DAVIS, MILES - ESSENTIAL MILES DAVIS

Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader and composer. His career spanned nearly five decades, during which he contributed to several developments in jazz, including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, third stream, modal jazz, avant-garde jazz, and jazz fusion. Davis's work also influenced genres such as rock, funk, classical and hip-hop. Davis was born in Alton, Illinois, and raised in East St. Louis. He began playing the trumpet in his early teens and briefly studied at Juilliard in New York City before leaving to perform professionally. From 1944 to 1948, he was a member of Charlie Parker's bebop quintet. In the late 1940s, he recorded the "Birth of the Cool" sessions for Capitol Records, which contributed to the development of cool jazz. In the early 1950s, he recorded early hard bop music for Prestige Records. After a performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, he signed with Columbia Records and recorded the album "’Round About Midnight" in 1955, featuring saxophonist John Coltrane and bassist Paul Chambers. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Davis recorded orchestral collaborations with arranger Gil Evans, including "Sketches of Spain" (1960), and band albums such as "Milestones" (1958) and "Kind of Blue" (1959). "Kind of Blue" has sold over five million copies in the United States. Davis made several lineup changes while recording "Someday My Prince Will Come" (1961), the 1961 Blackhawk concerts, and "Seven Steps to Heaven" (1963), which introduced bassist Ron Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, and drummer Tony Williams. With the addition of saxophonist Wayne Shorter in 1964, Davis led a quintet that produced post-bop recordings including "E.S.P." (1965) and "Miles Smiles" (1967). In the late 1960s and 1970s, Davis experimented with electric instruments, rock, funk, African rhythms, and electronic music technology, with musicians including keyboardist Joe Zawinul, drummer Al Foster, bassist Michael Henderson, and guitarist John McLaughlin. This period, beginning with the 1969 album "In a Silent Way" and concluding with the 1975 concert recording "Agharta," included the album "Bitches Brew" (1970), which contributed to the commercial development of jazz fusion. After a five-year retirement in the late 1970s, Davis resumed performing in the 1980s, incorporating younger musicians and elements of pop music on albums such as "The Man with the Horn" (1981), "You're Under Arrest" (1985), and "Tutu" (1986). He continued to perform internationally and was also involved in visual arts, film, and television until his death in 1991 from a combination of stroke, pneumonia, and respiratory failure, aged 65. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which recognised him as a significant figure in jazz. Rolling Stone described him as a highly influential jazz trumpeter, and commentators have noted his impact on 20th-century music. Studio albums The New Sounds (1951) Young Man with a Horn (1952) Blue Period (1953) The Compositions of Al Cohn (1953) Miles Davis Volume 2 (1954) Miles Davis Volume 3 (1954) Miles Davis Quintet (1954) With Sonny Rollins (1954) Miles Davis Quartet (1954) All-Stars, Volume 1 (1955) All-Stars, Volume 2 (1955) All Star Sextet (1955) The Musings of Miles (1955) Blue Moods (1955) Miles Davis, Vol. 1 (1956) Miles Davis, Vol. 2 (1956) Dig (1956) Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet (1956) Quintet/Sextet (1956) Collectors' Items (1956) Birth of the Cool (1957) 'Round About Midnight (1957) Walkin' (1957) Cookin' (1957) Miles Ahead (1957) Relaxin' (1958) Milestones (1958) Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants (1959) Porgy and Bess (1959) Kind of Blue (1959) Workin' (1960) Sketches of Spain (1960) Steamin' (1961) Someday My Prince Will Come (1961) Seven Steps to Heaven (1963) Quiet Nights (1963) E.S.P. (1965) Miles Smiles (1967) Sorcerer (1967) Nefertiti (1968) Miles in the Sky (1968) Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968) In a Silent Way (1969) Bitches Brew (1970) Jack Johnson (1971) Live-Evil (1971) On the Corner (1972) In Concert (1973) Big Fun (1974) Get Up with It (1974) Agharta (1975) Pangaea (1976) Dark Magus (1977) The Man with the Horn (1981) We Want Miles (1982) Star People (1983) Decoy (1984) You're Under Arrest (1985) Tutu (1986) Amandla (1989) Aura (1989) Doo-Bop (1992) Rubberband (2019) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.