Miles Davis
Background information
Birth name	Miles Dewey Davis III
Born	May 26, 1926(1926-05-26) Alton, Illinois, USA
Died	September 28, 1991 (aged 65) Santa Monica, California, USA
Genre(s)	Bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz, hard bop, third stream, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, acid jazz
Occupation(s)	Bandleader, composer, trumpeter
Instrument(s)	Trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboard
Years active	1944–1991
Associated acts	Miles Davis Quintet
Website	www.milesdavis.com

Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Alton is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles north of St The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody Cool jazz is a Jazz style that emerged in the late 1940s in New York City. Modal jazz is Jazz using Musical modes rather than chord progressions as its harmonic framework Hard bop is a style of Jazz that is an extension of Bebop (or "bop" music Third stream is a term coined in 1957 by composer Gunther Schuller to describe a Musical genre which is a Synthesis of classical music Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of Jazz music characterized by a strong Back beat ( Groove) electrified sounds and often the presence of the first electronic Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly Acid jazz (also known as groove jazz in USA is a Musical genre that combines elements of Jazz, Funk and Hip-hop Most A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The flugelhorn (also spelled fluegelhorn or flügelhorn) is a Brass instrument resembling a Trumpet but with a wider conical bore A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. The Miles Davis Quintet was a Bebop -oriented Jazz Quintet formed in 1955 by Trumpet player Miles Davis. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance

Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz from World War II to the 1990s. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including He played on various early bebop records and recorded one of the first cool jazz records. Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody Cool jazz is a Jazz style that emerged in the late 1940s in New York City. He was partially responsible for the development of modal jazz, and jazz fusion arose from his work with other musicians in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Modal jazz is Jazz using Musical modes rather than chord progressions as its harmonic framework Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly

Davis belongs to the great tradition of jazz trumpeters that started with Buddy Bolden and ran through Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie, although unlike those musicians he was never considered to have the highest level of technical ability. Charles "Buddy" Bolden ( September 6, 1877 &ndash November 4, 1931) was an African American Cornetist and is regarded Joe "King" Oliver, ( December 19, 1885 &ndash April 10, 1938) was a Jazz Cornet player and Bandleader Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Roy David Eldridge ( January 30, 1911 &ndash February 26, 1989) nicknamed "Little Jazz" was an American John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( October 21 1917 &ndash January 6 1993) was an American Jazz Trumpeter His greatest achievement as a musician, however, was to move beyond being regarded as a distinctive and influential stylist on his own instrument and to shape whole styles and ways of making music through the work of his bands, in which many of the most important jazz musicians of the second half of the Twentieth Century made their names.

Davis was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. He has also been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame, Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame, and Down Beat's Jazz Hall of Fame. The St Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St Louis Missouri who made contributions to Culture of the United States. Down Beat is an American Magazine devoted to "jazz blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life - 1926 to 1944 1.2 Bebop and the Birth of the Cool (1944 to 1955) 1.3 First Great Quintet and Sextet (1955 to 1958) 1.4 Recordings with Gil Evans (1957 to 1963) 1.5 Kind of Blue (1959 to 1964) 1.6 Second Great Quintet (1964 to 1968) 1.7 Electric Miles (1968 to 1975) 1.8 Last Decade (1981 to 1991) 1.9 Death 2 Awards 3 Discography 4 References 5 Sources 6 External links

Biography

Early life - 1926 to 1944

Miles Davis was born to a relatively affluent family in Alton, Illinois. Alton is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles north of St His father, Dr. Miles Davis II, was a dentist, and in 1927, the family moved to East St. Louis. East St Louis is a city located in St Clair County Illinois, USA directly across the Mississippi River from St They also owned a substantial ranch in northern Arkansas, where Davis learned to ride horses as a boy.

Davis' mother, Cleota Mae (Henry) Davis, wanted her son to learn the piano — she was a capable blues pianist, but kept this fact hidden from her son. Miles' musical studies began at 13, when his father gave him a new trumpet and arranged lessons with local trumpeter Elwood Buchanan. Elwood C Buchanan Sr was an American Jazz Trumpeter and Teacher who became an early mentor of Miles Davis. Davis later suggested that his father's instrument choice was made largely to irk his wife, who disliked the instrument's sound. Against the fashion of the time, Buchanan stressed the importance of playing without vibrato, and Davis would carry his clear signature tone throughout his career. Vibrato is a musical effect produced in singing and on musical instruments by a regular pulsating change of pitch, and is used to add expression and vocal-like qualities to Buchanan was credited with slapping Davis' knuckles with a ruler every time he started using heavy vibrato. Davis once remarked on the importance of this signature sound, saying, "I prefer a round sound with no attitude in it, like a round voice with not too much tremolo and not too much Baseline bass. Tremolo, or tremolando, is a Musical term with several meanings A regular and repetitive variation in Amplitude for the duration Just right in the middle. If I can’t get that sound I can’t play anything. "^[1] Clark Terry was another important early influence and friend of Davis'. By the age of 16, Davis was a member of the musician's union and working professionally when not at school. At 17, he spent a year playing in bandleader Eddie Randle's "Blue Devils". During this time, Sonny Stitt tried to persuade him to join the Tiny Bradshaw band then passing through town, but Davis' mother insisted that he finish his final year of high school.

In 1944, the Billy Eckstine band visited St. Billy Eckstine ( 8 July, 1914 &ndash 8 March, 1993) born William Clarence Eckstein in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh Louis. Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were members of the band, and Davis was taken on as third trumpet for a couple of weeks because of the illness of Buddy Anderson. When Eckstine's band left Davis behind to complete the tour, the trumpeter's parents were still keen for him to continue formal academic studies.

Bebop and the Birth of the Cool (1944 to 1955)

In 1944, Davis moved to New York City, ostensibly to take up a scholarship at the Juilliard School of Music, but he neglected his studies and sought out Charlie Parker instead. The City of New York The Juilliard School, located in New York City, is a world renowned Performing arts conservatory. His first recordings were made in 1945 with blues singer Rubberlegg Williams and tenor saxophonist Herbie Fields, and in the autumn he became a member of Parker's unofficial quintet, appearing on many of Parker's seminal bebop recordings for the Savoy and Dial labels. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind Herbie Fields (born May 24 1919 in Asbury Park, New Jersey (or possibly -Elizabeth Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody Savoy Records is the name of a US jazz Record label. Starting in the mid 1940s Savoy played an important part in popularizing Bebop. Davis's style on trumpet was distinctive by this point, but as a soloist he lacked the confidence and virtuosity of his mentors, and was known to play throttled notes, and to sometimes stumble during his solos.

By 1948, he had served his apprenticeship as a sideman, both on stage and record, and was beginning to blossom as a solo artist. A sideman is a professional Musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he is not a regular member Davis began to work with a nonet that featured then-unusual instrumentation such as the French horn and tuba. Classical nonets Franz Schubert 's Eine kleine Trauermusik ( 1812) is a nonet written for two Clarinets two Bassoons Mediatubaogg -->The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched Brass instrument. The nonet featured a young Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz. Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan (April 6 1927 – January 20 1996 was an American Jazz saxophonist Composer and arranger. Lee Konitz (b October 13, 1927) is an American Jazz Composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago Illinois After some gigs at New York's Royal Roost, the nonet was signed by Capitol Records. Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as Several singles were released in 1949 and 1950, featuring arrangements by Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis. Gil Evans ( 13 May 1912 in Toronto Canada – 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a Jazz Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan (April 6 1927 – January 20 1996 was an American Jazz saxophonist Composer and arranger. John Aaron Lewis ( 3 May 1920 – 29 March 2001) was an American Jazz Pianist and Composer best known This began his collaboration with Evans, with whom he would collaborate on many of his major works over the next 20 years. The sides saw only limited release until 1957, when 11 of the 12 were released as the album Birth of the Cool (more recent issues collect all 12 sides). Birth of the Cool is an album which compiles twelve songs recorded by the Miles Davis nonet for Capitol Records in 1949 and In 1949, he visited Europe for the first time and performed at that year's Paris Jazz Festival in May. The response to modern jazz musicians in Paris was somewhat different to the United States, they had become something of a cult in the French capital, and Davis dated his problems with narcotics from this point. Playing in the jazz clubs of New York, Davis was in frequent contact with people who used and sold drugs. By 1950, like many of his contemporaries, he had developed a heroin addiction. Heroin ( INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from Morphine, a derivative The term " addiction " is used in many contexts to describe an obsession compulsion or excessive Physical dependence or psychological dependence such as

Between 1950 and 1955, Davis mainly recorded as a leader for Prestige and Blue Note records in a variety of small group settings. Prestige Records was a Record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock ( October 2, 1928 &ndash January 14, 2006) Sidemen included Sonny Rollins, John Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Jackie McLean, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, J. J. Johnson, Percy Heath, Milt Jackson and Charles Mingus. Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7 1930 in New York City) is an American Jazz tenor Saxophonist John Aaron Lewis ( 3 May 1920 – 29 March 2001) was an American Jazz Pianist and Composer best known Kenny Clarke (born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed " Klook " and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, on January 9, 1914 John Lenwood (Jackie McLean ( May 17 1931 &ndash March 31 2006; some sources erroneously give 1932 as his year of birth was an American Arthur (Art Blakey ( October 11 1919 &ndash October 16 1990) born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Horace Silver (born September 2, 1928) born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk Connecticut, is an American Jazz pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 - February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz Pianist and Composer. J J Johnson (born James Louis Johnson) in Indianapolis Indiana, ( January 22, 1924 - February 4, 2001) was a Percy Heath, ( April 30, 1923 &ndash April 28, 2005) was a Jazz musician, most famous for his 40+ years as the Double bass Milton (Milt Jackson (January 1 1923 in Detroit Michigan &ndash October 9 1999 was an American Jazz Vibraphonist and one of the most important figures Charles Mingus ( 22 April 1922 &ndash 5 January 1979) was an American Jazz Bassist, Composer, Because of his problems with drugs Davis had gained a reputation for unreliability. In the winter of 1953-1954 though, he returned to East St. Louis and locked himself in a guest room in his father's farm for twelve days until the drug was fully out of his system.

After overcoming his heroin addiction with help from Sugar Ray Robinson, Davis made a series of important recordings for Prestige in 1954, later collected on albums including Bags' Groove, Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants and Walkin'. Bags' Groove is a Jazz Album recorded by Miles Davis in 1954 for Prestige Records. Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants is an album recorded by Miles Davis, for Prestige Records. Walkin is an album recorded on 3 April and 29 April 1954 by a group led by Miles Davis, for Prestige Records. At this time, he started to use the Harmon mute to darken and subdue the timbre of his trumpet. A mute is a device fitted to a Musical instrument to alter the sound produced by affecting the Timbre, reducing the volume or most commonly both In Music, timbre (ˈtæm-bər' like timber, or, from Fr timbre tɛ̃bʁ is the quality of a Musical note or sound that distinguishes different This muted trumpet tone was to be associated with Davis for the rest of his career.

In July 1955, he played a legendary solo on Thelonius Monk's "'Round Midnight" at the Newport Jazz Festival. Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 - February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz Pianist and Composer. " 'Round Midnight " is a 1944 Jazz standard by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every August in Newport Rhode Island, USA. This performance thrust Davis back into the jazz spotlight, leading George Avakian to sign Davis to Columbia and the formation of his first quintet. George Avakian (Георг Авакиан born Armavir, Russian Federation, March 15, 1919) is an American Record producer

First Great Quintet and Sextet (1955 to 1958)

Main article: Miles Davis Quintet

In 1955, Davis formed the first incarnation of the Miles Davis Quintet. The Miles Davis Quintet was a Bebop -oriented Jazz Quintet formed in 1955 by Trumpet player Miles Davis. This band featured John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the Saxophone family a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s William "Red" Garland ( May 13, 1923 &ndash April 23, 1984) was an American Hard bop Jazz Pianist The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr ( April 22 1935 – January 4 1969) was one of the most influential Jazz bassists of the The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. Joseph Rudolph (Philly Joe Jones ( July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was a Philadelphia -born United States jazz A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Eschewing the rhythmic and harmonic complexity of the then-prevalent bebop, Davis was allowed the space to play long, legato, and essentially melodic lines in which he would begin to explore modal jazz. In Musical notation the Italian word legato (literally meaning "tied together" indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or Davis was influenced at around this time by pianist Ahmad Jamal, whose sparse style contrasted with the "busy" sound of bebop. Ahmad Jamal, born July 2, 1930, is a noted American Jazz Pianist. The first recordings of this group were made for Columbia Records in 1955, released on 'Round About Midnight. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Round About Midnight is an album by Jazz musician Miles Davis, released in March 1957 and his debut on Columbia Records, CL 949 Davis was still under contract to Prestige, but had an agreement that he could make recordings for subsequent releases using his new label. His final recordings for Prestige were the product of two days of recording in 1956, released as Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by Miles Davis. Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by Miles Davis. Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by Miles Davis. Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by Miles Davis.

The quintet was never stable, however; several of the other members used heroin, and the Miles Davis Quintet disbanded in early 1957.

That year, Davis traveled to France to compose the score to Louis Malle's Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Louis Malle (30 October 1932 &ndash 23 November 1995 was a French Film director, working in both French and English. Ascenseur pour l'échafaud is a 1958 French film directed by Louis Malle. He recorded the entire soundtrack with the aid of French session musicians Barney Wilen, Pierre Michelot and René Urtreger, and American drummer Kenny Clarke. Barney Wilen ( March 4 1937 &ndash May 25 1996) was a French tenor and soprano saxophonist and Jazz Pierre Michelot ( March 3 1928 &ndash July 2 2005) was a French Bebop and Hard bop Double bass player René Urtreger (born July 6, 1934 is a French Bebop Pianist. Life Urtreger was born in Paris and began his piano studies Kenny Clarke (born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed " Klook " and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, on January 9, 1914

In 1958, the quintet reformed as a sextet, with the addition of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on alto saxophone, and recorded Milestones. Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley ( September 15 1928 – August 8 1975) was a Jazz alto saxophonist of The alto saxophone is a member of the Saxophone a family of Woodwind instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. Milestones is an album recorded in February and March 1958 by Miles Davis.

Recordings with Gil Evans (1957 to 1963)

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Davis recorded a series of albums with Gil Evans, often playing flugelhorn as well as trumpet. Gil Evans ( 13 May 1912 in Toronto Canada – 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a Jazz The flugelhorn (also spelled fluegelhorn or flügelhorn) is a Brass instrument resembling a Trumpet but with a wider conical bore The first, Miles Ahead (1957), showcased his playing with a jazz big band and a horn section beautifully arranged by Evans. Miles Ahead is a Cool jazz album by Miles Davis released in 1957 A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late Tunes included Dave Brubeck's "The Duke", as well as Léo Delibes' "The Maids Of Cadiz", the first piece of European classical music Davis had recorded. David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord California) better known as Dave Brubeck, is an American jazz pianist (Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (21 February 1836 &ndash 16 January 1891 was a French Composer of Ballets operas, and other works for the stage Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Another important feature of the album was the innovative use of editing to join the tracks together, turning each side of the album into a seamless piece of music. Editing Language, Images or Sound through correction condensation organization and other modifications in various media

In 1958, Davis and Evans recorded Porgy and Bess, an arrangement of pieces from George Gershwin's opera of the same name. Porgy and Bess is a Studio album by Jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1958 on Columbia Records. George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. Porgy and Bess is an Opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, Libretto by DuBose Heyward, and This album featured members of his contemporary band including Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Davis named the album one of his own favorites.

Sketches of Spain (1959-1960) featured tunes by contemporary Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo and also Manuel de Falla, as well as Gil Evans originals with a Spanish theme. Sketches of Spain is an Album by Miles Davis, recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre ( 22 November 1901 &ndash 6 July 1999) was a composer of classical music Manuel de Falla y Matheu ( November 23, 1876 &ndash November 14, 1946) was a Spanish Composer of classical music Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1961) includes Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, along with other songs recorded at a concert with an orchestra under Evans' direction. The Concierto de Aranjuez is a composition for Classical guitar and Orchestra by the Spanish Composer Joaquín

Sessions in 1962 resulted in the album Quiet Nights, a short collection of bossa nova tunes which was released against the wishes of both artists. Quiet Nights is an album recorded in 1962 and 1963 by Miles Davis and Gil Evans. Bossa nova ( is a style of Brazilian music popularized by Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and João Gilberto. That was the last time that the two created a full album again. In his autobiography, Davis noted that ". . . my best friend is Gil Evans". ^[2]

Kind of Blue (1959 to 1964)

After recording Milestones, Garland and Jones were replaced by Bill Evans and Jimmy Cobb. Tom Palumbo is an US photographer and director He was born in Molfetta Italy in 1921. William John Evans (better known as Bill Evans) ( August 16, 1929 &ndash September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous and influential Jimmy Cobb (born January 20 1929 in Washington DC) is an American jazz drummer. The introspective improvisation of Evans, who was classically trained, influenced the sound of the band and allowed them to explore the music more deeply than ever before, furthering the advancement of modal jazz as seen on '58 Miles. Evans departed late in 1958. He was replaced by Wynton Kelly. Wynton Kelly ( December 2, 1931 in Jamaica &mdash April 12 1971 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was a Jazz pianist

In March and April 1959, Davis re-entered the studio with his working sextet to record what is widely considered his magnum opus, Kind of Blue. Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera) from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best the greatest Kind of Blue is an album by American Jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17 1959 on Columbia Records, in both He called back Bill Evans, months away from forming what would become his seminal trio, for the album sessions as the music had been planned around Evans' piano style. William John Evans (better known as Bill Evans) ( August 16, 1929 &ndash September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous and influential ^[3] Equally crucially, both Davis and Evans had direct familiarity with the ideas of pianist George Russell regarding modal jazz, Davis from discussions with Russell and others prior to what came to be known as the Birth of the Cool sessions, and Evans from study with Russell in 1956. George Allen Russell (born June 23, 1923) is an American Jazz Pianist, Composer and theorist Modal jazz is Jazz using Musical modes rather than chord progressions as its harmonic framework Birth of the Cool is an album which compiles twelve songs recorded by the Miles Davis nonet for Capitol Records in 1949 and ^[4] Miles, however, had neglected to inform current pianist Kelly as to Evans' role in the recordings, Kelly subsequently playing only on the track "Freddie Freeloader," and not present at all on April date for the album. " Freddie Freeloader " is a composition by Miles Davis and is the second track on his seminal album Kind of Blue. ^[5] "So What" and "All Blues" had been played by the sextet at performances prior to the recording sessions, but for the other three compositions, Davis and Evans prepared skeletal harmonic frameworks which the other musicians saw for the first time on the day of recording, in order to generate an improvisational approach. " So What " is the first track on the 1959 Miles Davis album Kind of Blue and is often credited as one of his best works "All Blues" is a jazz composition by Miles Davis first appearing on the influential 1959 album Kind of Blue. Improvisation (also called extemporization) is the practice of acting singing talking and reacting of making and creating in the moment and in response to the stimulus of The resulting album has proven to be a huge influence on other musicians. According to the RIAA, Kind of Blue is the best-selling jazz album of all time, having been certified as triple platinum (3 million copies sold).

The same year, while taking a break outside the famous Birdland nightclub in New York City, Davis was beaten by the New York police and subsequently arrested. Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City in December 15 1949 The City of New York Believing the assault to have been racially motivated (it is said he was beaten by a single policeman who was angered by Davis being with a white woman), he attempted to pursue the case in the courts, before eventually dropping the proceedings. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that

Davis convinced Coltrane to play with the group on one final European tour in the spring of 1960. Coltrane then departed to form his classic quartet, although he returned for some of the tracks on the 1961 album Someday My Prince Will Come. Someday My Prince Will Come is a studio album by Miles Davis, recorded in March of 1961 in New York City. Davis tried various replacement saxophonists, including Sonny Stitt and Hank Mobley. Edward "Sonny" Stitt (b February 2, 1924, Boston Massachusetts &ndash d Henry (Hank Mobley ( July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American Hard bop and Soul jazz tenor Saxophonist The quintet with Hank Mobley was recorded in the studio and on several live engagements at Carnegie Hall and the Black Hawk jazz club in San Francisco. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east The Black Hawk was a legendary San Francisco Nightclub hosting a spectacular range of Jazz talents during its heyday from 1949 to 1963 The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Stitt's playing with the group is found on both a recording made in Olympia, Paris (where Davis and Coltrane had played a few months before) and the Live in Stockholm album. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

In 1963, Davis' long-time rhythm section of Kelly, Chambers and Cobb departed. He quickly got to work putting together a new group, including tenor saxophonist George Coleman and bassist Ron Carter. The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the Saxophone family a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935 in Memphis Tennessee) is an American Hard bop saxophonist, Bandleader Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937, Ferndale, Michigan) is an American Jazz Double-bassist. Davis, Coleman, Carter, and a few other musicians recorded half an album in the spring of 1963. A few weeks later, drummer Tony Williams and pianist Herbie Hancock joined the group, and soon thereafter Davis, Coleman and the rhythm section recorded the rest of Seven Steps to Heaven. Anthony Tillmon "Tony" Williams ( December 12, 1945 &ndash February 23, 1997) was an American jazz drummer. Herbert Jeffrey Hancock ("Herbie" born April 12 1940 is a Jazz Pianist and Composer. Seven Steps to Heaven is an album recorded in 1963 by Miles Davis.

The rhythm section clicked very quickly with each other and the horns; the group's rapid evolution can be traced through the aforementioned studio album, In Europe (July 1963), My Funny Valentine, and Four and More (both February 1964). My Funny Valentine is a 1964 Live album by Miles Davis. It was recorded at a concert at the Lincoln Center, New York, on February The group played essentially the same repertoire of bebop and standards that earlier Davis bands did, but tackled them with increasing structural and rhythmic freedom and (in the case of the up-tempo material) breakneck speed.

Coleman left in the spring of 1964, to be replaced by avant-garde saxophonist Sam Rivers, on the suggestion of Tony Williams. Avant-garde (avɑ̃gaʁd in French) means "advance guard" or "vanguard Samuel Carthorne Rivers (born September 25, 1923, in El Reno Oklahoma) is an American Jazz musician and Composer. Rivers remained in the group only briefly, but was recorded live with the quintet in Japan; the group can be heard on In Tokyo! (July 1964). For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

By the end of the summer, Davis had convinced Wayne Shorter to quit Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Wayne Shorter (born August 25 1933) is an American Jazz Composer and Saxophonist, commonly regarded as one of the Arthur (Art Blakey ( October 11 1919 &ndash October 16 1990) born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shorter became the principal composer of Davis' quintet, and some of his compositions of this era ("Footprints", "Nefertiti") are now standards. A jazz standard is a Jazz tune that is held in continuing esteem and which is widely known performed and recorded among jazz musicians as part of the jazz musical repertoire While on tour in Europe, the group quickly made their first official recording, Miles in Berlin (Fall 1964). On return to the United States later that year, Davis (at the urging of Jackie DeShannon) was instrumental in getting The Byrds signed to Columbia Records. Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21 1944, Hazel, Kentucky) is an American Singer-songwriter The Byrds were a popular American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964 Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company

Second Great Quintet (1964 to 1968)

By the time of E.S.P. (1965) Davis' lineup consisted of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums). ESP is an album recorded in January 1965 by the Miles Davis quintet Wayne Shorter (born August 25 1933) is an American Jazz Composer and Saxophonist, commonly regarded as one of the Herbert Jeffrey Hancock ("Herbie" born April 12 1940 is a Jazz Pianist and Composer. Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937, Ferndale, Michigan) is an American Jazz Double-bassist. Anthony Tillmon "Tony" Williams ( December 12, 1945 &ndash February 23, 1997) was an American jazz drummer. This lineup, the last of his acoustic bands, is often known as "the second great quintet. "

A two-night Chicago gig in late 1965 is captured on The Complete Live at The Plugged Nickel 1965, released in 1995. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. In late December 1965 recordings were made of two nights of performances by Miles Davis ´ second great quintet at the Plugged Nickel nightclub in Chicago. Unlike the group's studio albums, the live engagement shows the group still playing primarily standards and bebop tunes.

This was followed by a series of studio recordings: Miles Smiles (1966), Sorcerer (1967), Nefertiti (1967), Miles in the Sky (1968) and Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968). Miles Smiles is an album recorded in October 1966 by the Miles Davis quintet Sorcerer is an album recorded in May 1967 by the Miles Davis quintet Nefertiti is a Studio album by Jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1968 on Columbia Records. Filles de Kilimanjaro ("Girls of Kilimanjaro " is a Jazz album by Miles Davis. The quintet's approach to improvisation came to be known as "time no changes" or "freebop", because they abandoned the chord-change-based approach of bebop for a modal approach. A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order Through Nefertiti, the studio recordings consisted primarily of originals composed by Shorter, and to a lesser degree of compositions by the other sidemen. In 1967, the group began to play their live concerts in continuous sets, with each tune flowing into the next and only the melody indicating any sort of demarcation; Davis' bands would continue to perform in this way until his retirement in 1975. Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely

Miles in the Sky and Filles de Kilimanjaro, on which electric bass, electric piano and guitar were tentatively introduced on some tracks, pointed the way to the subsequent fusion phase in Davis' output. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the An electric piano is an electric Musical instrument. The popularity of the electric piano began to grow in the late 1960s, reaching its greatest height during the The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly Davis also began experimenting with more rock-oriented rhythms on these records. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. By the time the second half of Filles de Kilimanjaro had been recorded, Dave Holland and Chick Corea had replaced Carter and Hancock in the working band, though both Carter and Hancock would occasionally contribute to future recording sessions. Dave Holland (born October 1, 1946) is a British Jazz Bassist and Composer who is a significant representative Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American Jazz Pianist Davis soon began to take over the compositional duties of his sidemen.

1969 Miles: Festiva de Juan Pins is the earliest available live recording [1] of Davis' band's playing live sets in a continuous sets fashion. (However, it has only had a European and Japanese release. )

Electric Miles (1968 to 1975)

Davis's influences included late 1960s acid rock and funk artists such as Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix, many of whom he met through Betty Mabry, a young model and songwriter Miles married in 1968 and divorced a year later. Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Sly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco California. James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006 commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" the "King of Funk" and "The James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Betty Davis (née Betty Mabry) is an American Funk and soul singer The musical transition required that Davis and his band adapt to electric instruments in both live performances and the studio. An electric instrument (which in the broadest sense includes both electrically amplified Acoustic instruments and Electronic musical instruments is one in which a

By the time In a Silent Way had been recorded in February 1969, Davis had augmented his standard quintet with additional players. In a Silent Way is a 1969 album by Jazz Trumpeter Miles Davis. Hancock and Joe Zawinul were brought in to assist Corea on electric keyboards, and guitarist John McLaughlin made the first of his many appearances. Josef Erich Zawinul ( July 7 1932 &ndash September 11 2007) was a Jazz keyboardist and Composer. An electronic keyboard or digital keyboard is a type of Keyboard instrument. John McLaughlin (born January 4 1942 also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin is a Jazz fusion Guitarist and Composer from Doncaster, By this point, Shorter was also doubling on soprano saxophone. After recording this album, Williams left to form his group Lifetime and was replaced by Jack DeJohnette. The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz-rock fusion group led by Jazz Drummer Tony Williams. Jack DeJohnette (born 9 August 1942) is an American Jazz Drummer, pianist, and composer

Six months later, an even larger group of musicians, including Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira and Bennie Maupin recorded the double LP Bitches Brew, which became a huge seller, hitting gold record status (half a million copies) by 1976. Jack DeJohnette (born 9 August 1942) is an American Jazz Drummer, pianist, and composer Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician Bennie Maupin (born 29 August 1940) is a Detroit Jazz Multireedist. Bitches Brew is a studio Double album by Jazz musician This album and In a Silent Way were among the first fusions of jazz and rock that were commercially successful, building on the groundwork laid by Charles Lloyd, Larry Coryell, and many others who pioneered a genre that would become known simply as "Jazz-rock fusion". Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly

During this period, Davis toured with the "lost quintet" of Shorter, Corea, Holland and DeJohnette. The group's repertoire included material from Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way, the 1960s quintet albums, and an occasional standard.

In 1972, Davis was introduced to the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen by young arranger and cellist, and later Grammy award winner, Paul Buckmaster, leading to a period of new creative exploration for Davis. Paul Buckmaster is an artist Arranger, and Composer. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Elton John, but he has also worked as an Biographer J. K. Chambers wrote that "The effect of Davis's study of Stockhausen could not be repressed for long. . . . Davis's own 'space music,' shows Stockhausen's influence compositionally. "^[6] His recordings and performances during this period were described as "space music" by fans, by music critic Leonard Feather, and by Buckmaster who stated: "a lot of mood changes - heavy, dark, intense - definitely space music. Leonard Geoffrey Feather ( 13 September 1914 &ndash 22 September 1994) was a British -born Jazz pianist, "^[7]

Both Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way feature "extended" (more than 20 minutes each) compositions that were never actually "played straight through" by the musicians in the studio. Instead, Davis and producer Teo Macero selected musical motifs of various lengths from recorded extended improvisations and edited them together into a musical whole which only exists in the recorded version. Teo Macero ( October 30 1925 &ndash February 19 2008) born Attilio Joseph Macero, was an American Jazz Bitches Brew made use of such electronic effects as multi-tracking, tape loops and other editing techniques. Multitrack recording ('multitracking' or just 'tracking' for short is a method of Sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create Tape loops are loops of prerecorded Magnetic tape used to create repetitive rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound Both records, especially Bitches Brew, proved to be huge sellers.

Starting with Bitches Brew, Davis' albums began to often feature cover art much more in line with psychedelic art or black power movements than that of his earlier albums. Cover art is the Illustration or Photograph on the outside of a published product such as a Book, Magazine, Comic book, product package Black Power is a racially based Political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies He took significant cuts in his usual performing fees in order to open for rock groups like the Steve Miller Band, the Grateful Dead and Santana. The Steve Miller Band is an influential American Blues rock band led by Steve Miller on Guitar and lead vocals The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the Costa Rican football player see Carlos Santana (footballer; for the Mexican academic see Carlos Santana Morales. Several live albums were recorded during the early 1970s at such performances: It's About That Time (March 1970), Black Beauty (April 1970) and At Fillmore (June 1970). Live at the Fillmore East March 7 1970 It's About that Time is a live Double album by Miles Davis. At Fillmore, nowadays for disambiguation purposes also known as Miles Davis at Fillmore Live at the Fillmore East is a 1970 Live album

By the time of Live-Evil in December 1970, Davis' ensemble had transformed into a much more funk-oriented group. Davis began experimenting with wah-wah effects on his horn. For the onomateopeic word see Wah-wah. Wah-Wah is a 2005 Drama film, written and directed by British The ensemble with Gary Bartz, Keith Jarrett and Michael Henderson, often referred to as the "Cellar Door band" (the live portions of Live-Evil were recorded at a club by that name), never recorded in the studio, but is documented in the six CD Box Set The Cellar Door Sessions, which was recorded over four nights in December 1970. The Cellar Door was a music club at 34th and M Street in Washington D

In 1970, Davis contributed extensively to the soundtrack of a documentary about the African-American boxer Jack Johnson. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Arthur John Johnson (March 31 1878 – June 10 1946 better known as Jack Johnson and nicknamed the “Galveston Giant” was an American boxer and Himself a devotee of boxing, Davis drew parallels between Johnson, whose career had been defined by the fruitless search for a Great White Hope to dethrone him, and Davis' own career, in which he felt the establishment had prevented him from receiving the acclaim and rewards that were due him. The resulting album, 1971's A Tribute to Jack Johnson, contained two long pieces that utilized musicians (some of whom were not credited on the record) including guitarists John McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock, Herbie Hancock on a broken Farfisa organ and drummer Billy Cobham. A Tribute to Jack Johnson is a Studio album by Jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1971 in the United States and in 1970 in John McLaughlin (born January 4 1942 also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin is a Jazz fusion Guitarist and Composer from Doncaster, Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock ( August 27 1940 &ndash May 25 1994) was an American Jazz Guitarist Herbert Jeffrey Hancock ("Herbie" born April 12 1940 is a Jazz Pianist and Composer. Farfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Italy The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact Electronic organ, and later a series of multi-timbral William C Cobham (born May 16 1944 in Panama) is a Panamanian American Jazz Drummer, Composer and Bandleader

As Davis stated in his autobiography, he wanted to make music for the young African-American audience. On The Corner (1972) blended funk elements with the traditional jazz styles he had played his entire career. On the Corner is a Studio album by Jazz musician Miles Davis, recorded in June and July of 1972 and released later that year on Columbia The album was highlighted by the appearance of saxophonist Carlos Garnett. Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian American Jazz saxophonist. He grew up in Panama and started playing tenor saxophone in 1957 The record provoked fierce disparagement from many critics, with one British critic noting: "I love Miles, but this is where I get off. " In his autobiography, Davis stated that this criticism was made because no critic could categorize this music and complained that the album was promoted by the "traditional" jazz radio stations.

After recording On the Corner, Davis put together a new band, with only Michael Henderson, Carlos Garnett and percussionist Mtume returning from the previous band. Michael Henderson is a Bass guitarist and vocalist best known for his work with Miles Davis in the early 1970s providing a deep funky groove to early Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian American Jazz saxophonist. He grew up in Panama and started playing tenor saxophone in 1957 Mtume (pronounced em-tu-may) was a Funk and soul group that had several R&B hits in the 1980s It included guitarist Reggie Lucas, tabla player Badal Roy, sitarist Khalil Balakrishna and drummer Al Foster. Reginald Lucas, is an American Musician, songwriter and Record producer. Badal Roy ( Bangla: বাদল রায় (born Amarendra Roy Chowdhury in Comilla, eastern Bengal, British India, 1945 is a Al Foster (born January 18, 1944 in Richmond Virginia) is a Jazz Drummer " It was unusual in that none of the sidemen were major jazz instrumentalists; as a result, the music emphasized rhythmic density and shifting textures instead of individual solos. This group, which recorded in the Philharmonic Hall for the album In Concert (1972), was unsatisfactory to Davis. Avery Fisher Hall, located in New York City, is a part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex In Concert Live at Philharmonic Hall is a double album recorded by trumpeter Miles Davis. Through the first half of 1973, he dropped the tabla and sitar, took over keyboard duties, and added guitarist Pete Cosey. This article is about the Indian drum For the drum with the same name in Arabic, see Goblet drum. The sitar ( Hindi: सितार Urdu: ستار Persian: سی تار) is a Plucked stringed instrument. Pete Cosey is an African-American guitarist most famous for playing with Miles Davis ' band between 1973 and 1975 The Davis/Cosey/Lucas/Henderson/Mtume/Foster ensemble would remain virtually intact over the next two years. Initially, Dave Liebman played saxophones and flute with the band. Dave Liebman (born on 4 September 1946, Brooklyn, New York) is an American Saxophonist and Flautist. In 1974, he was replaced by Sonny Fortune. Sonny Fortune (born May 19, 1939 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is an American Jazz alto Saxophonist and

Big Fun (1974) was a double album containing four long jams, recorded between 1969 and 1972. Big Fun is a Double album recorded between 1969 and 1972 by Miles Davis. Similarly, Get Up With It (1975) collected recordings from the previous five years. Get Up With It is an album collecting tracks recorded between 1970 and 1974 by Miles Davis. Get Up With It included "He Loved Him Madly", a tribute to Duke Ellington, as well as one of Davis' most lauded pieces from this era, "Calypso Frelimo". This was his last studio album of the 1970s.

In 1974 and 1975, Columbia recorded three double-LP live Davis albums: Dark Magus, Agharta and Pangaea. Dark Magus is a live album by Jazz artist Miles Davis recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 30, Agharta is an album recorded by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1975 Pangaea is a Double album recorded by Jazz Trumpeter Miles Davis in 1975 Dark Magus is a 1974 New York concert; the latter two are recordings of consecutive concerts from the same February 1975 day in Osaka, Japan. is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. At the time, only Agharta was available in the US; Pangaea and Dark Magus were initially released only by CBS/Sony Japan. All three feature at least two electric guitarists (Reggie Lucas and Pete Cosey, deploying an array of post-Hendrix electronic distortion devices; Dominique Gaumont is a third guitarist on Dark Magus), electric bass, drums, reeds, and Davis on electric trumpet and organ. A distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic of an object image sound waveform or other form of information or representation These albums were the last he was to record for five years. Davis was troubled by osteoarthritis (which led to a hip replacement operation in 1976, the first of several), sickle-cell disease, depression, bursitis, ulcers and a renewed dependence on alcohol and drugs (primarily heroin), and his performances were routinely panned throughout late 1974 and early 1975. Osteoarthritis ( OA, also known as degenerative Arthritis, degenerative joint disease) is a clinical syndrome in which low-grade inflammation Sickle-cell disease or sickle-cell anaemia (or anemia) is a Blood disorder characterized by Red blood cells that assume an abnormal rigid Major depressive disorder, also known as major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder, clinical depression, or simply depression Bursitis is the Inflammation of one or more bursae (small sacs of Synovial fluid in the body Ulcers are healing wounds that develop on the skin mucous membranes or eye Heroin ( INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from Morphine, a derivative By the time the group reached Japan in February 1975, Davis was teetering on a physical breakdown and required copious amounts of vodka and narcotics to complete his engagements. Vodka is one of the world's most popular Distilled beverages It is a clear liquid which consists of mostly Water and Ethanol purified by Distillation The term narcotic (ναρκωτικός is believed to have been coined by the Greek physician Galen to refer to agents that benumb or deaden causing loss

After a Newport Jazz Festival performance at Avery Fisher Hall in New York on July 1st 1975, Davis withdrew almost completely from the public eye for six years. The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every August in Newport Rhode Island, USA. Avery Fisher Hall, located in New York City, is a part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex As Gil Evans said, "His organism is tired. And after all the music he's contributed for 35 years, he needs a rest. "

Davis characterized this period in his memoirs as a colorful time when wealthy women lavished him with sex and drugs. In reality, he had become completely dependent upon various drugs, spending nearly all of his time propped up on a couch in his apartment watching television, leaving only to score more drugs. In 1976, Rolling Stone reported rumors of his imminent demise. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published Although he stopped practicing trumpet on a regular basis, Davis continued to compose intermittently and made three attempts at recording during his exile from performing; these sessions (one with the assistance of Paul Buckmaster and Gil Evans, who left after not receiving promised compensation) bore little fruit and remain unreleased.

In 1979, he placed in the yearly Top 10 trumpeter poll of Down Beat magazine. Down Beat is an American Magazine devoted to "jazz blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively Columbia continued to issue compilation albums and records of unreleased vault material to fulfill contractual obligations. A compilation album is an Album ( Music or Spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple Recording artists, often culled from a variety of

During his period of inactivity, Davis saw the fusion music that he had spearheaded over the past decade firmly enter into the mainstream. When he emerged from retirement, Davis' musical descendants would be in the realm of New Wave rock, and in particular the stylings of Prince. New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician

Last Decade (1981 to 1991)

By 1979, Davis had rekindled his relationship with actress Cicely Tyson. Cicely Tyson (born December 19 1933) is an American Emmy Award -winning and Academy Award -nominated actress With Tyson, Davis would overcome his drug addiction and regain his enthusiasm for music. Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking As he had not played trumpet for the better part of three years, regaining his famed embouchure proved to be particularly arduous. The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the Mouthpiece of a Wind instrument. While recording The Man With The Horn (sessions were spread sporadically over 1979-1981), Davis played mostly wah-wah with a younger, larger band. The Man with the Horn is an Album released by Miles Davis in 1981 (see 1981 in music) featuring Al Foster, saxophonist Bill

The initial large band was eventually abandoned in favor of a smaller combo featuring saxophonist Bill Evans and bass player Marcus Miller, both of whom would be among Davis' most regular collaborators throughout the decade. Bill Evans (born February 9, 1958 in Clarendon Hills Illinois) is an American Jazz saxophonist. Marcus Miller (born June 14, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Grammy Award-winning Jazz musician composer producer and multi-instrumentalist He married Tyson in 1981; they would divorce in 1988. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. The Man With The Horn was finally released in 1981 and received a poor critical reception despite selling fairly well. In May, the new band played two dates as part of the Newport Jazz Festival. The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every August in Newport Rhode Island, USA. The concerts, as well as the live recording We Want Miles from the ensuing tour, received positive reviews. We Want Miles is double album recorded by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1981 produced by Teo Macero and released by CBS in 1982

By late 1982, Davis' band included French percussionnist Mino Cinelu and guitarist John Scofield, with whom he worked closely on the album Star People. Mino Cinelu is a French musician born in 1957 in Saint-Cloud in the suburbs of Paris. John Scofield (born December 26 1951 in Dayton Ohio) is an American Jazz Guitarist and Composer, who has played and collaborated In mid-1983, while working on the tracks for Decoy, an album mixing soul music and electronica that was released in 1984, Davis brought in producer, composer and keyboardist Robert Irving III, who had earlier collaborated with Davis on The Man With the Horn. Decoy is a 1984 album by Jazz musician Miles Davis. Track listing "Decoy" (Davis Robert Irving III Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary Electronic music designed for a wide range Robert Irving III, (1953 is an American pianist composer arranger and music educator A native of Chicago Irving was one of a group of young Chicago musicians that With a seven-piece band, including Scofield, Evans, keyboardist and music director Irving, drummer Al Foster and bassist Darryl Jones (later of The Rolling Stones), Davis played a series of European gigs to positive receptions. Al Foster (born January 18, 1944 in Richmond Virginia) is a Jazz Drummer " Darryl Jones (born December 11, 1961) also known as "The Munch", is an American Bass guitarist. While in Europe, he took part in the recording of Aura, an orchestral tribute to Davis composed by Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg. Aura is a Concept album by Miles Davis, produced by Palle Mikkelborg, released in 1989 Palle Mikkelborg (born March 6, 1941) is a Danish Jazz Trumpeter, Composer, Arranger and Record producer

You're Under Arrest, Davis' next album, was released in 1985 and included another brief stylistic detour. You're Under Arrest is a 1985 album recorded by Miles Davis that saw Miles mix pop tunes with political statements about racism pollution and war Included on the album were his interpretations of Cyndi Lauper's ballad "Time After Time", and "Human Nature" from Michael Jackson. Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22 1953 is an American Grammy - and Emmy award winning Singer-songwriter and " Time after Time " was a single by singer Cyndi Lauper, the second from her She's So Unusual album and it reached #1 on the U " Human Nature " is a single released by Michael Jackson, and is the fifth of seven singles released from his 1982 hit album Thriller. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Davis noted that many of today's accepted jazz standards were in fact pop songs from Broadway theatre, and that he was simply updating the "standards" repertoire with new material. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located

You're Under Arrest also proved to be Davis' final album for Columbia. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis publicly dismissed Davis' more recent fusion recordings as not being "'true' jazz", comments Davis initially shrugged off, calling Marsalis "a nice young man, only confused". Wynton Learson Marsalis (b October 18, 1961) is an American Trumpeter and Composer. This changed after Marsalis appeared, unannounced, onstage in the midst of a Davis performance. Marsalis whispered into Davis' ear that "someone" had told him to do so; Davis replied by physically throwing him off the stage.

Davis grew irritated at Columbia's delay releasing Aura and, perhaps, was also jealous of the unusually large publicity budget the label had granted Marsalis. The breaking point in the label/artist relationship appears to have come when a Columbia jazz producer requested Davis place a good-will birthday call to Marsalis. Davis signed with Warner Brothers shortly thereafter. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Davis collaborated with a number of figures from the British new wave movement during this period, including Scritti Politti. New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1978 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. ^[8] At the invitation of producer Bill Laswell Davis recorded some trumpet parts during sessions for Public Image Ltd.'s Album album, according to Public Image's John Lydon in the liner notes of their Plastic Box box set. Bill Laswell (born February 12, 1955 in Salem Public Image Ltd ( PiL) were an English musical group formed in 1978 by vocalist John Lydon, Guitarist Keith Levene Album (also known as Compact Disc or Cassette depending on the format is the fifth Studio album by English John Joseph Lydon (born 31 January 1956 in London England also known as Johnny Rotten, is a British Rock musician best known as lead vocalist for the Punk In Lydon's words, however, "strangely enough, we didn't use (his contributions). " (Also according to Lydon in the Plastic Box notes, Davis favorably compared Lydon's singing voice to his trumpet sound. )^[9]

Having first taken part in the Artists United Against Apartheid recording, Davis signed with Warner Brothers records and reunited with Marcus Miller. Artists United Against Apartheid was a 1985 protest group founded by activist and performer Steven Van Zandt to protest Apartheid in South Africa Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Marcus Miller (born June 14, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Grammy Award-winning Jazz musician composer producer and multi-instrumentalist The resulting record, Tutu (1986), would be his first to use modern studio tools — programmed synthesizers, samples and drum loops — to create an entirely new setting for Davis' playing. Tutu is an album released in 1986 by Miles Davis on Warner Bros In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording Ecstatically reviewed on its release, the album would frequently be described as the modern counterpart of the classic Sketches of Spain, and won a Grammy in 1987. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

He followed Tutu with Amandla, another collaboration with Miller and Duke, plus the soundtracks to four movies: Street Smart, Siesta, The Hot Spot, and Dingo. Amandla is an album by Jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1989 The Hot Spot is a 1990 American drama and romance film directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, and Dingo Selections from the Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1992 movie of the same name. He continued to tour with a band of constantly rotating personnel and a critical stock at a level higher than it had been for 15 years. His last recordings, both released posthumously, were the hip hop-influenced studio album Doo-Bop and Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux, a collaboration with Quincy Jones for the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival in which Davis performed the repertoire from his 1960s recordings for the first time in decades. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with Doo-Bop was Jazz innovator Miles Davis ' final studio album which would have marked the beginning of the artist's turn to hip-hop -oriented Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux is a Miles Davis collaboration with Quincy Jones for the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival. Quincy Delight Jones Jr (born March 14, 1933) also known as Q, is an American Music Impresario, conductor The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music Festival in Switzerland, Europe's most prestigious

In 1988 he played a small part in the film "Scrooged," starring Bill Murray, in which he played a street musician.

Davis received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding

Early 1991 saw the release of the Rolf de Heer film Dingo, starring Colin Friels as a frustrated jazz trumpeter from outback Australia who follows his dream of meeting and performing with Billy Cross, a fictional jazz legend played by Davis. Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951 is an Australian Film director, writer and producer Dingo is a 1991 Australian film directed by Rolf de Heer and written by Marc Rosenberg. Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952 is a distinguished Scottish -born Australian actor For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. In the film's opening sequence, Davis and band unexpectedly land on a remote airstrip in the Australian outback and proceed to perform for the stunned locals. The performance forms the impetus for the main character to pursue a life in music and was one of Davis' last filmed performances.

Death

Miles Davis died on September 28, 1991 from a stroke, pneumonia and respiratory failure in Santa Monica, California at the age of 65. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal Respiratory failure is a medical term for inadequate Gas exchange by the Respiratory system. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York. This article refers to the Woodlawn Cemetery in the New York City borough of The Bronx New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Awards

• Winner; Down Beat Reader's Poll 1955
• Winner; Down Beat Reader's Poll 1957
• Grammy Award for Best Jazz Composition Of More Than Five Minutes Duration for Sketches of Spain (1960)
• Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance, Large Group Or Soloist With Large Group for Bitches Brew (1970)
• Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist for We Want Miles (1982)
• Sonning Award for Lifetime Achievement In Music (1984; Copenhagen, Denmark)
• Doctor of Music, honoris causa (1986; New England Conservatory)
• Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist for Tutu (1986)
• Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist for Aura (1989)
• Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band for Aura (1989)
• Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1990)
• Knighted into the Legion of Honor (July 16, 1991; Paris)
• Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for Doo-Bop (1992)
• Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance for Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux (1993)
• Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star (February 19, 1998)
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction (March 13, 2006)
• Hollywood's Rockwalk Induction (September 28, 2006)
• RIAA Triple Platinum for Kind of Blue
• St. Louis Walk of Fame

Discography

Main article: Miles Davis discography

References

Sources

• Carr, Ian. Miles Davis. ISBN 0-00-653026-5.
• Chambers, Jack. Milestones: The Music and Times of Miles Davis. ISBN 0-306-80849-8.
• Cole, George. The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis 1980 – 1991. ISBN 1-904768-18-0.
• Davis, Miles & Troupe, Quincy. Miles: The Autobiography. ISBN 0-671-63504-2.
• Davis, Gregory. Dark Magus: The Jekyll & Hyde Life of Miles Davis. ISBN-13: 978-0-87930-875-9. [2]
• Early, Gerald. Miles Davis and American Culture. ISBN 1-883982-37-5 cloth, ISBN 1-883982-38-3, paper.
• Szwed, John. So What: The Life of Miles Davis. ISBN 0-434-00759-5.
• Tingen, Paul. Miles Beyond: The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991. ISBN 0-8230-8360-8. [3]
• Mandel, Howard (2007). "Miles, Ornette, Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz". Routledge. ISBN 0415967147.

External links

Web sites dedicated to Miles Davis:

• Official website
• Official Sony Music website
• Miles Ahead Large site dedicated to Miles Davis, contains an extensive data base of sessions and a Discography
• The Sound of Miles Davis Site dedicated to Jan Lohmann's pioneering discography of all Davis's recordings
• Miles Beyond Paul Tingen's book and web site on the electric music of Miles Davis, 1967-1991
• The Last Miles George Cole's book and website on the last decade of Miles Davis's music
• Milestones: A Miles Davis Collector's Site Collector's site with much material

Web site pages about Miles Davis:

• Miles Davis at Allmusic
• Miles Davis at the Internet Movie Database
• Miles Davis biography at the African American Registry
• Miles Davis in the Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Sons of Miles: Interviews and profiles with Miles Davis and musicians influenced by him
• Miles Davis @ All About Jazz

Persondata
NAME	Davis, Miles Dewey III
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Jazz trumpeter
DATE OF BIRTH	May 26, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH	Alton, Illinois
DATE OF DEATH	September 28, 1991
PLACE OF DEATH	Santa Monica, California

allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. African American Registry ( The Registry) is a Non-profit educational resource for the learning community to supply teachers with the information method and The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Alton is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles north of St Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic