Miles Davis

(Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Duke Jordan in August 1947)

Miles Dewey Davis was born in Alton Illinois on May 26th 1926, raised in East St. Louis. He went to Julliard but dropped out to join Charlie Parker's band, which he was with 1944-1948. He would die in 1991. In that time he created a lot of great and revolutionary jazz and jazz fusion music. He was also addicted to many substances throughout his life, so like with Bill Evans or Charlie Parker, he traveled to great heights in music, and was a pretty mean junkie. I read his memoir in a writing class, I think to just shake up the possibilities for people. He swears a lot. He has lots of resentments. He's buried in the Bronx at Woodlawn. My favorite album of his is Birth of Cool (1957), and Kind of Blue (1959). My favorite song is Venus de Milo. Milestones and Bitches Brew are revered, and they have something, but I don't enjoy them as much. He worked with many amazing jazz musicians, John Coltrane played with him, Tony Williams too. It's amazing to me that he went to an all black school. He got his first trumpet when he was 9. His trumpet teacher who whack him if he played with vibrato. At 12 he seems to have committed to music. He got a new trumpet on his 13th birthday. He experienced discrimination in music contests. He began to learn music theory. He performed with a band at the Elks Club. He contributed to his sister's college fund. He met Clark Terry (who I've seen live). He joined another band, and became the music director, hiring musicians, scheduling rehearsal. Sonny Stitt asked him to join his band as they were traveling through but his mother wouldn't let him, she wanted him to finish high school. He didn't talk to his mother for 2 weeks in anger, but he didn't go. He had a daughter with his girlfriend. "In July 1944, Billy Eckstine visited St. Louis with a band that included Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker. Trumpeter Buddy Anderson was too sick to perform, so Davis was invited to join." (Wikipedia bio). He played with the band for 2 weeks. The experience helped him decide to move to New York. His mother wanted him to go to Fisk with his sister, and study piano and violin. His father suggested Julliard. He passed his audition there, and went, but didn't attend class regularly because he went to the clubs. He found Charlie Parker at Minton's. According to Davis, Coleman Hawkins told him "finish your studies at Juilliard and forget Bird." Instead he jammed every night with the band. Davis' girlfriend and daughter came to New York. Charlie Parker became his roommate. Davis didn't register for classes. Davis began performing at clubs on 52nd Street with Coleman Hawkins and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.

You can read the rest on Wikipedia. I'm listening to him all day today.