Miles Davis - the Star of Jazz - Essay Example

Miles Davis Order No. 234061 No. of pages: 8 Premium 6530 “I got everybody in the band but the devil on the tambourine.” – Miles Davis One ofthe 20th century’s most enthusiastic, innovative and influential musicians was Miles Dewey Davis III (26th May, 1926 – 28th September 1991) Besides being a band- leader and a composer, he was a renowned trumpeter. He was responsible for any major development or progress made in the field of Jazz, right from World War II up to the 1990’s. He was always in the forefront and limelight for the innovation that took place in the Jazz arena. Jazz is considered to be one of the most brilliant and colorful forms of art in the world, which had its initial roots in New Orleans, where slave dances took place in Congo Square. This art was nurtured by the likes of great musicians such as Buddy Bolden and Joe “King” Oliver. (Ted Gioia, 1998) Davis was responsible for the development and progress of modal Jazz as well as Jazz fusion, when he came into contact with other great musicians during the period between the 1960’s to the 1970’s. His interest stemmed from playing on many of the early and important bebop records and hence came to record some of the very first cool Jazz records. The only post – war style of Free Jazz, did not have Miles Davis’ influence, though some of the musicians in his band pursued it. Miles Davis’ recordings and his live performances with other famous bands are recognized to be music that possessed lasting artistic value. He had a very forthright and languid personality that worked well with his type of innovative melodic music. An example of this would be - played "My Funny Valentine" for a long time -- and didnt like it -- and all of a sudden it meant something. -- Miles Davis (Hentoff, "Afternoon"162) On the Commercial scene, Davis was very popular and had a high selling potential in Jazz music circles. He was a highly paid artist who dressed very fashionably and always exuded a style of his own. In fact, he stood out as a symbol of the commercial potential of Jazz and was highly respected for it. Though Davis was a bit late in the line of Jazz trumpeters, yet he was capable of carving a special niche for himself as a musical innovator. Great musicians before him included Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, Joe “King” Oliver, Roy Eldridge as well as Dizzy Gillespie, who compared him to the likes of Duke Wellington with regard to being a musical innovator. Though both of them showed exceptional skill at playing their instruments, they were never considered as virtuosos. The primary difference between these two great musicians was that the key strength of Duke Wellington lay in the fact of him being a good composer and also the leader of a band, while Davis’ strength lay in his ability to draw together other great musicians into small groups and provide them their own space for their own growth and development. In fact, quite a few major stalwarts in the Jazz arena, during the post – war period, had at sometime in their career, played in one of Davis’ bands. The “Picasso of Jazz” was the title given to Miles Davis, who was known to be not only the forerunner but also the innovator of numerous important and distinct Jazz musical movements. In his musical quest, he kept reinventing not only himself but also his music. He was exclusive in a way because he was one artist who despised the issue of categorization. (Miles Davis Autographs, 1991) Miles Davis’ music is divided into different periods in his time. Given below are the periods segregated according to the years and the innovation that took place at that time. 1. The kind of Blue Period (1955 – 1961) This period consisted of Miles and Trane, the collaboration of which resulted in the creation of one of the greatest Jazz albums of all time. Davis’ debut for Columbia Records, began with Round About Midnight’ that gave a definition to the genre of hard bop, while establishing his first classic quintet. This exposure was extremely useful in helping John Coltrane create a massive reputation for himself in music circles as a person with a major voice. ‘Milestones’ was his first ever use of modes and together with Cannonball Adderly, his band became quite a powerful sextet. The ’58 sessions, gave an introduction of Bill Evans to the rest of Davis’ world and the apparent influence Evan’s had could be seen through these initial sessions. Davis’ attitude became much more focused as well as romantic, resulting in one of Jazz music’s greatest recordings –“Kind of Blue”. Miles Davis came into a much funkier arena, when he joined hands with Paul Chambers, Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly and Jimmy Cobb for the number “Someday my Prince Will Come.” John Coltrane was requested to record two songs during this session. 2. Sketches of Spain: (1957 – 1968) On behalf of Davis, Columbia Records undertook its first major production titled ‘Miles Ahead’ which was rather powerful and appealing. This was followed by ‘Porgy and Bess’ another favorite and popular number. Both the albums are clear examples of how Miles Davis’ voice acted as a catalyst for the voice of Gil Evans which was lush and simpatico. “Sketches of Spain” which was bases on Rodrigos "Concerto De Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra" was considered to be the most successful merging and blending of both Jazz and classical music, paving the way for Miles to take it a step further in his career. During the early Sixties, he attempted to make a definition using Brazilian sounds in the number “Quiet Nights” which became quite popular. The Second Great Quintet Period (1965-1968) This period was a highly innovative one because his band had both the traditions of Jazz. The band members of the ‘Second Great Quintet were - Herbie Hancock Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and Ron Carter. The first studio recording of the band was called ESP which was responsible in harnessing the creative potential of the band. On the other hand, “Miles Smiles” was more adventurous and ferocious and is considered to be one of the greatest small group albums that highlighted the Quintet’s impressionistic attitude. Miles thirst for innovation is evident from his “Miles in The Sky” as he began seeking a different direction to express his music. He added the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano to his already existing arsenal of sounds. He increased the rhythmic palette of the band further by incorporating funky sounds. These innovative sounds resulted in making the band one of the most influential and popular bands in Jazz. The Electric Period -- Rock, Fusion, Funk (1968-1972) During this period Miles once again embarked on his innovative journey, which resulted in changing the world of Jazz forever. He started by using other new instruments such as the electric keyboards, bass clarinet, electric bass, electric guitar, and various types of percussion instruments to lend an uncanny musical color to his works. In 1976, he released “Water Babies”, a collection of different sessions which was recorded over a period of 8 years but still was so fresh to listen to. But the album that defined the music of miles Davis was Filles De Kilimanjaro, which did ground breaking business. However, the album which was a massive breakthrough for Davis was his “Bitches Brew” which sold a whopping 400,000 copies in the very first year that it got released. This album not only made him an enigma but also roped in a lot of speculation and controversy. Critics consider this album to be responsible for the great divide between traditional Jazz music and Jazz mutation. One of Davis’ completely Rock influenced album, which happened to be “A Tribute to Jack Johnson” was “Live- Evil” which was utilized as a soundtrack for the documentary of the very famous boxer. It consisted of a thorough amalgamation of studio experimentation. Davis’ band was at its most creative peak when they played live at a concert in Washington D.C. called “Black Beauty” and once again “Live at Filmore.” In an attempt to reach out to the young black audience, he came out with “On the Corner” which consisted of dance rhythms that were both crisp and intense. The most abstract side of Miles Davis’ band could be evidently seen in Agharta, Dark Magus, Pangaea and In Concert, where he made use of long vamps in addition to three guitars. In 1976, he created a haunting ad melodic tribute to Duke Ellington, titled “Get Up With It” which happened to be Miles Davis last studio album just before retiring from active playing. His Later Works: The Man With A Horn & Beyond: After a period of hibernation Miles Davis once again made a comeback in 1980, with “A Man with a Horn”. It had sounds that were contemporary but nothing abstract. This recording brought miles once again into the limelight and attracted a major portion of the young crowd. As the band toured, their concerts were captured live. The albums “Decoy” and “You’re Under Arrest, had a personal touch of Black contemporary music. His last greatest and most memorable studio recording was titled “Aura” which was specially penned for him. This album was mostly made up of acoustic sounds that reflected sweet memories of a much younger Miles to all his fans. So after analyzing all his music all through the different periods in his life and taking into consideration the innovation he brought about in Jazz music circles, we could without a doubt say that Miles Davis evolved as a “Father of Jazz” and has definitely left his impressionable stamp in Jazz music circles. “So What” was composed in 1959 and was the first track in the album “Kind of Blue.” It is one of the best examples of modal Jazz in Miles Davis’ album which is considered to be one of his very good works. The piece is set in the Dorian mode and is made up of 16 bars in D minor 7, which is followed by 8 bars of Eb minor 7, which is once again followed by another 8 bars of D minor 7. This clearly shows that it follows the popular song structure of AABA. Gil Evans wrote the introduction of the piano and bass which was later made use of by the Miles’ Quintet for a television broadcast. The same cord progressions were made use of by John Coltrane for his “Impressions.” Coltrane, a great saxophonist and composer, had a very short span to his career, due to him being addicted to heroin. His prime years in the field of Jazz were between 1955 and 1967, but his achievements were highly prolific because in those 12 years he left an imprint of his modern Jazz on all the upcoming generations. Miles Davis lent a hand to Coltrane all through his career and gave him enough space to invent himself and his modern sounding music. Historians and Jazz critics found it difficult to define the character of Miles Davis because of the mystery and controversy that permanently surrounded him. There was no dearth of praise for this talented musician who always seemed to be under the spotlight. For example, a magazine titled “Musician” had this to say of him - "In the entire recording age, no one has meant more to music than Miles Davis”. Yet other critics are of the opinion as to why so much regard is given to him. He was always and will ever remain an enigma in Jazz circles due to the controversies that surrounded not only his music but also his personal life. Having been recognized as an indisputable leader in his genre of music, critics squirmed when it came to answering the mistakes that he committed during his concerts. But all the same, there is no doubt that Miles Davis was one of the greatest innovators in the world of Jazz. References: Book: Ted Gioia, (1998) The History of Jazz. (Jazz History and Criticism) Oxford University Press. Miles Davis Signed Art Miles Davis Autographs Miles Davis Memorabilia Miles ... Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was one of the most www.americanroyalarts.com Miles Davis Website on Legacy Recordings ... creating a music whose elements could be extracted for any musical genre, and in ... www.miles-davis Copyright © 2008 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. All Rights Reserved. LEGACY and the "L Legacy" logo are registered trademarks of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT Krin Gabbard (1995) Jazz Among the Discourses. Duke University Press, Durham and London. Book Title: Jazz among the Discourses. Contributors: Krin Gabbard - editor. Publisher: Duke University Press. Place of Publication: Durham, NC. Publication Year: 1995. Page Number: 165. Read More