Davis Miles - star of jazz music

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Davis Miles is an American representative of the jazz direction in music. He is known as a trumpeter, composer, unique improviser. His work had a huge impact on the development of the music of the twentieth century and covers several periods of the development of jazz - from bebop (1940s) to modernist experimental trends. In modal jazz, cool jazz and fusion, he stood at the origins, so the musician's contribution to the development of this music is huge.

Family

Davis Miles was born on May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. His family was well provided for, since his grandfather was a large landowner and made sure that she did not need. My father was a very educated man and worked as a dentist. However, the African-American origin did not allow either the grandfather or the father to take a position in society in accordance with their material we alth and education. The black skin color was the only reason why they could not feel like full citizens of a society intolerant of African Americans.

Purpose

Since childhood, Miles understood that he must do for the family what his grandfather and father could not do. At that time, people with black skin could only achieve success in sports and music. But, since Miles was not distinguished by good he alth, the road to sports was closed to him. Therefore, in order to fulfill his mission, the boy bet on music.

He decided to become a composer since childhood. His family was musical. Everyone owned some kind of instrument. His mother played the piano and violin and wanted Miles to learn to play those instruments too. But he chose the pipe. Since then, when the boy realized that music is his destiny, he began to confidently move towards the goal. He bought books about the lives of great musicians, on music theory, listened to a lot of music, often went to places where a jazz band played. Seeing such a high interest in music, his parents bought him a record player. They were Art Tatum and Duke Ellington.

First steps in jazz

Miles started playing the trumpet. It didn’t work out too well for him, but he stubbornly continued his studies. By the age of 15, he was already making money with music. At the age of 16, he met Charlie Parker, a star jazz saxophonist. This meeting was of crucial importance. A year later, after graduating from high school, he goes to see him in New York. Miles Davis' autobiography tells how Parker taught him to play jazz, and Miles, in turn, saved him from drugs.

The first fame came to the newly minted jazz trumpeter after the release of a collaboration with Parkerplates. Miles' game was still far from perfect, but he was constantly learning, moving forward. Soon he began to play with Parker, replacing his trumpeter - super virtuoso Dizzy Gillespie. Later he replaces him, but already in Eckstein's orchestra.

All the while, Miles has been playing bebop, featuring a resurgence of African polyrhythm and improvisation.

Cool Jazz

Associating with white musicians, Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan, brings a fresh note to the music of Miles Davis. There are completely new arrangements. He creates a nonet with an unusual composition of the wind group. In early 1949, they recorded the album "The Birth of the Cool Style" - "cool jazz". The music of this album is a path to simplicity, where the voice of the trumpet sounds on a harmonic background. And subsequently, all the Miles Davis albums that he records will mark the birth of a new style or contain some kind of discovery in jazz music.

Since 1951, Miles' addiction to drugs has become too strong, and he himself is really aware of it. In 1954, he finds the strength to give up this addiction. A year later, he loses his friend Parker, who died from drugs.

Modal jazz

The musician continues his activities. He collects a quintet, and then a sextet of famous jazz instrumentalists. In 1956, one of his most significant albums, Kind Of Blue, was released, in whose music the foundations of intellectual modal jazz were laid. Later another album, Sketches Of Spain, again with white pianist Gil Evans. Spanish melodies get jazz treatment in it.

In the 60s, Davis Miles is a jazz star, he already has several Grammys. During this period, his music undergoes changes, elements of free jazz appear. Now the improvisations are more free in form, the accompaniment is ragged, funky.

Fusion style

1969 - The 1970s were marked by the work on the album Bitches Brew, which became very significant in the development of modern music. Here all the achievements of modern jazz are collected in one whole. It's not entertaining, it's psychedelic music. A direction is born that is called "fusion" - a combination of incongruous.

The line-up of musicians with whom Miles plays at this time are predominantly white. His fans began to reproach him for this. Miles is forced to change his composition to black musicians for the sake of the black audience. However, at the same time, he does not accept the racial background of the selection of performers, putting professional qualities first.

Creative crisis and return to the stage

Since 1975, Davis Miles began to have he alth problems. A car accident, drugs, death of loved ones lead to deep depression. He has not performed for 6 years.

In 1981, his album The Man With A Horn was released, heralding the musician's return to the stage. The next Tutu album, which Davis Miles recorded 5 years later, is the birth of a new style - funk-rock-jazz. The musician continues musical experiments, he is not afraidnothing new. Miles Davis did not write songs, but he introduced rappers into his instrumental compositions.

The great musician died on September 28, 1991 in Santa Monica (California). Over 50 years of musical career, he has created a special, unique style of playing the trumpet. In creativity, he was the undoubted leader, constantly experimenting, discovering new names, forming new styles.