David Bowie and His Legacy

Very few musicians can boast to having an artistic career that changed the course of music history in the way singer David Bowie has had. A legend in his lifetime, he had a more varied and influential career than any other single performer in popular music. Bowie was an example of what an artist should be—brave, creative, mischievous, charismatic, mysterious, endlessly curious, unpredictable, and several steps ahead of the pack. Rarely anyone has embraced so many changes of style and musical directions as Bowie. Over the course of five decades he had a tremendous influence on modern culture. He was always modern in the same way that painter Picasso or trumpeter Miles Davis were modern. The many changes were like his life's blood and the many characters served as signposts to his evolution as an artist. His tremendous energy eased the path ahead for many. Sadly, the Blackstar album was his own swansong when he lost his battle to cancer just a day after his 69th birthday and the release of this challenging recording. A work of art has to be relevant in the age it was initially created and at the same time it has to look toward the future. That is why his work is still relevant today, resonating deeply ages after it was first made. He was and still is a giant. The king is dead, long live the king.

All About Jazz celebrates the creative spirit that David Bowie was with a series of writings about his work:


David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
(RCA)


Mick Rock
The Rise of David Bowie, 1972—1973
(Taschen)


David Bowie
Outside and Earthling
(Music on Vinyl)


David Bowie
The Next Day
(RCA)


Philip Glass
Low Symphony
Music on Vinyl


David Bowie
Blackstar
(Sony)

Photo Credit: Brian Rasic

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