A Celebration For The Upcoming Birthday Of Miles Davis, A True Artist

Let us take time out to celebrate the upcoming birthday of this artist, musician, composer, arranger, producer, and band leader whose talents have made an impact on all mankind.

There are few artists who I feel it is necessary to collect all of their albums - most musicians end up falling into the one-hit-wonder category. Miles Davis is the exception and there is hardly a shortage of material, as he has made over 500 albums. What kept his music fresh is that he collaborated with the best of the best and had phenomenal outcomes.

Davis was raised with a comfortable lifestyle. People often want to classify jazz (and most other musicians) as people who grew up poor or at a disadvantage, learning their trade on the street. He spent time in New Orleans, Chicago, and New York, where he studied music at Julliard and it has been said that he was not necessarily the most cooperative student. He was known to miss class to jam with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. There is so much one can study and learn about music, but there comes a time where a person has to experience and create it firsthand. His first recordings are with Parker, exploring the then popular be-bop style.

A true artist who understood the value of collaborating with other musicians, he had to set himself apart. After gaining fame as being a be-bop trumpet player, he began to evolve his cool style. Working with other musicians, Kind of Blue (Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb) became the final word on jazz. Not to be overshadowed, the Birth of the Cool (Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and Max Roach) is another golden album not to be missed. This relaxed, simple music is not be confused with boring. It is perfect listening on hot summer days or as background music for a party.

A legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do. I'm still doing it. said Davis. Always an innovator, he began to experiment with electric instruments. Davis album In a Silent Way was his first fusion jazz record. His music was always fresh and forever changing. Remastered box sets still continue to come out, years after his passing.

It has been ten years since Miles Davis passed away yet he will never be forgotten. Although people love to call him the legend, he preferred to just be called Miles.

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