Beginnings

Miles Davis and Charlie Parker

52nd Street, New York City c. 1950s

Newport Jazz Festival, 1955

Miles Davis was born on May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois, and began playing the trumpet when he was 13 years old. He progressed rapidly and he played his first professional gig with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie when he was 17. After moving to New York City, Davis sought out Parker and Gillespie at the 52nd Street jazz nightclubs, such as the 3 Deuces and the Onyx. Davis eventually replaced Gillespie and he played alongside Parker in the late 1940s. Miles was talented, but raw, and it would take him another decade before he would perfect his signature sound-- tender, romantic, and extremely melodic. In 1949, he would record Birth of the Cool, which introduced the cool jazz movement, and would be the first new style that he would be at the forefront of. It was recorded in January 1949 and March 1950, and was something of a backlash against the frenetic quality of bebop that Davis initially played. He had always loved the soothing sounds of the big band era, and was interested in creating a similar sound with a smaller band. These sessions would also be the first collaboration between Miles and Gil Evans, a relationship that would reach its full maturity in the late 1950s. Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, and drum maestro Max Roach were the supporting musicians on the record. In 1951 he recorded his first album as a leader titled The New Sounds with Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins, Walter Bishop, Jr., Tommy Potter, and Art Blakey. A malady that affected many jazz musicians of the era would eventually incapacitate Davis-- a severe addiction to heroin. He would leave music for a while to stay with his parents until he could kick his habit. The 1955 Newport Jazz Festival provided the backdrop for Miles' triumphant return, and his brilliant playing there would land him a record contract with Columbia Records. His classic era was about to begin.