Miles Davis (1926-1991)

[San Antone]

This is the place to talk about all things Miles.  I'll kick it off with a fantastic site that lists every session, every album, every tune throughout his career organized by decade.

Miles Ahead: A Miles Davis Website

Some Wikinfo about his early life:

Miles Dewey Davis was born on May 26, 1926, to an affluent African American family in Alton, Illinois. His father, Miles Henry Davis, was a dentist. In 1927 the family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois. 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. His musical studies began at 13, when his father gave him a trumpet and arranged lessons with local musician Elwood Buchanan. Davis later suggested that his father's instrument choice was made largely to irk his wife, who disliked the trumpet's sound. Against the fashion of the time, Buchanan stressed the importance of playing without vibrato; he was reported to have slapped Davis' knuckles every time he started using heavy vibrato.[7] Davis would carry his clear signature tone throughout his career. He once remarked on its importance to him, saying, "I prefer a round sound with no attitude in it, like a round voice with not too much tremolo and not too much bass. Just right in the middle. If I can't get that sound I can't play anything."[8] Clark Terry was another important early influence.[9]

By age 16, Davis was a member of the music society and playing professionally when not at school. At 17, he spent a year playing in Eddie Randle's band, the 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. He graduated from East St. Louis Lincoln High School in 1944.

In 1944, the Billy Eckstine band visited East St. Louis. Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were members of the band, and Davis was brought in on third trumpet for a couple of weeks because the regular player, Buddy Anderson, was out sick. Even after this experience, once Eckstine's band left town, Davis' parents were still keen for him to continue formal academic studies.

[Bogey]

I'm in.  Until Hancock and the lads leave, that is.

[San Antone]

Did you know that Miles's last CD was in 1991 Live at Montreux, with Quincy Jones doing the Gil Evans big band book?  After over 20 years of the electric bands he comes back and plays like he never left the bop.

Fantastic, and a great way to go out. 

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He died before this was released.

[Karl Henning]

I like this thread already

[Bogey]

Did you know that Miles's last CD was in 1991 Live at Montreux, with Quincy Jones doing the Gil Evans big band book?  After over 20 years of the electric bands he comes back and plays like he never left the bop.

Fantastic, and a great way to go out. 

[asin]B000ASTEEA[/asin]

He died before this was released.

Huh.  I have that one on the shelf.  I may give a spin tomorrow.

[San Antone]

Oh, I know the Miles/Quincy thing is not that important, but it is a nice bookend to his long career, coming full circle so to speak.

The post '80 band stuff is also not that good, either, compared to his pre-75 music.  Tutu and some of We Want Miles is okay.  He also did a soundtrack with Michel Legrand that is worth hearing, Dingo, but by and large I don't listen to him after 1975. 

[Bogey]

"I noticed Miles Davis standing in a dark corner.  ..... Miles always seemed to be standing in a dark corner."-Mike Zwerin (1948)



The Complete Birth of the Cool [Original Recording Reissued, Original Recording Remastered]

Live Sessions only.  (Tracks 13-25, if you are counting.)  Recorded at the Royal Roost September 4 and 18, 1948.  If you enjoy the idea of Miles anchred in the back with a tuba, then buy now.

More on the Royal Roost from the web:

The Royal Roost
1580 Broadway (at 47th Street)
Peak years: 1946 to mid-'50s

In 1942, a new sound began to be heard in New York City: snappy, staccato phrasing, harmonic leaps and rhythmic elasticity all taken at a breakneck tempo that favored 8th notes (and sometimes 16th notes) for maximum effect. By 1944, this sound that defined a doorway into the modern era of jazz had its heroes—Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie—and a name: bebop.

Bebop filtered into the clubs on 52nd Street—Onyx Club, Three Deuces, the Famous Door and others—where swing-era veterans like Count Basie, Pee Wee Russell and Eddie Condon could also be heard. But as bebop gathered momentum, it lacked its own home. An enterprising ex-saxophonist named Ralph Watkins—whose efforts at opening a jazz room in a chicken restaurant on Broadway were off to a stumbling start—was convinced by publicist/producer Monte Kay and DJ "Symphony" Sid Torin to try booking the stars of this new modern sound.

On a Tuesday night in 1948, the Royal Roost presented its first modern-jazz concert, showcasing a young, all-star lineup: Parker, Tadd Dameron, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro and Max Roach. More than 500 fans showed up. Soon enough, the club adopted a second name, the Metropolitan Bopera House and proudly declared itself "The House That Bop Built." With Symphony Sid pushing the concerts on his nightly radio program as well as broadcasting live from the venue, the Roost embraced its new focus.

In late '48, the stars of bop settled into the Roost: Gillespie with his big band, Parker with a quintet featuring Davis and Roach. The club soon spawned a record label, and Dameron, Bud Powell, guitarist Johnny Smith and even Harry Belafonte recorded for Roost. (Music entrepreneur Morris Levy took note and a year later opened Birdland and started the Roulette label.)

In September 1948, Miles Davis debuted a new project at the Roost: a nine-piece group developed at rehearsals in arranger Gil Evans' basement apartment. Years later, when the influence of Davis' breakthrough band was fully felt, the music was dubbed "The Birth of the Cool" and there was one more reason to enter the Royal Roost into the history books.

By 1950, saddled with a new, strong-armed partner intent on retooling the Roost as a new version of the Cotton Club, Watkins departed to open Bop City, which, despite an impressive neon marquee and a Broadway address, was short-lived. As modern jazz sprinted into the '50s, the Roost became a fast-fading memory.

[San Antone]

Great music.

It is amazing how Miles progressed after first getting to New York.  I am not sure when he met Gil Evans, who was mainly known as the arranger for Claude Thornhill's band.  But after Miles left Parker, you would have thought he would have just picked up with another bop band and continue doing what he'd been doing.  I mean it's not as if he had done much of anything else up to that time.  It was really Evans and Mulligan's group but Miles eventually became the de facto leader.

It was the perfect storm of personnel and arrangements.  When the Nonet played at the Roost, Miles insisted on the arrangers getting billing, which was unheard of at that time.

The band didn't stay together, and at the time this record was considered a failure - but what they did changed the history of jazz.

[Bogey]

And the vocals of Kenny Hagood gives a sweet swing.  Add some Godchild action and you have a flavour of BIG BAND for sure.



Karl, he crooned a bit with Monk as well.

[Bogey]

Cannot find a shot of Junior Collins (French horn) who was a member of Glenn Miller's Army Air Force band.  He died in '74.

Bill Barber on tuba:



Kai Winding on trombone (studio sessions):




Lee Konitz on sax:



Al Haig on the ivories (for studio):



John Lewis for the live:



Joe Shulamn (died in '57) for studio and Al McKibbon (early Monk man, Karl)

 

Add in Roach and Mulligan (and some I missed)....just a lot of guys wanting to let the jazz breathe!

[San Antone]

Hey, Bill, great photos.

A nice video compilation of the music from the Nonet:

http://www.youtube.com/v/tgSR9NP_V7w&list=PL3A89800614389126

[Bogey]

Makes me want to spin the studio run.  It would be fun to also collect all the recordings where Miles was a sideman.  Difficult I am guessing, but the jazz you would net would be outstanding!

[San Antone]

A little later, but still the cool jazz period -  some rare footage around the time of the Kind of Blue sessions Live at Carnegie Hall Concert with Gil Evans.

http://www.youtube.com/v/1P5xZyK4cFw

[Bogey]

Excellent video.  I just "snuck" in the studio cuts of Birth of the Cool.  The sound is obviously better, but I want to play the cuts side by side to compare my preference for the performance.  I will hit these tomorrow.  Great thread here.  It will make me go through my Mile's collection at a more reflective pace.

[San Antone]

Makes me want to spin the studio run.  It would be fun to also collect all the recordings where Miles was a sideman.  Difficult I am guessing, but the jazz you would net would be outstanding!

There is this pretty good discography which has many dates with him as a sideman.  You're right, it would be interesting to try to grab as much of this stuff as your wallet allowed. 

[7/4]

I've been a long time Miles fan...30-35 years. Mostly obsessed with the groups with Tony Williams these days.

[San Antone]

Miles's career is long and contains many stylistic changes and to get a handle on it it might be good to focus on the various periods.  I'm not trying to control the conversation but thought it would helpful to sketch out the major periods and bands in a post or two.

In my mind I have four major periods in Miles's career:

1. Early years through the First Quintet and Sextet
2. Gil Evans projects to the Second Quintet
3. Transition to electronic bands through 1975
4. The post-1980 period

I'll try to sum up each of these periods in a post - and welcome comments and corrections.

Part I: The Early Years Through the First Great Quintet and Sextet

The Be-Bop Years

He was a regular member of The Charlie Parker Quintet from 1945 and into 1948.  This period is well documented with the Parker recordings.  In 1948 he left Parker and worked as a sideman for a while but soon met Gil Evans, a friendship which ushered in one of the most important jazz collaborations of all time.

The Nonet

We've already discussed the Birth of the Cool Nonet some, but this recording was just the beginning of a partnership with Evans which would eventually produce half a dozen jazz classics.  During 1948-1949 Miles worked with Lee Konitz beyond the Nonet in a variety of "cool jazz" groups.

Early '50s and the Prestige Records

The first part of the '50s had Miles playing with a number of small groups mainly in Europe.  Having gotten a heroin habit, his performance was showing signs of deterioration and he left the scene entirely in order to kick.   During this time he signed with Prestige Records and begin his first real stint as a leader.  The Prestige records were mainly blowing sessions, with groups including Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson and has been completely collected the box set Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings, 1951-1956.

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It was during this time that Miles really developed his signature style, introducing the mute and generally defining his sound.  Miles during this period can also be heard on Sonny Rollins led dates.

The First Great Quintet

Miles left Prestige in 1956 and signed with Columbia, beginning one of the longest label relationships in jazz.  Although he had other bands and made other records, the main event during 1956-1958 was the formation of his first great quintet:  Miles, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.  This band defined the so-called "hard-bop" style.  However, the four primary recordings of this band were on Prestige: Cookin', Steamin', Workin' and Relaxin' done in two sessions.  More is found, e.g. 'Round About Midnight plus many alternate tracks and live dates, in the Miles and Coltrane complete sessions box set (which also includes everything else including the sextet.  Bill Evans replaced Garland, Jimmy Cobb replaced Philly Joe Jones and Cannonball Adderley joined Miles during this period, for the classic Kind of Blue.






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The Kind of Blue sessions led to the Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall with the Gil Evans Orchestra, which will bring us to the next major period in Miles's career.

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If anyone feels like, it might be good for a bit to focus on these periods, and discuss some sessions from the these recordings that may be our personal favorites.   One I like is Doxy, which is really a Sonny Rollins led date, but Miles plays great on a mid-tempo groove, briven by the rhythm section of Horace Silver, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke .

[San Antone]

Walkin' (1954)



    Miles Davis – Trumpet
    Lucky Thompson – Tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 2)
    J. J. Johnson – Trombone (tracks 1, 2)
    David Schildkraut – Alto saxophone (tracks 3-5)
    Horace Silver – Piano
    Percy Heath – Bass
    Kenny Clarke – drums

1.    "Walkin'"      
2.    "Blue 'n' Boogie"      
3.    "Solar"      
4.    "You Don't Know What Love Is"      
5.    "Love Me or Leave Me" 

Great blowing session.  Dave Schildkraut is almost completely unknown today.  But, he recorded with Miles on a handful of the Prestige records.  He's an alto player who played so well and had such a command of the bop language that during Downbeat blindfold test, Charlie Mingus thought he was Bird.

Back when I was learning bass I used Percy Heath as a model of how to walk blues and rhythm changes.  He was a part of Miles's regular rhythm section, along with Horace Silver and Kenny Clarke (or Art Blakey) during these Prestige years.  Of course he is most well known as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet - but it was these Miles sessions where I really got to appreciate his mastery of the bass. 

[San Antone]

'Round About Midnight (1957)



Miles Davis – trumpet
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Red Garland – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Philly Joe Jones – drums

"'Round Midnight"
"Ah-Leu-Cha"
"All of You"
"Bye Bye Blackbird"
"Tadd's Delight"
"Dear Old Stockholm"

Considered by many as Miles's masterpiece from the First Quintet years, but the level of their work was generally so high it is hard to single one out.  However, this one has at least three performances which are unusually strong: the title song, Bye, Bye Blackbird and Dear Old Stockholm.  All of these tunes became trademarks for Miles.

The tune 'Round Midnight stayed in Miles's book well into the Second Quintet's years, and always with this arrangement, albeit more and more abstracted as the band evolved further away from hard-bop. 

[San Antone]

My personal favorite (best-of) the First Quintet is Cookin' followed by Relaxin' & Steamin'. For the 2nd Quintet E.S.P. followed by Miles Smiles & Nefertiti.

[asin]B000KP62TS[/asin]
[asin]B003O5MOHK[/asin]

Yep, all of those are great records.  "My Funny Valentine" from Cookin' remained in his book for decades, even into the electric period.  "If I Were a Bell" from Relaxin' is a classic group performance, and "When I Fall in Love" from Steamin' is one my favorite Miles performances.   The two sessions (done to fulfill his remaining contractual obligation to Prestige Records) in 1956 that produced the four albums (you didn't mention Workin': "Four", "It Never Entered My Mind") set the standard for hard-bop, and established the First Quintet.

The Second Quintet is my favorite period for Miles, but I readily acknowledge that there is no period of his career that I do not enjoy immensely.