Miles Davis
He goes through and launches almost every style. Kind of Blue (1959), Bitches Brew (1970).
Contribution to jazz
Miles Davis changed styles more often than any other major figure in jazz, and each time other musicians followed. He plays bebop alongside Charlie Parker, launches cool with his nonet in 1949, opens modal jazz with Kind of Blue in 1959, then goes electric with In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. His bands also served as a school: Coltrane, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter played in them.
Key dates
- 1926: Born in Alton.
- 1945: He joins Charlie Parker's quintet.
- 1949: Birth of the Cool: the nonet that launches cool jazz.
- 1959: Kind of Blue, on Columbia: the modal jazz record.
- 1969-1970: In a Silent Way and then Bitches Brew: the electric shift.
- 1991: Died.
Where to start
- So What (1959, Easy): The opening track of Kind of Blue: the best first contact.
- Blue in Green (1959, Classic): The ballad from the same record, more intimate.
- Birth of the Cool (Move) (1949, Classic): The Miles Davis of written arrangements, before modal jazz.
- In a Silent Way (1969, Classic): The beginning of the electric period.
- Bitches Brew (1970, Advanced): Last: the most demanding record.
Styles
Landmark albums
- Kind of Blue (1959, Columbia)
- Bitches Brew (1970, Columbia)
What to hear next
- John Coltrane: He plays on Kind of Blue and extends modal jazz toward the spiritual.
- Bill Evans: The pianist on most tracks of Kind of Blue: the chamber lyricism that came out of modal jazz.
- Herbie Hancock: A member of his quintet in the 1960s, then he leads electric music toward funk (Head Hunters, 1973).
- Gil Evans: The arranger of his major orchestral records, starting with Birth of the Cool.
Landmark tracks
- Birth of the Cool (Move)
- Darn That Dream
- Bags' Groove
- Walkin'
- Bye Bye Blackbird
- Générique (Ascenseur pour l'échafaud)
- Stella by Starlight
- Milestones
- So What
- Blue in Green
- Freddie Freeloader
- All Blues
- Flamenco Sketches
- Seven Steps to Heaven
- Nefertiti
- In a Silent Way
- Bitches Brew
- Rubberband of Life
Cited in 36 radio episodes
- Dedicated episode · Sep 14, 2019: Rubberband, l'album perdu de Miles Davis
- Dedicated episode · Feb 17, 2019: In A Silent Way, l'Odyssée électrique de Miles Davis
- Dedicated episode · Oct 9, 2016: Kind Of Blue, le chef d’oeuvre de Miles Davis
- Oct 1, 2026: Joyeux anniversaire, Dave Holland
- Sep 25, 2026: À la poursuite de John Coltrane, troisième partie - Miles, Monk, Sonny, de Blue Train à Kind Of Blue
- Jun 1, 2026: To A Wild Child
- May 29, 2026: Kind of Miles, le roman noir de miles Davis, cinquième partie
- May 28, 2026: Kind of Miles, le roman noir de Miles Davis, quatrième partie