Bitches Brew, however polarizing, produced the desired effect, and Miles Davis gained many new followers with his synthesis of rock, funk, and jazz. Along with his music, Miles' whole appearance changed, as he adopted the persona of a rock star. Much of this was influenced by his new wife, Betty Mabry. She was a funk singer nearly 20 years his junior, and was hip to the latest fashions of the day. They were only married for about a year, but she had a major effect on Miles' style throughout this period. Although it was in keeping with the era, Miles seemed too old for the part, and he caught considerable flack for his sudden transformation. Nevertheless, jazz-rock was now dominating the jazz world, and it would be difficult to find anyone still playing acoustic hard bop anymore. Two exceptions would be Art Blakey, and Miles' former piano player Bill Evans. Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams followed Davis's lead, forming their own fusion bands shortly after leaving him, with Hancock using the electric piano almost exclusively during the '70s. Davis would continue to expand on the music of Bitches Brew during the '70s, and would also continue to draft many up-and-coming young musicians into his bands. Not many would stay too long, as Miles was restless and forward thinking, always eager for transfusions of new blood to fill his rhythmic veins. In 1970, Davis recorded Miles Davis at Fillmore, taken from four live shows he played at the Fillmore East in New York City. One of his most lauded albums from this period was A Tribute to Jack Johnson, recorded in February and June of 1971. Another talented group backed him on this record: guitarist John McLaughlin, drummer Billy Cobham, bassist Michael Henderson, and saxophonist Steve Grossman. Herbie Hancock rejoined his former boss for the album as well. A series of health issues would drive Miles into a dark, drug-riddled seclusion that would reach its nadir in the late '70s. Returning in the early '80s, he was much less discriminatory in who he played with, even to the point of recording with pop starlet Cyndi Lauper and new wave group Scritti Politti. Even though Miles might have lost part of his musical ability, he always seemed to have the brightest talent playing around him. Miles Davis died on September 29, 1991 at the age of 65. At the time of his passing, he had been recording material with hip hop producer Easy Mo Bee, in an album that would be released as Doo-Bop. Davis was also an admirer of the Beastie Boy's album Paul's Boutique, and many hip hop artists have sampled his music, including Gang Starr and Mobb Deep. Up until the very end, Miles was trying to stay relevant by keeping up with the latest musical trends. I don't think there will ever be another musician who will match his accomplishments, or the quality and scope of his music.
Miles Davis: Jazz Genius
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Final Miles
Bitches Brew, however polarizing, produced the desired effect, and Miles Davis gained many new followers with his synthesis of rock, funk, and jazz. Along with his music, Miles' whole appearance changed, as he adopted the persona of a rock star. Much of this was influenced by his new wife, Betty Mabry. She was a funk singer nearly 20 years his junior, and was hip to the latest fashions of the day. They were only married for about a year, but she had a major effect on Miles' style throughout this period. Although it was in keeping with the era, Miles seemed too old for the part, and he caught considerable flack for his sudden transformation. Nevertheless, jazz-rock was now dominating the jazz world, and it would be difficult to find anyone still playing acoustic hard bop anymore. Two exceptions would be Art Blakey, and Miles' former piano player Bill Evans. Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams followed Davis's lead, forming their own fusion bands shortly after leaving him, with Hancock using the electric piano almost exclusively during the '70s. Davis would continue to expand on the music of Bitches Brew during the '70s, and would also continue to draft many up-and-coming young musicians into his bands. Not many would stay too long, as Miles was restless and forward thinking, always eager for transfusions of new blood to fill his rhythmic veins. In 1970, Davis recorded Miles Davis at Fillmore, taken from four live shows he played at the Fillmore East in New York City. One of his most lauded albums from this period was A Tribute to Jack Johnson, recorded in February and June of 1971. Another talented group backed him on this record: guitarist John McLaughlin, drummer Billy Cobham, bassist Michael Henderson, and saxophonist Steve Grossman. Herbie Hancock rejoined his former boss for the album as well. A series of health issues would drive Miles into a dark, drug-riddled seclusion that would reach its nadir in the late '70s. Returning in the early '80s, he was much less discriminatory in who he played with, even to the point of recording with pop starlet Cyndi Lauper and new wave group Scritti Politti. Even though Miles might have lost part of his musical ability, he always seemed to have the brightest talent playing around him. Miles Davis died on September 29, 1991 at the age of 65. At the time of his passing, he had been recording material with hip hop producer Easy Mo Bee, in an album that would be released as Doo-Bop. Davis was also an admirer of the Beastie Boy's album Paul's Boutique, and many hip hop artists have sampled his music, including Gang Starr and Mobb Deep. Up until the very end, Miles was trying to stay relevant by keeping up with the latest musical trends. I don't think there will ever be another musician who will match his accomplishments, or the quality and scope of his music.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Miles Discovers Electricity
Miles Davis always seemed to have one foot in the present and one foot pointing to the future, and at the beginning of 1968, it was clear in which direction he was heading. The year began with the release of Nefertiti in March 1968. Nefertiti was recorded in June and July of 1967, and would end up being his last fully acoustic album, as well as the last record that the Quintet would play as they were constituted. All of the songs were composed by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, with the exception of Tony Williams' "Hand Jive". The album is outstanding, and the opening track, "Nefertiti", is a perfect demonstration for Williams' brilliant drumming. In fact, the whole band played up to their exceptional level, even though their time was coming to an end. Davis had become increasingly enamored with the rock-and-roll scene of the time, and was particularly fascinated with guitar virtuoso Jimi Hendrix. Accordingly, his next album Filles de Kilimanjaro from 1968, would be his first excursion in electronic experimentation. Miles would also add two new musicians: pianist Chick Corea and British bassist Dave Holland. Both Hancock and Corea would play the electric Rhodes piano in favor of an acoustic one, and Holland and Carter would play electric bass guitars. This definitely gives the album a much different feel than anything Davis had previously done, and the rock elements can be heard throughout. Ralph Gleason was right when he said there is a mystic quality to the record, and this was probably because no one had ever heard anything like it before. It was the first shot fired in the jazz fusion genre, and fittingly, it was Miles Davis holding the smoking gun. Both Filles de Kilimanjaro and its follow-up, In a Silent Way were warm-ups for the revolutionary double album, Bitches Brew. Recorded just weeks after the Apollo 11 moon landing, Bitches Brew took things a giant leap forward for the jazz-rock style. All of the members of the classic Quintet were gone except for Wayne Shorter, and close to a dozen musicians contributed to the album, including guitarist John McLaughlin. Like Kind of Blue, recorded a decade before, Bitches Brew has had a tremendous influence on other musicians. Thom Yorke of Radiohead said: "It was building something up and watching it fall apart, that's the beauty of it. It was at the core of what we were trying to do with OK Computer." Jazz music was changing along with the times, and jazz musicians replaced their suits and ties with bell-bottoms and bandanas. Probably no one could have imagined at the beginning of the decade that jazz would sound like this barely ten years later. While the album received mostly positive reviews, it also alienated many Davis fans and purists, who didn't consider it jazz at all. There were even some who charged Miles with selling out to gain more sales, especially among the younger black audience.
1967
Miles Davis Quintet in Europe, 1967 |
Thursday, November 27, 2014
The Second Coming
Occasionally, a group will come along that stands out among its peers, leaving an indomitable musical legacy. In 1964, Miles Davis brought together something truly special with his second classic quintet of Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams. Always possessing a keen eye for young talent, Davis saw the potential in each musician. Herbie Hancock, 22, was a child prodigy who had already recorded two solo records by the time he joined Davis. Ron Carter was a complete bassist with extraordinary technique, who had earned a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Tony Williams was another phenom who was performing professionally around his hometown of Boston by the age of 13. After trying sax players Sam Rivers and George Coleman, Miles finally snagged the guy he really wanted: tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Shorter had been a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers since 1959, but he finally relented to Davis' overtures and joined him in early 1964, completing the quintet. According to Hancock, when he called Williams to tell him that Miles wanted them in his group, Tony screamed with excitement, "like a little kid, which he was-- he was 17 at the time..." Hancock also said that "It was always a joy to play with Miles... it was always full of risks, full of mystery... we loved getting lost and having to make something almost out of thin air." Many critics consider this group the finest small jazz combo ever, and they continue to leave a profound and lasting effect on subsequent jazz musicians. The quintet recorded their first studio album E.S.P. in January 1965, and although it didn't quite match their following albums in power and creativity, it formed the embryo of what would be born in the next two years. E.S.P. also introduced seven original compositions; until that time, Miles had been playing old standards for many years. This new group were not only talented musicians, but excellent composers as well. Each member contributed a song to the album except for Tony Williams. The quintet would not make another record for almost two years due to Miles' deteriorating health, but when they did, it was well worth the wait.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Blue and Gil
Rarely does a group of musicians enter a recording studio thinking they are about to make history. This was very likely the case when Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, Bill Evans, and Jimmy Cobb walked into the CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City in early 1959 to record Kind of Blue. In fact, according to Cobb, the musicians had no idea what they were going to play until Miles handed them sheets with only a basic outline of what he wanted from them. This is the truest essence of improvisatory jazz, and the results were astounding. Bill Evans and Jimmy Cobb were the new additions to the group, and both of them played a key role in the album's sound. Evans was a classically trained pianist interested in Impressionist music by composers Debussy and Ravel, and their influence definitely shows in his solos. Apart from being the greatest-selling jazz record of all time, the true testament of its significance can be seen in the influence it has had, not just among jazz musicians, but rock musicians as well. Duane Allman, the virtuoso guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band, said that he wore out his copy of Kind of Blue from playing it over and over again on his turntable. Allman said, "I've listened to that album so many times that for the past couple of years I haven't hardly listened to anything else." It also greatly influenced his own playing, as well as the Allmans' improvisatory, jazzy jams. The late, great Pink Floyd pianist Richard Wright also found inspiration from the album, and he used one of its chords for the song "Breathe" on their 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon. Equally important was the relationship that Davis formed with arranger Gil Evans. Miles and Gil had similar musical tastes, as well as a mutual admiration for one another. They made beautiful orchestral jazz together in the late '50s, the highlights being Miles Ahead (1957), Porgy and Bess (1958), and Sketches of Spain (1960). Porgy and Bess is considered the greatest of them, and Davis' trumpet playing never sounded better. In addition to the trumpet, Miles also played the flugelhorn on many of the record's songs, which gave him an even softer, mellower tone. This was a golden era for Miles Davis. He was at the peak of his powers, both as a musician, and as a jazz icon. Many kids looked up to him as the epitome of coolness, and he was popular with both white and black audiences. A major blow came when John Coltrane decided to leave to form his own band, with Jimmy Cobb following shortly after. As the '60s dawned, Miles looked to a younger generation of jazz musicians to push him to higher levels, and he would attain this with his second classic quintet.
The First Classic Quintet
Miles Davis (right) and John Coltrane |
Paul Chambers |
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Beginnings
Miles Davis and Charlie Parker |
52nd Street, New York City c. 1950s |
Newport Jazz Festival, 1955 |
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