Description

Few musicians have managed to change the course of music--trumpeter Miles Davis did it several times. An early disciple of Charlie Parker, Davis created an austere, understated approach that became the model for cool. His superb albums in the 1950s made him a star, and in the following decade, he brought small-group jazz to the limit before he unapologetically (and, for some, unforgivably) took on jazz-rock. After a break, he re-emerged in the '80s with a mixture of pop and dense, bristling funk. All the while, his refusal to follow anyone but his own muse made him both a hero and an enigma--either way, he was one of the most magnetic, influential figures in American music.

Biography

b. Miles Dewy Davis, 25 May 1926, Alton, Illinois, USA, d. 28 September 1991, Santa Monica, California, USA. Davis was born into a comparatively wealthy middle-class family and both his mother and sister were capable musicians. He was given a trumpet for his thirteenth birthday by his dentist father, who could not have conceived that his gift would set his son on the road to becoming a giant figure in the development of jazz. Notwithstanding his outstanding talent as master of the trumpet, Davis' versatility encompassed flügelhorn and keyboards together with a considerable gift as a composer. This extraordinary list of talents earned Davis an unassailable reputation as the greatest leader/catalyst in the history of jazz. Such accolades were not used lightly, and he can justifiably be termed a "musical genius". Davis quickly progressed from his high school band into Eddie Randall's band in 1941, after his family had moved to St. Louis. He studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1945 before joining Charlie "Bird" Parker, with whom he had previously played in the Billy Eckstine band.
In 1947 Davis had topped a DownBeat poll and by 1948 he had already played or recorded with many jazz giants, most notably Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Max Roach, George Russell, John Lewis, Illinois Jacquet and Gerry Mulligan. The following year was to be a landmark for jazz; Davis, in collaboration with arranger Gil Evans, whose basement apartment Davis rehearsed in, made a series of 78s for Capitol Records that were eventually released as one long-player in 1954, the highly influential Birth Of The Cool. Davis had now refined his innovative style of playing, which was based upon understatement rather than the hurried action of the great bebop players. Sparse and simple, instead of frantic and complicated, it was becoming "cool". The Birth Of The Cool sessions between January 1949 and March 1950 featured a stellar cast, mostly playing and recording as a nonet, including Lee Konitz (saxophone), Kenny Clarke (drums), Mulligan (baritone saxophone), Kai Winding (trombone), Roach (drums). Davis was on such a creative roll that he could even pass by an invitation to join Duke Ellington!
During the early 50s Davis became dependent on heroin and his career was effectively put on hold for a lengthy period. This spell of drug dependency lasted until as late as 1954, although he did record a few sessions for Prestige during this time. The following year his seminal quintet/sextets included, variously, Red Garland, John Coltrane, Percy Heath, Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, Lucky Thompson, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans and Sonny Rollins. Among their output was the acclaimed series of collections released on the Prestige label, Walkin', Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' and Steamin'. During this time Davis was consistently voted the number 1 artist in all the major jazz polls. No longer totally dependent on drugs he set about collaborating with Gil Evans once again, now that he had signed with the prestigious Columbia Records. The orchestral albums made with Evans between 1957 and 1960 have all become classics: Miles Ahead, (featuring pianist Wynton Kelly and drummer Art Taylor), Porgy And Bess and the sparsely beautiful Sketches Of Spain (influenced by composer Joaquin Rodrigo). Evans was able to blend lush and full orchestration with Davis' trumpet, allowing it the space and clarity it richly deserved.
By 1957 Davis had assembled a seminal sextet featuring a spectacular line-up, including Coltrane, Chambers, Bill Evans, Jimmy Cobb and Cannonball Adderley. Two further landmark albums during this fertile period (1957-1959), were the aptly titled Milestones, followed in 1959 by the utterly fabulous Kind Of Blue. The latter album is cited by most critics as the finest in jazz history. More than 40 years later all his albums are still available, and form an essential part of any jazz record collection, but Kind Of Blue is at the top of the list. "So What', the opening track, has been covered by dozens of artists, with recent offerings from guitarist Ronny Jordan, Larry Carlton, saxophonist Candy Dulfer and reggae star Smiley Culture, who added his own lyrics and performed it in the movie Absolute Beginners. Ian Carr, Davis" leading biographer, perceptively stated of Kind Of Blue in 1982: "The more it is listened to, the more it reveals new delights and fresh depths". Davis was finding that as Coltrane grew as a musician their egos would clash. Davis would always play simple and sparingly, Coltrane began to play faster and more complicated pieces that soloed for far too long. Shortly before their inevitable final split, an incident occurred which has been passed down and repeated by musicians and biographers. Davis, who had a dry sense of humour and did not tolerate fools, had chastised Coltrane for playing too long a solo. Coltrane replied apologetically that; "Sorry Miles, I just get carried away, I get these ideas in my head which just keep coming and coming and sometimes I just can't stop". Davis laconically replied; "Try taking the motherfucker out of yo' mouth". Another repeated anecdote (this time from Adderley); Miles; "Why did you play so long, man?", Coltrane; "It took that long to get it all in".
In 1959, following an incident outside a New York club during which Davis was provoked and arrested for loitering, he was taken to the police headquarters and arrived covered in blood from a large cut in his head. Davis took out a lawsuit against the New York Police, which he subsequently and wisely dropped after they had accepted he was wrongfully arrested. This incident deeply upset Davis. However he entered the 60s comfortably as the leading innovator in jazz, and shrugged off attempts from John Coltrane to dethrone him in the jazz polls. Davis chose to keep to his sparse style, allowing his musicians air and range. In 1964, while the world experienced Beatlemania, Davis created another musical landmark when he assembled a line-up to match the classic sextet. The combination of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams delivered the monumental E.S.P. in 1965. He continued with this acoustic line-up through another three recordings, including Miles Smiles and ending with Nefertiti.
By the time of Filles De Kilimanjaro, Davis had gradually electrified his various groups and taken bold steps towards rock music, integrating multiple electric keyboards and utilizing a wah-wah pedal connected to his electrified trumpet. Additionally, his own fascination with the possibilities of electric guitar, as demonstrated by Jimi Hendrix, assumed an increasing prominence in his music. Young US west coast rock musicians had begun to produce a form of music based upon improvisation (mostly through the use of hallucinogens). This clearly interested Davis, who recognized the potential of blending traditional rock rhythms with jazz, although he was often contemptuous of some white rock musicians at this time. The decade closed with his band being accepted by rock fans. Davis appeared at major festivals with deliriously stoned audiences appreciating his line-up, which now featured the brilliant electric guitarist John McLaughlin, of whom Davis stated in deference to black musicians: "Show me a black who can play like him, and I'd have him instead". Other outstanding musicians Davis employed included Keith Jarrett, Airto Moreira, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Joe Zawinul, Billy Cobham and Jack DeJohnette. Two major albums from this period were In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, which unconsciously invented jazz rock and what was later to be called fusion. These records were marketed as rock albums, and consequently appeared in the regular charts.
By the early 70s Davis had alienated himself from the mainstream jazz purists by continuing to flirt with rock music. In 1975, after a succession of personal upheavals including a car crash, further drug problems, a shooting incident, more police harassment and eventual arrest, Davis, not surprisingly, retired. During this time he became seriously ill, and it was generally felt that he would never play again, but, unpredictable as ever, Davis returned healthy and fit six years later with the comeback album, The Man With The Horn. He assembled a new band and received favourable reviews for live performances. Among the personnel were guitarist John Scofield and the young saxophonist Bill Evans. On the predominantly funk-based You're Under Arrest, he tackled pure pop songs, and although unambitious by jazz standards, tracks such as Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and Michael Jackson's "Human Nature' were given Davis" brilliant master touch. The aggressive disco album Tutu followed, featuring his trumpet played through a synthesizer. A soundtrack recording for the Dennis Hopper movie The Hot Spot found Davis playing the blues alongside Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker, Tim Drummond and slide guitarist Roy Rogers.
During his final years Davis settled into a comfortable pattern of touring the world and recording, able to dictate the pace of his life with the knowledge that ecstatic audiences were waiting for him everywhere. Following further bouts of ill health, during which times he took to painting, Davis was admitted to hospital in California and died in September 1991. The worldwide obituaries were neither sycophantic nor morose; great things had already been said about Davis for many years. Django Bates stated that his own favourite Davis recordings were those between 1926 and mid-1991. Ian Carr added, in his impressive obituary, with regard to Davis' music: "unflagging intelligence, great courage, integrity, honesty and a sustained spirit of enquiry always in the pursuit of art - never mere experimentation for its own sake'. Miles Davis" influence on rock music is considerable; his continuing influence on jazz is inestimable.
DISCOGRAPHY: Bopping The Blues 1946 recording (Black Lion)**, Cool Boppin' 1948-49 recordings (Fresh Sound)***, Young Man With A Horn 10-inch album (Blue Note 1952)***, The New Sounds Of Miles Davis 10-inch album (Prestige 1952)****, Blue Period 10-inch album (Prestige 1953)***, Plays Al Cohn Compositions 10-inch album (Prestige 1953)***, Miles Davis Quintet 10-inch album (Prestige 1953)****, Miles Davis Quintet Featuring Sonny Rollins 10-inch album (Prestige 1953)***, Volume 3 10-inch album (Blue Note 1954)***, Miles Davis Sextet 10-inch album (reissued as Walkin') (Prestige 1954)****, Jeru 10-inch album (Capitol 1954)*****, Birth Of The Cool 1949-50 recordings (Capitol 1954)*****, All Stars Volume 1 10-inch album (Prestige 1955)****, All Stars Volume 2 10-inch album (Prestige 1955)****, Volume 1 (Blue Note 1955)***, Volume 2 (Blue Note 1955)****, Hi-Hat All Stars 1955 recording (Fresh Sound)*, Blue Moods (Debut 1955)***, Musings Of Miles aka The Beginning (Prestige 1955)***, with Sonny Rollins Dig Miles Davis/Sonny Rollins aka Diggin' (Prestige 1956)****, Collectors Item (Prestige 1956)***, Miles - The New Miles Davis Quintet aka The Original Quintet (Prestige 1956)***, Blue Haze 1953-54 recordings (Prestige 1956)***, Miles Davis And Horns aka Early Miles (Prestige 1956)***, Miles Davis And Milt Jackson Quintet/Sextet aka Odyssey (Prestige 1956)***, Cookin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige 1957)****, Relaxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige 1957)****, Bags Groove 1954 recording (Prestige 1957)****, Round About Midnight 1955-56 recordings (Columbia 1957)****, Miles Ahead (Columbia 1957)*****, Miles Davis And The Modern Jazz Giants 1954-56 recordings (Prestige 1958)***, with John Coltrane Miles And Coltrane 1955-58 recordings (Columbia 1958)***, Milestones (Columbia 1958)****, Porgy And Bess (Columbia 1958)*****, '58 Miles (Columbia 1958)****, Jazz Track (Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud) soundtrack (Fontana 1958)***, Mostly Miles 1958 recording (Phontastic)**, Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige 1959)****, Kind Of Blue (Columbia 1959)*****, Sketches Of Spain (Columbia 1960)****, On Green Dolphin Street 1960 recording (Jazz Door 1960)***, Jazz At The Plaza (Columbia 1960)**, Live In Zurich (Jazz Unlimited 1960)***, Live In Stockholm 1960 aka Miles Davis In Stockholm Complete (Royal Jazz 1960)***, Steamin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige 1961)****, Friday Night At The Blackhawk Vol. 1 (Columbia 1961)****, Saturday Night At The Blackhawk Vol. 2 (Columbia 1961)****, Someday My Prince Will Come (Columbia 1961)****, with Teddy Charles, Lee Konitz Ezz-Thetic (New Jazz 1962)***, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro Trumpet Giants (New Jazz 1962)****, At Carnegie Hall (Columbia 1962)****, Seven Steps To Heaven (Columbia 1963)***, Quiet Nights (Columbia 1963)**, with Thelonious Monk Miles And Monk At Newport (Columbia 1964)***, In Europe (Columbia 1964)***, My Funny Valentine: Miles Davis In Concert (Columbia 1965)****, E.S.P. (Columbia 1965)****, Plays For Lovers (Prestige 1965)***, Jazz Classics (Prestige 1965)***, "Four' And More - Recorded Live In Concert (Columbia 1966)***, Miles In Antibes (Columbia 1966)***, Miles Smiles (Columbia 1966)***, Sorcerer (Columbia 1967)***, Nefertiti (Columbia 1968)***, Miles In The Sky (Columbia 1968)***, Miles Orbits (Columbia Record Club 1968)***, In A Silent Way (Columbia 1969)*****, Double Image (Moon 1969)***, Filles De Kilimanjaro (Columbia 1969)****, Paraphernalia (JMY 1969)***, Bitches Brew (Columbia 1970)*****, At The Fillmore (Columbia 1970)****, A Tribute To Jack Johnson (Columbia 1971)****, What I Say? Vols. 1 & 2 (JMY 1971)***, Live-Evil (Columbia 1971)***, On The Corner (Columbia 1972)***, In Concert (Columbia 1972)***, Tallest Trees (Prestige 1973)***, Black Beauty 1970 recording (Columbia 1974)****, Big Fun 1969-72 recordings (Columbia 1974)***, Get Up With It 1970-74 recordings (Columbia 1974)***, Agharta (Columbia 1976)****, Pangaea (Columbia 1976)***, Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965 recording (Columbia 1976)****, Water Babies (Columbia 1977)***, The Man With The Horn (Columbia 1981)***, A Night In Tunisia (Star Jazz 1981)***, We Want Miles (Columbia 1982)***, Star People (Columbia 1983)***, Blue Christmas (Columbia 1983)***, Heard 'Round the World 1964 concert recordings (Columbia 1983)***, At Last! Miles Davis And The Lighthouse All Stars 1953 recording (Boplicity 1985)***, Decoy (Columbia 1984)***, You're Under Arrest (Columbia 1985)****, Tutu (Warners 1986)****, Music From Siesta "88 (Warners 1988)****, Amandla (Warners 1989)***, Aura 1985 recording (Columbia 1989)****, The Hot Spot (Antilles 1990)***, with Michel Legrand Dingo (Warners 1991)***, Doo-Bop (Warners 1992)***, The Complete Concert 1964: My Funny Valentine And "Four" And More (Columbia 1992)****, Miles And Quincy Jones Live At Montreux 1991 recording (Reprise 1993)****, Live Around The World (Warners 1996)***, Live And Electric: Live Evil (Columbia/Legacy 1997)****, Live And Electric: Miles Davis At The Fillmore East (Columbia/Legacy 1997)****, Live And Electric: Black Beauty, Miles Davis Live At The Fillmore West (Columbia/Legacy 1997)****, Live And Electric: Dark Magus, Live At Carnegie Hall 1974 recording (Columbia/Legacy 1997)****, Live And Electric: Miles Davis In Concert, Live At The Philharmonic Hall (Columbia/Legacy 1997)****, The Complete Birth Of The Cool (Capitol 1998)*****, The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions 4-CD box set (Columbia/Legacy 1998)*****, At Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert 1961 recording (Columbia/Legacy 1998)****, At Fillmore East (March 7 1970): It's About That Time (Columbia/Legacy 2001)***, Jazz At The Plaza 1958 recording (Columbia 2001)**, In Person Friday And Saturday Nights At The Blackhawk Complete (Columbia/Legacy 2003)****, The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions 5-CD box set (Columbia/Legacy 2003)***, Birdland 1951 (Blue Note 2004)***.
COMPILATIONS: Miles Davis' Greatest Hits (Prestige 1957)****, Greatest Hits (Columbia 1969)****, Basic Miles - The Classic Performances Of Miles Davis 1955-58 recordings (Columbia 1973)****, Circle In The Round 1955-70 recordings (Columbia 1979)***, Directions unreleased recordings 1960-70 (Columbia 1981)***, Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings (Prestige 1987)****, The Columbia Years 1955-1985 (Columbia 1988)****, Ballads 1961-63 recordings (Columbia 1988)****, Mellow Miles 1961-63 recordings (Columbia 1989)***, First Miles (Savoy Jazz 1989)***, The Essence Of Miles Davis (Columbia 1991)****, Collection (Castle 1992)****, The Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965 8-CD box set (Columbia 1995)*****, Highlights From The Plugged Nickel 1965 (Columbia 1995)****, Ballads And Blues (Blue Note 1996)****, Miles Davis Acoustic: This Is Jazz No. 8 (Legacy 1996)***, Miles Davis/Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings 6-CD/11-LP box set (Columbia/Mosaic 1996)*****, Plays Ballads: This Is Jazz No. 22 (Legacy 1997)****, The Complete Studio Recordings Of The Miles Davis Quintet 1965-June 1968 7-CD/10-LP box set (Columbia/Mosaic 1998)****, Love Songs (Columbia 1999)***, with John Coltrane The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961 (Columbia/Legacy 2000)****, Blue Miles (Columbia 2000)****, Young Miles 4-CD box set (Proper 2001)****, The Essential Miles Davis (Columbia 2001)*****, Complete In A Silent Way Sessions 3-CD box set (Columbia 2001)****, Super Hits (Legacy 2001)***, The Complete Miles Davis At Montreux 1973-1991 20-CD box set (Warner Jazz 2002)***, The Last Word 4-CD box set (Warners 2002)***, Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964 7-CD box set (Columbia/Legacy 2004)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Miles Davis And Jazz Hoofer (Kay Jazz 1988), Miles In Paris (Warner Music Video 1990), Miles Davis And Quincy Jones: Live At Montreux (Warner Music Video 1993), The Miles Davis Story (Sony Jazz 2003).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Milestones: 1. Miles Davis, 1945-60, Jack Chambers. Milestones: 2. Miles Davis Since 1960, Jack Chambers. Miles: The Autobiography, Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe. Miles Davis, Barry McRae. Miles Davis: A Critical Biography, Ian Carr. Miles Davis For Beginners, Daryl Long. The Man In The Green Shirt: Miles Davis, Richard Williams. Miles Davis: The Early Years, Bill Cole. 'Round About Midnight: A Portrait Of Miles Davis, Eric Nisenson. The Miles Davis Companion, Gary Carner (ed.). Milestones: The Music And Times Of Miles Davis, Jack Chambers. A Miles Davis Reader, Bill Kirchner (ed.). Kind Of Blue: The Making Of The Miles Davis Masterpiece, Ashley Kahn. The Making Of Kind Of Blue: Miles Davis And His Masterpiece, Eric Nisenson. Miles And Me, Quincey Troupe. Miles Davis: Complete Discography, Nasuki Nakayama. Miles Beyond: The Electric Explorations Of Miles Davis 1967-1999, Paul Tingen. Miles Davis And American Culture, Gerald Early (ed.). Miles To Go: The Lost Years, Chris Murphy. So What: The Life Of Miles Davis, John Szwed.
FILMOGRAPHY: Dingo (1991).

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