King of Blues!
Miles Davis (By, Fabiola Oritz-Torres and Frank Lin)
From early beginnings:
Miles Davis is born in a wealthy family in Alton Illinois, his father a oral surgeon, and mother a musician stressed about hard work and education. Miles Davis quit the Julliard music school and went to play with Eddie Randall's Blue Devil swing band. Learned what he could by filling in for a trumpeter in Billy Ekstine's jazz band, who was sick for 2 weeks. He was influenced by his mother, who played the violin, and music he heard from Louis Armstrong and Clark Terry.
Miles Davis as a teen.
Miles Davis in a band.
The "Kind of Blue" album.
The 1950s
Music and memories
He had a unique style on playing the trumpet. He liked to "bend" notes, over and under the pitch. He also play with his Harmon mute in place, making a quieter sound, he also played simple melodic lines. Some of his albums involve "Birth of the Cool" in 1950, "Kind of Blue" in 1959, and "Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants" in 1954. When he recorded "Kind of Blue", it was called the most important recording ever made. He was considered one of the most important jazz musicians in history. He took jazz to a more complex, serious era, incorporating ideas from many different sources, and leaving his own unique signature on major jazz work.
The 1950's
During the 1950, the Cold War, the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the Korean War were all taking place. The Red Scare is a fear of communism, people caught supporting it is caught/killed. The 1950 was also when Miles Davis quit drugs and started one of the most creative periods of his life.
MILES DAVIS. Kind of blue 1. 1959
Intresting Facts
Health problems complicated by drugs and alcohol addiction effected his career. His last performances were in Monteux, Switzerland. He died of a stroke and pneumonia, complicated by sickle cell anemia diabetes. He was elected in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.