Miles Davis
Jazz, Bebop, Jazz Fusion |
Miles Davis is, and was, the greatest innovator in jazz. Before him came Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and a few others of note, but, though they
started it, none of them made an impact on jazz such as Miles did.
Beginning under the wing of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Miles felt he needed to branch off on his own and discover his own style, rather than to
continue trying to unsuccessflly imitate Dizzy's loud, well, dizzy bebop style. He accomplished this on his first album, "The Birth of the Cool," which had a
nine-piece ensemble under the ...read more
Miles Davis is, and was, the greatest innovator in jazz. Before him came Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and a few others of note, but, though they
started it, none of them made an impact on jazz such as Miles did.
Beginning under the wing of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Miles felt he needed to branch off on his own and discover his own style, rather than to
continue trying to unsuccessflly imitate Dizzy's loud, well, dizzy bebop style. He accomplished this on his first album, "The Birth of the Cool," which had a
nine-piece ensemble under the coleadership of master jazz orchestrator Gil Evans. This is the album that invented cool jazz, a stuyle which was far more
subdued than bebop, yet left lots of room for improvisation.
Miles would continue to find new venues for improv throughout his career, particularly in his next noteworthy phase, pioneering the field in modal jazz;
which his most famous album, and what is called the most influential jazz album in history by most critics, and by Quincy Jones as, "My breakfast;" je'd
eat it everyday, first thing. This of course, was "Kind of Blue,"which he recorded with his first famous quintet, which included legendary saxophonist John
Coltrane.
The same year, he would collaborate with Gil Evans again, releasing "Sketches of Spain," a beautiful piece detailing the fellings and culture of the country in
soundscapes and Miles' own lamentful trumpet-voice.
He woulcontinue to helm the entire realm of jazz in the sixties, first with his second great quintet, (see "Miles Smiles"), and later, inventing yet another
genre of jazz called fusion, in which he blended rock elements into his recordings. He felt jazz was dying, and after seeing acts like the Jimi Hendrix
Experience, the Greatful Dead, and Sly and the Family Stone, decided this was the way to go, with landmark albums like "Bitches Brew," and "In A Silent
Way." Various groups such as Weather Report, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, one under the leadership of drummer Tony Williams would emerge from the
second quintet and various fusion groups.
Having only one five year hiatus (1975-80)in which he fought a horrendous cocaine addiction, (he'd already kicked heroin in the fifties) he staged his
comeback in 1981, and played until his death in 1991, though his eighties material and groupsleave a lot to be deisired.
Jazz took a terrible blow with his death, and has been on the decline ever since, seeming to lack leaders and direction. « hide |
