What did you learn from Miles Davis?

[wintermoon]

[djg]

He had been doing that since his earliest days as a band leader. He also often walked off stage. FWIW, I saw him twice in the early 80s as well (with the Miller/Foster/Evans/Stern/Cinelu line-up). At the time I didn't know that he had a reputation for doing this or that it bothered some people. I don't remember taking any particular notice of it. In his autobiography, he said that he did it so that he could communicate with the other players and in order take the audience's attention off him specifically and shift it onto the other soloists. Makes sense to me and strikes me as a complete non-issue. I care about how the music sounds, not about the players' onstage idiosyncrasies. I thought the band was amazing, and I found his minimalism in contrast with the other players' expansiveness fascinating.

Miles Davis: He Did Not Play With His Back to the Audience (+Bonus)

[grahambop]

I’ve not seen that Lewis Porter site before, he has some interesting articles there, such as this one:

Miles Davis Did Not Exactly "Steal" Tunes, 1: Record Labels, Publishers, and "Solar"

[Strat-itis]

This always needs to be posted.

[James W]

Just the other day I was wondering if there were any live recordings of Miles's group from 1966 - then this was posted on Wayne Shorter's Facebook page. For some reason the bass player is not Ron Carter...

[DC Cornelius]

This always needs to be posted.

I'm confused!? Why am I confused?==== To me it's awful!! It's a situation where none talented boring individuals use others to bump up their career's.. Honestly IMO it's quite pathetic!

[kris]

I'm confused!? Why am I confused?==== To me it's awful!! It's a situation where none talented boring individuals use others to bump up their career's.. Honestly IMO it's quite pathetic!

I don't understand why you write it ...?
It looks like you're criticizing what people like and appreciate.
why?

[Hep To The Jive]

I'm confused!? Why am I confused?==== To me it's awful!! It's a situation where none talented boring individuals use others to bump up their career's.. Honestly IMO it's quite pathetic!

Ouch. Never met anyone hating on Miles Davis with such a passion. What did he do to you, boinked your gf? Anyway, it's fine, I think Miles himself would have a good laugh if he could read those comments.

[Bob_Ross]

Miles had great instintcts finding the right musicians for the right projects.

In addition to the "use space" advice that's been reiterated throughout this thread, I'd say ^^^this -- knowing that the "best" ensemble you can put together may not necessarily be a collection of the "best" musicians; it will be a collection of the musicians who "best" understand how to serve the music you're trying to create in that moment -- is the thing I learned from Miles Davis.

[Cunamara]

I’ve not seen that Lewis Porter site before, he has some interesting articles there, such as this one:

Miles Davis Did Not Exactly "Steal" Tunes, 1: Record Labels, Publishers, and "Solar"

Mr. Porter seems a bit exercised about that. See also:

Solar (composition) - Wikipedia

Part of "A Love Supreme" sounds like a tune associated with Miles...

[Mick-7]

I'm confused!? Why am I confused?==== To me it's awful!! It's a situation where none talented boring individuals use others to bump up their career's.. Honestly IMO it's quite pathetic!

I don't understand why you write it... ? It looks like you're criticizing what people like and appreciate. why?

Ouch. Never met anyone hating on Miles Davis with such a passion. What did he do to you, boinked your gf? Anyway, it's fine, I think Miles himself would have a good laugh if he could read those comments.

Guys, DC's comment is not about Miles, it's about the group in the video that Strat-itis posted here [post #104]:
What did you learn from Miles Davis?

- who are using images of Miles as wallpaper for their pitiful performance.

[kris]

Guys, DC's comment is not about Miles, it's about the group in the video that Strat-itis posted here [post #104]:
What did you learn from Miles Davis?

- who are using images of Miles as wallpaper for their pitiful performance.

Apparently Miles is so popular.
The sound of the trumpet and Miles' photos were beautiful.

[kris]

[grahambop]

Guys, DC's comment is not about Miles, it's about the group in the video that Strat-itis posted here [post #104]:
What did you learn from Miles Davis?

- who are using images of Miles as wallpaper for their pitiful performance.

It was actually a Miles Davis album, he collaborated with those guys:

Doo-Bop - Wikipedia

[GuyBoden]

Personally, I feel that Miles Davis decided at some point in the late 1940's early 1950's that he couldn't compete with the fast Trumpet players, so concentrated on his tone and melodic phrasing with great effect. You can definitely hear his evolution of style from the early 1940's to the late 1950's recordings. IMHO

[Bob_Ross]

he couldn't compete with the fast Trumpet players, so concentrated on his tone and melodic phrasing with great effect.

It was certainly a unique tone...and to this day it's hard to write for trumpet with Harmon mute and not conjure Miles Davis.

But I've pissed off a lot of jazz musicians in the past when I've opined that I prefer the pure trumpet tone of Al Hirt or Herb Alpert to Miles'.
Yeah, I said it. Come at me bro.

[Mick-7]

It was actually a Miles Davis album, he collaborated with those guys:

Doo-Bop - Wikipedia

Well, o.k, it was Miles first (and last) attempt at playing hip-hop so he can be forgiven, but it's awfully lame. And he died before the album was completed so he didn't have final say on the finished product.

[Cunamara]

It was certainly a unique tone...and to this day it's hard to write for trumpet with Harmon mute and not conjure Miles Davis.

But I've pissed off a lot of jazz musicians in the past when I've opined that I prefer the pure trumpet tone of Al Hirt or Herb Alpert to Miles'.
Yeah, I said it. Come at me bro.

LOL! Personally, Art Farmer is probably my favorite trumpeter.

[cmajor9]

Personally, I feel that Miles Davis decided at some point in the late 1940's early 1950's that he couldn't compete with the fast Trumpet players, so concentrated on his tone and melodic phrasing with great effect. You can definitely hear his evolution of style from the early 1940's to the late 1950's recordings. IMHO

And yet by the the time we get to Seven Steps to Heaven he’s playing plenty fast (in the uptempo numbers), integrated with that tone and melodic phrasing.

[GuyBoden]

Personally, I feel that Miles Davis decided at some point in the late 1940's early 1950's that he couldn't compete with the fast Trumpet players, so concentrated on his tone and melodic phrasing with great effect. You can definitely hear his evolution of style from the early 1940's to the late 1950's recordings. IMHO

And yet by the the time we get to Seven Steps to Heaven he’s playing plenty fast (in the uptempo numbers), integrated with that tone and melodic phrasing.

Yes, Miles could play uptempo when "Seven Steps to Heaven" was Recorded 1963.

Cookin', Workin', Relaxin' and Steamin' all recorded in 1956 have some faster tracks too.

[ragman1]

Fascinating. I'm still waiting for someone to answer the question:

What did you LEARN from Miles Davis?

Obviously nothing, just like DC Cornelius. Me neither, by the way, I never followed Miles. But there were some very good tunes, though. All Blues, So What, etc.

[pamosmusic]

Fascinating. I'm still waiting for someone to answer the question:

What did you LEARN from Miles Davis?

Obviously nothing, just like DC Cornelius. Me neither, by the way, I never followed Miles. But there were some very good tunes, though. All Blues, So What, etc.

Oh come off it, there’s plenty of answers.

[ragman1]

Oh come off it, there’s plenty of answers.

There's a vast difference between what we know about Davis' playing and what we may have learnt from it. We're not trumpeters. I don't hear anybody here playing sparse, lyrical, extension-based solos. On the contrary, they're all trying to master bebop and the players of note are usually those who cram as many notes in as humanly possible. They're our heroes.

[pamosmusic]

There's a vast difference between what we know about Davis' playing and what we may have learnt from it. We're not trumpeters. I don't hear anybody here playing sparse, lyrical, extension-based solos. On the contrary, they're all trying to master bebop and the players of note are usually those who cram as many notes in as humanly possible. They're our heroes.

Sure man.

Those idiots should be transcribing bebop … and … erm … learning bebop tunes like … well … like Donna Lee or … Milestones or … or … Half Nelson.

[ragman1]

Those idiots should be transcribing bebop … and … erm … learning bebop tunes like … well … like Donna Lee or … or … Half Nelson.

But they are. Or usually much easier stuff than that. As for chord melody, I don't think imitating Miles Davis' space and silence approach would be much good.

We haven't learned playing from Miles Davis. We may admire him as a performer but that's something else. In any case, I suspect it's more the people he got to play with him that really made the music what it was.