Miles Davis as the Influence of Jazz Essay

Words: 1755
Pages: 8
Open Document
Question 11

Miles Davis was one of the greatest and most important figures in jazz history. Miles Dewey Davis III was a musician, composer, arranger, producer and bandleader all in one. Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz after World War 2. He was one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the twentieth century along with Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong. His versatility landed him at the forefront of bebop, cool jazz, modal, hard bop and fusion (Kirker, 2005:1). His sound went on to influence many other newer forms of music today such as pop, soul, R&B, funk and rap. As one of the last trumpet players, Davis employed a lyrical, melodic style that was known for its minimalism as well …show more content…
The album ‘Kind Of Blue’ also best exemplifies the sound. Released in 1959, it had been called the perfect jazz album. Miles introduced the music to musicians and provoking modal improvisation by using scales instead of chords as a springboard for solos (Kirker, 2001:2). Kind Of Blue not only popularised modality in jazz, it made jazz accessible to a variety of listeners.
Davis followed down a path that led to the most productive yet controversial phrase of his career between 1969 and 1975. In the face of the ascendancy of rock and roll, he began introducing electronics and a rock aesthetic. Electric keyboards were added in and a wah-wah effect pedal for his trumpet, and he took on musicians with rock experience into his band (Svorinich, 2001:100). 1972’s On The Corner made the influence of modern composer Stockhausen more evident. This transition required Davis and his band to adapt to modern, electric instruments in both performance and studio. Bitches Brew for instance, is a case study in the use of electronic effects, multi-tracking, tape loops and other editing techniques. “In A Silent Way” and its successor “Bitches Brew” was the first truly successful amalgamations of jazz with rock music, laying the groundwork for the genre that would be known as fusion.
From 1967’s Nefertiti to the landmark 1969’s Bitches Brew, a
Show More

Related Documents: Miles Davis as the Influence of Jazz Essay

How Did Miles Davis Influence Jazz

Miles Davis was an American born jazz musician, bandleader, composer and trumpeter. He was widely considered as of the most influential, prolific and innovative musicians of the 20th century. Miles Davis and his band played significant role in developing jazz music, He majored in several developments of jazz music such as Fusion, bebop, Hard Bop, and Cool Jazz among other jazz styles. Before releasing the studio album “In a silent way”, Davis previous records and live performance had shown his stylistic…

Words 587 - Pages 3

Miles Dewey Davis Essay

February 4th, 2015 Period 2-Even Project Miles Dewey Davis III Born: 05/26/1926 (Alton, Illinois) Died: 09/28/1991 (Santa Monica, California) Biography Davis was born in Alton, Illinois, and raised in an upper middle class home in an East St. Louis home. His father was a dentist and his mother was a music teacher. Miles was given his first trumpet when he was 13 years old. He was a child prodigy. The mastery of his instrument grew rapidly under his influences of older jazzmen like Clark Terry, Charlie…

Words 541 - Pages 3

Jazz History shortlist Essay

JAZZ Origins: Multicultural population of New Orleans Gospels and Spirituals African Drumming Caribbean Rhythms European Music Tradition Military Band Music Ragtime: Popular between 1895 and 1918. Its most important characteristic is the syncopate rhythm. It is a sort of modification of the "march" rhythm. Scott Joplin is perhaps the most celebrated musician associated with Ragtime. Blues: Blues could be defined as secular negro spiritual. Important Names Sippie Wallace Bessie Smith EARLY…

Words 365 - Pages 2

Miles Davis Kind Of Blue In The 50's

huge jazz records that came out and one of them being Miles Davis’s album “Kind of Blue” was popular and a commercial success that is still to this day selling copies (Yudkin). The album just hit 50 years old in 2009,but for that to happen, the “Kind of Blue” had to bring seven musicians together first with the help of Miles Davis (Luce). Davis based this album off his earlier work with a hard bebop sound with improvisation making the entire album with little wrote down (Luce). The way Davis uses…

Words 1003 - Pages 5

Jazz Music Essay

from trees by the lynching mob. This scene is a horrible one to make into a poem, and writing techniques are used to make it even more horrible. Jazz music has always existed as a voice for black musicians and audiences. The sounds and rhythms are extremely unique and colorful. It certainly changed America in the 1920's with the swing movement and it put jazz on the map. During this time many white people started to be influenced by this infectious music, and started to enjoy it. Many white people also…

Words 610 - Pages 3

Jazz Musicians Essay

Jazz and Drugs Jazz musicians and drugs: some might say one cannot exist without the other. As jazz musicians began to rise, the use of narcotics also increased. Among the many great jazz musicians, it's difficult to find an artist who hasn't touched any type of narcotics. There are many reasons why people in general take drugs. It could be because they want to escape or relax, to rebel, to relieve boredom, or to experiment. It's because they want to change something about their lives. People might…

Words 1494 - Pages 6

Miles Davis Essay

Miles Davis: The music’s right but the approach is wrong. Music listeners everywhere have heard at least a smidgen of the music from “the prince of darkness”. Although Miles Davis, dubbed the “most revered jazz trumpeter of all time, not to mention one of the most important musicians of the 20th century” by Rolling Stone Magazine and known as the birth of cool, attitudes and behaviors we never truly kind and the man was notoriously known as a jerk, his music was of great importance to the jazz…

Words 1365 - Pages 6

John Coltrane Research Paper Outline

John Coltrane John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina on September 23, 1926. He had a middle class family. John Coltrane was introduced to music from his church and his father. His father played several instruments. He was influenced by Count Basie and Lester Young. By 15 John Coltrane played the alto saxophone with outstanding talent. After finishing high-school he moved to Philadelphia to think about music more seriously. In 1943 he enrolled in the Ornstein School of Music. In…

Words 369 - Pages 2

Bill Evans: The Most Influential Modern Jazz Pianist

the most influential modern jazz pianist. He was born in Plainfield, New Jersey on August 16, 1929. He is well-known for introducing an influential approach to trio performances. His trio showed many jazz musicians on how important the roles of bass and drums are to the jazz music. Evans is one of the most popular jazz musicians of his generation. Even among many leading jazz musicians today, Evans would stay on the top of the list with his distinctive approach to jazz music and his playing style…

Words 599 - Pages 3

Essay Jazz notes

the famous Mintons Playhouse, where he seemed to really come into his own being around other great jazz musicians such as Dizzy Gillepsie, Charles Parker, Miles Davis and many others His involvement in Minton is one aspect which drove Minton’s playhouse to be one of the biggest influences on the formation of Bee-Bop. One of the top genres of Jazz at the time. Monk said one of his biggest influences was Duke Ellington "So, the boppers worked out a music that was hard to steal. I'll say this for…

Words 1535 - Pages 7