1945-48 Contributed to Parkers pioneering bop recordings. Absorbed Bop style,
received tuition from Theolonius Monk.
“Now’s the Time” - Miles received a poor review
*He was not as technically able as Gillespie therefore:
(Bird’s heroine addiction, resulting in hospitalization, electric shock
therapy in LA in 1946. In 1948 he was dismissed from
the
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August 1948
Miles had gained sufficient experience and confidence to leave Parker and form a nine-piece ensemble he described as “a collaborative experiment” with Gil Evans.
Gil—Canadian born composer/arranger who built on Ellington’s example of a high blend of pre-composition with sophistical instrumental textures and adventurous harmonies.
The encounter with Gil helped Miles to make his first significant stylistic advance—“Cool Jazz”. 1948 the band replaced Basie’s band for a two week appearance of the Royal Roost. In 1949-1950 recorded (no vibrato).
Davis stated that the group (Nonet) aimed to reintroduce a memorable melodic dimension in jazz and in doing so it unintentionally created an idiom with far greater appeal for a White audience than bop had done previously.
1949—One of the Ambassadors of Bop attending the inaugural jazz festival in Paris, upon return became thoroughly disillusioned with the American Jazz scene and drifted into drug problems.
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October 1951-October 1956 Series of albums for Prestige Recording Label
WALKIN’ 1954
Septet—JJ Johnson, Horace Silver, K. Clarke
Blues elements synthesized into his intense and sometimes sparse melodic style, foreshadowing the ‘funk’on Silver’s soul jazz.
COOKIN’ RELAXIN’ WORKIN’ AND STEAMIN’ ---1956
Pop tunes/Bebop tunes- Mainstream Hardbop
Demonstrate his ability to construct lengthy solo improvisations---hard bop and later styles
High level of thematic integration
Shapely control of climactic moments
*Widely considered the best representation of the peak of both Davis’ early work and the post-bop style
Contributed new standards of sophistication in accompaniment
Over this foundation sharp contrast between Miles understated improvisations and John Coltrane’s impassioned streams of notes lent the music a rare intensity (Harmon Mute)
1956—Trane was replaced by Rollins briefly
1957—Miles Ahead = Gil precomposed jazz for large ensemble
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1958--Trane rejoined with Cannonball to record Milestones- Modal jazz “Miles”
*Turned away from the complexities of Bop harmony
*Improvisations based on modes
*Miles interest in Ravel and Kachaturian
*To avoid musical stasis (single mode) he created a variety of shifting—to a
different scale during the composition
*He viewed modal jazz as a challenge to melodic invention
(deliberate restriction of resources results in a paradoxical sense of creative
liberation)
Transitional record, a pause at the portals before entering into the magnificence of Kind Of Blue a year later
1958 “Porgy and Bess”
“I loves you Porgy” – solo passages based on single scale
“Summertime” solo passages based on single scale
1959-60 “Sketches of Spain”
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MOST INFLUENTIAL DAVIS MODAL COMPOSITION:
“So What”
Form-A , A, B, A
1959 KIND OF BLUE – no prior rehearsal (Bill Evans)
After his pioneering sidemen had gone their separate ways, Miles surrounded himself with younger talents.
May 1963 – new rhythm section
Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams (17 years old). Rock steady time-keeping, Harmonic/rhythmic virtuosity. Arguably the finest rhythm section that Jazz had ever seen.
1964 “My Funny Valentine”
“Four and More”
1965 “Live at Plugged Nickel”
mixture of modal and hard bop techniques to a peak of perfection
1965 “E.S.P.” (Wayne Shorter arrives)
1967 “Miles Smiles”, “Sorcerer”
1968 “Nefertiti”
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October 1967 Downbeat Magazine title “Jazz as we know it is DEAD”
1969 Miles in
the Sky- “Stuff”
a. sleeve design rock oriented
b. use of electric guitar, bass guitar and electric piano
1969 “Filles De Kilimanjaro”(odd phrasing)“In a Silent Way” (Feb. collaboration with Joe Zawinul) –Austrian with electric piano, Chick Corea, J. McLaughlin
“Bitches Brew” Double Album 93 minutes. Jack DeJohnette replaces Williams
Borrowed instruments and techniques from rock and introduced the concept of JAZZ-ROCK FUSION. A popular genre in the 1970s. (Dress rock oriented)
No Swing—Backbeat beat, straight eighths
No Walking Bass—Bass riffs, supported improvisation based on scales (modal days)
Directions in music given by Miles Davis
“Bitches Brew” became one of the best selling albums in Jazz history.
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CONTRIBUTIONS OF MILES DAVIS
I. Trumpet style
II. Contributed a large body of historically important recordings
III. Birth of the Cool proponent
IV. 1960s—Hardbopish/modal, contemporary, experimental with harmony, rhythm, and form.
V. Pioneering MODAL JAZZ---Kind of Blue ‘59
VI. Groups of 1980s-1990s modeled their group approach after M.D. 1965-68
VII. “Bitches Brew” album 1969 pioneered jazz-rock fusion styles
He organized bands of key emulators at early moments in the development of Bop, Cool Jazz, Modal Jazz and Jazz-Rock fusion.
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