Jazz Articles about Miles Davis

About Miles Davis

Building a Jazz Library

Miles Davis: The Real Second Great Quintet

by Chris May
December 13, 2021

Miles Davis' first great quintet is generally agreed to be the one with tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones--the group which in 1955-56 recorded Columbia's 'Round About Midnight and Prestige's The New Miles Davis Quintet, Steamin', Workin', Relaxin' and Cookin'. Davis' second great quintet is likewise agreed to be the one with tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams--which recorded another ...

Album Review

Miles Davis: Merci Miles! Live at Vienne

Read "Merci Miles! Live at Vienne" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
October 28, 2021

So great was Miles Davis' legend, so magnetic his aura, that the crowds and the adulation only increased towards the end of his life—a period when he was playing arguably the least progressive music of his career. This double-CD recording of a concert at the Jazz à Vienne Festival from 1991 is a case in point. Ten thousand people packed into the Roman amphitheatre that July evening, while another two-and-a-half thousand who had turned up without tickets were shepherded onto ...

In Tribute To...

Miles Davis: How 9 Jazz Icons Remember His Genius

by Rob Garratt
September 28, 2021

Like nearly every other jazz fan on the planet, I've long held an unshakeable fascination with the music of Miles Davis. Thirty years after his death, Miles's legacy, innovations and iconography continue to shape contemporary conceptions of the art form more than any other figure--his life and lessons simultaneously a road map, Holy Grail and high water mark combined. It feels almost inevitable that Miles served as my gateway to improvised music, and yet more than two decades ...

Album Review

Miles Davis: Merci Miles! Live at Vienne

Read "Merci Miles! Live at Vienne" reviewed by Maurizio Comandini

by Maurizio Comandini
July 29, 2021

Miles Davis ha sempre avuto un rapporto speciale con la Francia. Il suo primo tour in Europa, a maggio del 1949, lo vide proprio protagonista a Parigi con il quintetto che lo vedeva co-leader assieme al pianista Tadd Dameron. Miles era poco più che ventenne e subito fu adorato dagli artisti che si radunavano alla corte del filosofo Jean-Paul Sartre per condividere i principi dell'esistenzialismo. Il trombettista rimase colpito dalla bellezza di Juliette Greco che ricambiò appassionatamente e diventò la ...

Radio & Podcasts

Miles Davis, Bill Laswell, John McLaughlin, Bob Berg, Kai Eckhardt and more

by Len Davis
June 11, 2021

On today's program we feature music from a live concert from Warsaw with Miles Davis, Jack DeJohnette, plus John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring from a live concert in San Francisco and Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey and Lenny White. Playlist Miles Davis “Hopscotch" from Live in Poland Warsaw 1983 (Gambit) 00:00 Jack DeJohnette “Miles" from Music for the Fifth World (Manhattan) 08:58 Bill Laswell-Tony Williams “Illuminator" from Arc of the Testimony MOD Reloaded) 17:54 John McLaughlin-Jimmy Herring “Trilogy" from ...

Radio & Podcasts

Miles Davis, Percy Jones, Kenwood Dennard, Dave Weckl, Tom Coster

by Len Davis
June 4, 2021

Happy birthday Miles Davis! We open the program with live music from the Miles Davis Band recorded from a world tour. Plus Tom Coster, Percy Jones and Canadian band Uzeb live.Playlist Miles Davis “Wrinkle" from Live Around The world (Warner) 00:00 Tom Coster “The Fix" from The Forbidden Zone (JVC) 06:43 Cab “Night Splash" from Cab (Tone Centre)13:29 Time Marker Abstract Logix Live “Sometimes" from The New Universe Music Festival (Abstract Logix) 20:17 Percy Jones “Menagerie Animato" from ...

Just For Fun

Miles Davis: Recently discovered 52 year old tapes to be released this summer

by Alan Bryson
April 1, 2021

Newly discovered tapes of Miles Davis from 1969 are set for release this summer. The unlikely tapes are from an informal jam session at the home of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. This was a transitional period for Davis, who in Sept. of 1968 had married 23 year old Betty Mabry, a model/singer/songwriter and prominent counter-culture figure in New York City. She immersed Davis in the popular music of the day, and introduced him to musicians such as Jimi ...