Entertainment

How Don Cheadle Wrote the Theme Song to His “The Fresh Prince” Spin-Off | Vanity Fair

Published

3 years ago

August 10, 2023

In this “A List” discussion, Don Cheadle sits down with The Black List’s Franklin Leonard to talk about his favorite jazz solos of all time. From Miles Davis’ “Summertime” to Jaco Pastorius’ “Portraits of Tracy,” the actor breaks down what those solos meant to him and how it influenced his life and career. Don also opens up about choosing acting over music, almost getting his own “Fresh Prince” spin-off and what he hopes to see for his future.

SAG-AFTRA members are currently on strike; as part of the strike, union actors are not promoting their film and TV projects. This interview was conducted prior to the strike.

Check out some of Don Cheadle’s favorite jazz solos:
Miles Davis – “Summertime” (Porgy & Bess, 1959) https://bit.ly/3qtme3J
Oscar Peterson – “Tour’s End” (The Essential Oscar Peterson: The Swinger, 1992) https://spoti.fi/45kjbd4
Keith Jarrett – “Personal Mountains” (Personal Mountains, 1989) https://bit.ly/45he654
Jaco Pastorius – “Portrait of Tracy” (Jaco Pastorius, 1976) https://bit.ly/43XNjKd

Director: Alice Park
Director of Photography: Matt Krueger
Editor: Katie Wolford; Matt Colby
Host: Franklin Leonard
Producer: Juliet Lopez, Funmi Sunmonu
Line Producer: Romeeka Powell
Associate Producer: Emebeit Beyene
Production Manager: Andressa Pelachi and Kevin Balash
Production Coordinator: Kariesha Kidd
Director, Video Talent : Lauren Mendoza
Camera Operator: Shay Eberle-Gunst and Oliver Lukacs
Sound : Kara Johnson
Production Assistant: Fernando Barajas and Mike Kritzell
Set Designer: Morgan Roberts
Post Production Supervisor: Edward Taylor
Post Production Coordinator: Jovan James
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward

00:00 A List with Don Cheadle
01:19 Jazz Solo #1: “Summertime” by Miles Davis
04:45 Jazz Solo #2: “Tour’s End” by Oscar Peterson
08:52 “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” Back Story
10:04 Jazz Solo #3: “Personal Mountains” by Keith Jarrett
13:19 Don’s Activism
16:37 “Damn!” Don Cheadle vs. Kevin Hart Reenactment
18:14 Jazz Solo #4 “Portrait of Tracy” by Jaco Pastorius
19:25 What’s Next for Don

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ABOUT VANITY FAIR
Arts and entertainment, business and media, politics, and world affairs—Vanity Fair’s features and exclusive videos capture the people, places, and ideas that define modern culture.

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8 Comments

Vaxdroid

August 10, 2023 at 12:01 pm

Muito bom ❤

Reply
Vaxdroid

August 10, 2023 at 12:01 pm

Like ❤

Reply
Vaxdroid

August 10, 2023 at 12:01 pm

Epico ❤

Reply
Alana Shanah

August 10, 2023 at 12:13 pm

Templeton ✊

Reply
Feroaz Ahmed

August 10, 2023 at 12:39 pm

Yo its a skrull

Reply
- Booming_Systems757
  
  August 10, 2023 at 1:41 pm
  
  ????????????????
  
  Reply
lifewithntokozo

August 10, 2023 at 1:02 pm

I want to physically fight whoever wrote this clickbait title.

Reply
Anderson E. Luís

August 10, 2023 at 1:07 pm

Cheadle been one of the best black actors for like 30 years

Reply

Entertainment

Off Campus’s Belmont Cameli Is ALL About the Summer House Drama

Published

3 days ago

May 22, 2026

LAVISHLY DEMURE

Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli, who play Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham in Amazon Prime’s Off Campus, ask each other a series of fast-paced, back-and-forth questions.

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