universe
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE | 80 minutes | USA | 2020 | English | Black & White
In 1966 a landmark suite of orchestral jazz entitled “The Universe Compositions" was written for Miles Davis and set to be recorded by The Miles Davis Quintet. That moment would never happen. The quintet broke up and the compositions were lost for 50 years…until they were recovered by Miles’ only protégé, Wallace Roney - the one musician Miles would trust to fulfill his wish.
As Wallace prepares to debut "Universe," he must find a way to uphold his mentor's legacy. The work took on an added poignancy when Wallace unexpectedly passed away in March 2020 before seeing the music's release out in the world.
Universe was awarded Best Music Documentary at the 2020 International Documentary Awards.
DIRECTED BY
Sam Osborn & Nick Capezzera
PRODUCED BY
Leah Natasha Thomas
Esther Dere
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Joe Gebbia
Ken Kitchings
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Wayne Shorter & Wallace Roney
EDITOR
Sara Sowell
SCORE
Kenny Wu
PARTNERS
Carmelo Anthony
Praise for universe
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“Universe stands as an admiring, intimate portrait — a touching elegy etched in a valedictory frame.”
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“An elegant and candid work which celebrates the excitement of a musical genre at its most highly developed”
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“An essential text on one’s battle with their own art and love for it, Universe is a profoundly nuanced character study that, at just 78 minutes, is a brisk and thrilling deep dive into the life and work of one of jazz musics most underrated titans.”
“I asked for a tune and you gave me a fuckin' symphony.”
— Miles Davis