Paul Pysell
Professor Murphy
Jazz in America
November 11, 2017
The Various Musical Styles of Miles Davis Miles Davis was one of the most virtuous jazz musicians ever. He was extremely innovative and always challenged himself and his band mates. This paper will focus on the many characteristics and styles of Miles’ music. These styles include: bebop, hard bop, modal jazz, his collaborations with Gil Evans, his jazz fusion period, and many more.
Bebop Era: 1945-1949 In the early 1940’s, Miles began playing in Billy Eckstein’s band. He remained in the Billy Eckstein band for only two weeks as a substitute. In those two weeks, Miles was able to play with two of bebop’s pioneers, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. After playing with Eckstein,
In 1949, Miles formed a nine-piece band and released a series of singles that were later part of the album Birth of the Cool. It was on these records that Miles really stands out. He had a clear, non-brassy sound with ample space to solo. He has a more relaxed sound with alternating lines of melodies filled with pauses, broken rhythms, and slightly longer notes. These recordings gave birth to the “West Coast Jazz.” These recordings also highlighted Miles Davis as a separation from Charlie Parker and gave Davis a larger audience and fan base. In 1951, he began recording for the Prestige label and enlisted some the most talented beboppers of the day. Miles had developed an affinity for the partnership of trumpet and saxophone from his work with Charlie Parker. It was also around this time that Miles discovered the Harmon mute and it became a signature sound for him. In the early 1950s, Davis became addicted to heroin. Davis eventually overcame his addiction in 1954, around the same time that his performance of "'Round Midnight" at the Newport Jazz Festival earned him a recording contract with Columbia Records (“Miles Davis”). It was there that he also created a permanent band, comprised of John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Red Garland, and Philly Joe Jones. This became the First Great Quintet. During this time
This led him to adapt his music to include more electric instruments into his repertoire. This marked his path into the jazz fusion style. Miles also seemed to relate to more ethnic music around this time. The album Bitches Brew is a great example of this, with it being more complex, more abstract, freer and yet funkier (Carr, pg. 256). The album Bitches Brew was recorded a few following Woodstock Music Festival and it paved the way for the jazz fusion movement to follow. Soon after the album was released Davis was the first jazz artist to be feaetured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine (“Miles Davis”). Miles Davis’ music was incredibly diverse and influenced all types of music that followed. He was beloved by traditional fans, but was also adored by young jazz musicians willing to push the boundaries of traditional jazz. His traditional fans did not welcome his change of style, but it shows Davis's ability to experiment and push the boundaries. Miles excelled at every style that he tried from bebop, to hard bop, to modal jazz, to his jazz fusion
Eventually in 1937, Dizzy Gillespie decided to head out to New York to carry out his dream of becoming a famous jazz player. During his time at New York he talked with many different bands and earned a job with Teddy Hill’s band. Hill was very impressed with Gillespie’s unique playing style. The group went on a tour from Great Britain to France shortly after Gillespie had joined the band. After getting back from the tour G...
Developed in the early 1940's, Bop had established itself as vogue by 1945. It's main innovators were alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. In this stage in jazz, improvisation differed immensely. Bebop soloists engaged in harmonic improvisation, often avoiding the melody altogether after the first chorus. Usually under seven pieces, the soloist was free to explore improvised possibilities as long as they fit into the chord structure. Popular and influential jazz artists include: Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, & Cannonball Adderley. Armstrong is most known for his involvement in hot jazz as a trumpeter, but is especially renowned for his improvisation capabilities. Louis Armstrong, born August 4, 1901 right in the beginning stages of the jazz movement, was originally from New Orleans. Armstrong was a bandleader, soloist, comedian/actor, and vocalist. Another famous, Miles Davis, is what some consider to be the best trumpeter of the era. Davis was born on May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. One unique thing about Davis was that he was taught to play without vibrato, which was incredibly contrary to the popular way of
Jazz music of the 1940’s and 1950’s was defined by a history of change since its beginning at the dawn of the 20th century. Almost every decade brought a new flavor to the movement, and by the 1940’s jazz had developed into a mature, complex form of music, with many nuances and avenues for continued change. It is important to trace the early movements in jazz to better understand the innovations of the Bebop and Cool jazz eras of the 40’s and 50’s.
So, bop can be seen as a reaction to the eventual sterilization and ubiquity of swing music. The first bop records were made by in 1944 by Coleman Hawkins experimenting with his swing band. Several individuals were instrumental in the propagation of this new form, such as Charlie "Bird" Parker (alto sax), Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Thelonious Monk (piano), Bud Powell (piano), Miles Davis (trumpet), and Charles Mingus (bass). The standard ensemble became a quintet, consisting of piano, bass, drums, reed instrument...
The early 1950’s were another turning point in Coltrane’s life. He became addicted to heroin and it started in interrupt his career. In his last year with Dizzy Gillespie’s Band, in 1951, he made his first solo performance. The performance was to the song “We like to Boogie” with Gillespie. Later in 1954 he joined Johnny Hodges. He only played with Hodges for awhile before he was fired for his addiction to heroin. Miles Davis hire...
The jazz side of Fusion Jazz gives it a sense of sophistication and complexity from the improvisations among the musicians. The rock side of Fusion Jazz gave it the power and the hard yet simple rhythms that came from the electric guitars and basses from rock music. This style also incorporated more straight rhythms, such as eighth notes, instead of the previous swing style. Because of the wild popularity of rock music after Hard Bop jazz, the composers and performers of Jazz music wanted to get into the fad and capitalize off of it, thus the creation of Fusion Jazz. This plan worked, to an extent. Many true rock fans who did not consider themselves fans of regular, older styles of jazz enjoyed Fusion jazz more than “classic” fans of jazz. Many people do not even consider Fusion jazz to be “real” jazz music. However, many forget that Jazz music was created because people wanted to be able to interpret music however they please, not have it be constricted to the rules or guidelines of other genres. Miles Davis again holds an important role in this style of music, and created one of the most well known and important fusion jazz records, “Bitches Brew”. Other notable artists of the time and style include Chick Corea (keyboards), John McLaughlin (guitar), and Whether Report
Born in Alton, Illinois, Miles Davis grew up in a middle-class family in East St. Louis. Miles Davis took up the trumpet at the age of 13 and was playing professionally two years later. Some of his first gigs included performances with his high school bandand playing with Eddie Randall and the blue Devils. Miles Davis has said that the greatest musical experience of his life was hearing the Billy Eckstine orchestra when it passed through St. Louis. In September 1944 Davis went to New York to study at Juilliard but spend much more time hanging out on 52nd Street and eventually dropped out of school. He moved from his home in East St. Louis to New York primarily to enter school but also to locate his musical idol, Charlie Parker. He played with Parker live and in recordings from the period of 1945 to 1948. Davis began leading his own group in 1948 as well as working with arranger Gil Evans. Davis’ career was briefly interrupted by a heroin addiction, although he continued to record with other popular bop musicians.
Miles Davis was a key player in the evolution of modern jazz. In the 1940’s he participated in the bebop craze, then initiated the cool jazz era in the 1950’s. Bebop involved a higher register and note fueled playing while Miles favored the middle register, with longer and less frequency of notes, and a
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
A single artist can have a very strong impact on a whole genre of Music. We have seen this time and time again through artists such as Charlie Parker, David Brubeck, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and various others. All of these artists had tremendous influences on the different eras that evolved throughout the history of Jazz. Bill Evans, and American jazz pianist, was no different. Just as Charlie Parker had started the evolution of Bebop and influenced the subsequent generations of Jazz Artists, Bill Evans has influenced Modern Jazz and the generations of artists that followed him. Throughout his career and his works with various other artists, Bill Evans has cemented himself as one of the great influences on modern day Jazz.
In the 1950s, the growth of cool jazz stemmed a blend of white musicians, such as Chet baker and Gerry Mulligan, but major African-American groups, such as the Modern Jazz Quartet, were also expressing this style. However, it would take until the late-1950s for “cool jazz” masterpieces, such as Mile Davis’ The Birth of Cool, to become a dominant mainstream style of jazz. These musical trends define the origins of “cool jazz” within the context of the etymological use of cool as a musical style in the early 1950s. Certainly, the merger of “cool pose” culture in African-American culture had crossed over in white jazz music as a way to merge these two cultural phenomenon into a single musical
musicians who idolized him were well aware of his drug use. Upon seeing their idol shoot up, then go on stage and rip through bebop like it was nothing, these young players began to think, "If I tried it, I might be able to play like that." One of these young players, who would eventually be come one of the most historical figures in jazz, was Miles Davis.
All types of music require musicians. In the H.R (Harlem Renaissance), there were many who contributed to this new style of music known as jazz. These musicians all have their own style and form. Each of these styles has in some way influenced the evolution of jazz. Louis “Sachmo” Armstrong is recognized as the most famous trumpet player of this time. His “hot bop” style was heard in places like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre. Everyone from all over the country would come to see him. Armstrong recorded such works as I’m in the Mood for Love, and You Rascal you (http://library.thinkquest.org/26656/english/music.html). Another famous person during this era was Coleman Hawkins, a saxophone player. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonists of Jazz. His most famous work was a piece named Body and Soul (http://library.thinkquest.org…). Hawkins has also recorded with artists such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Other people such as Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and “Dizzie” Gillespie have also made many contributions to the development of Jazz.
When it comes to jazz music, there is one name that everyone knows, whether they’ve never listened to jazz before or if they’ve listened to it their whole lives. That name is Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was one of the pioneers of jazz music, from his humble beginnings in one of New Orleans roughest districts, “the Battlefield”, to playing concerts for sold out crowds in Chicago and New York City, Louis left a massive impact on the way America listened to music for a long time. One of his premier tracks, “West End Blues”, left an impact on jazz music, which other musicians would try to emulate for years.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.