MILES DAVIS

" I ' V E C H A N G E D M U S I C 4 O R 5 T I M E S , W H AT H AV E YO U D O N E O F A N Y I M P O R TA N C E , O T H E R T H A N B E I N G W H I T E "

EARLY LIFE IN MUSIC

B o rn M ay 2 6 th , 1 9 2 8 We a l t hy Fa m ily
Mother, Cleota Mae Davis, was a pianist
Encouraged him to play piano

Father, Miles Henr y Davis, was in dentistr y

Encouraged him to play the trumpet

H i s pa re n t s i n te re st i n m us i c , l a rg ely c o n t ri bute d to h i s co m po sing s k ills G rew up w i t h a ra di o , l i s tening to pri m a rily j a z z Jo i n e d a m us i c s o c iet y o ut s i de o f s c h o ol a t 16 ( 1 9 4 2 )

Played in various bands until he graduated (1944)

E n ro lled a t Jul l i ard ( 1 9 4 4)

NYC gave him hopes of playing with other jazz musicians
Met Charlie Parker

Wi t h Fa t h e r s pe rm i ssio n, h e dro ppe d o ut o f s c h o ol to pl ay pro fe s sionally

BEBOP
Started playing professionally around New York
Held jam sessions with many other musicians around Harlem
Charlie Parker , Thelonious Monk,

Began playing with Charlie Parker, replacing Dizzy Gillespie, in 1945

Started a thing of cool jazz

Started solo work after Parker had a mental breakdown

Unraveling relationship due to Parkers drug addictions

Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Miles Davis 1947

COOL JAZZ
Cool Jazz strode from bebop Davis wanted to play jazz with a lighter sound to sound more expressive
Released Birth of the Cool in 1957 I wanted the instruments to sound like human voices singing and they did.

BLUE
Depression and drug addiction period
Heroin habit began around 1950
Lasted for four years, inhibiting recording opportunities
This struggle did influence his works Inspiration from his struggles

Locked himself in a room to stabilize him during relapse

THE MILES DAVIS QUINTET 1955-1969

After recovery, signed with Columbia records The quintet varied as members came and went
John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones

1959 release of Kind of Blue

Greatest jazz album of all time

"Philly Joe was a bitch. If he'd been a lawyer and white, he would have been president of the United States, because in order to get there you gotta talk fast and carry a lot of bullshit with you; Philly had it all and a lot to spare."

1959-1968
Great success came with Kind of Blue Continued to release albums and toured around the world Continued development of his quintet
Played with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter
Miles Davis Second Great Quintet

1968-1975
Heavily influenced by the funk scene
Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown,

Adopted electric keyboard into his band, guitar Jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz rock Banded with group of musicians to release Bitches Brew

"I remember one time, it might have been a couple times, at the Fillmore East in 1970, I was opening up for this sorry-ass cat named Steve Miller. he didn't have his shit going on for him, so I'm pissed I got to open up for this non playin' mutha%#cker' just because he had one or two sorry-ass records out, so we would come late and he would have to go on first, then we got there, we smoked the muth%#&ckin' place, everybody dug it"

Took time out to open for bands like

Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Santana, Steve miller

Also had a relapse in depression and drugs in 1976

Described himself as a hermit during his depressive states He was an open sex addict

Became very tired

Im very tired. I will take a nap now. Miles Davis

HOMEWORK IS FUN
Continued to work
Toured, produced, acted until his last years

He died on September 18 th , 1991 Goodnight