interested in a different musical subject can consider From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. Festival offers another title to explore when browsing documentary films connected with musical performance.

Verdict

A Different Kind of Blue offers a clearly bounded portrait of Miles Davis onstage at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, supplemented by interviews with the band and other musicians in his orbit. Its combination of performance footage and participant perspectives makes it suited to viewers seeking a focused music documentary rather than a wider account of Davis’s life. The 87-minute runtime and English-language presentation make its scope easy to understand before choosing it.