# Understanding Miles Davis



## synthpunk (Sep 27, 2015)

_On his music:_ “I have to play the way I want to play, because that’s the only way I can feel like something, you know.”

http://www.vulture.com/2015/09/miles-davis-lives-9-parts.html?curator=MediaREDEF


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## chimuelo (Sep 27, 2015)

A huge impact on all musicians.
Had the pleasure to see him once in his home town of St. Louis with Herbie Hancock.
It was an entire evening of the most incredible improv.

Don Cheadle is suppose to be making a movie about Miles life.
I haven't heard anything for a while about it.
But Miles nephew and son were hosting some of the old 70s Newport Live Recordings soon to be released.
I was floored how years later I am still mesmerized by that fusion style of jazz.

I was my happiest working with a great Trumpet and Sax 5 piece making barely enough money for gas.
Sure wish I could do that music now, but it usually goes over like a Reggae Band at a Klan Rally.

Miles................Man or Myth.


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## synthpunk (Sep 27, 2015)

Mr. Chim, The Cheadle Miles project "Miles Ahead" which was initially crowd funded will close the upcoming New York Film Festival Oct. 11th and has been acquired by Sony, no hard release date or trailer as of now that I know of. Here are a couple pics of Cheadle as Miles. 

https://www.facebook.com/milesaheadfilm


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## wst3 (Sep 27, 2015)

A friend of mine gifted me a copy of his book "http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Score-Rayburn-Wright/dp/B000MMKKWO (Inside the Score)", and I learned a lot about the mechanics of some really cool tracks. I especially enjoyed, and learned from, the Nestico chapters.

Observation... Professor Wright had a lot more time to think about these charts, the benefit of being an academic<G>! I think some of the things he 'discovered' were probably intuitive to subject artists.

I don't claim that is good or bad, it is just an observation. The book is wonderful, just make sure you get the version that includes the CD.

Bill


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## wst3 (Sep 27, 2015)

chimuelo said:


> I was my happiest working with a great Trumpet and Sax 5 piece making barely enough money for gas.


I would have to agree, although in my case it was a 7 piece, with trumpet, trombone, and sax. There is nothing quite like playing with a horn section. Sadly when you divide the proceeds from the evening seven ways no one wins<G>!



chimuelo said:


> Sure wish I could do that music now, but it usually goes over like a Reggae Band at a Klan Rally.


I may have to 'borrow' that last bit...

I only heard Miles live once, he played an Independence Day festival on the Philly waterfront back in the mid 1980s... amazing evening of music! Magical even!


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## chimuelo (Sep 27, 2015)

Thanks for the update on the film.
Don Cheadle was a perfect choice, also Courtney Vance.
Can't wait to see it.
Folks in N.Korea will see it before we do if Sony has it.

And yes I miss those Horns.
But also was in a band where players rotated between our gig and Maynard Ferguson.
Here I am below, you can see the Bari Sax and 2 Tenors, above them 2 Trombones and 2 Trumpets.
I had a brand spanking new CS80 crushing my Fender Rhodes. Union wouldn't allow me to join so I worked on a permit until I was 18. For every gig I had to go see the BA at the Local. To this day it's still a decent Union scale in STL but all you get is burial benefits...

Can't wait to see the Movie. Hope Netflix has it.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 27, 2015)

I saw him once in 1985 when he was playing with Marcus Miller. It was the most amazing concert I've ever been to.

I've never seen anyone with that kind of power. He wasn't an attractive personality, just way beyond intense. Every note was perfect. He would have ripped the heart out of anyone in his band who let up for a nanosecond.

I was buzzing for three days after it.


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## NYC Composer (Sep 27, 2015)

One of my main musical influences. I still write in the style of Kind of Blue and Relaxing With Miles. It always amazes and delights me when I license a 50s-60s quartet or quintet piece- the piano trio with trumpet and tenor will always have my heart.

It was sad reading his autobiography-not a great guy. One of those instances where you have to separate the art from the artist. His art was prodigious.


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## chimuelo (Sep 27, 2015)

My favorite Album was with Marcus Miller.
Amandla.
But nobody could evolve and stay on top as well as those fusion jazz cats did.
Sketches of Spain, Porgy and Bess, Live Evil, Bitches Brew.
Incredible stuff.

IN STL after the show our DJ/Reporter bro from KSHE interviewed Miles and it was heavily censored.
Asked him why he left the stage when Herbie soloed, and in typical Miles fashion said I look like a fool standing there staring at the man while he plays.
He only wants to see my ugly ass when I am playing.


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## mc_deli (Sep 27, 2015)

Bitches Brew
In a silent way
Thanks Ms Davis


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 27, 2015)

All of those Chim mentioned, and others. I love his version of Time After Time, for example.


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## chimuelo (Sep 27, 2015)

Yeah he sounded great in the MTV Video with Cindy Lauper and that Pro Wrestler......

Ankyu


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## synthpunk (Sep 27, 2015)

Miles work as a sideman on Cannonball Adderly's Somthing Else is a favorite. That album still give me goosies.



His work on Legrand Jazz is also great



Amandla is a favorite



And he was really cooking at Amnesty International Concert. Unfortunately he left us soon after from pneumonia.


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## NYC Composer (Sep 27, 2015)

and I love everything...before Bitches Brew.  It's always where you were in your head at the time and how that stood up for you over the years.


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## David Story (Sep 27, 2015)

Miles was a great composer, performer and leader. He helped many rising stars including Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Kenny Clarke, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Jack DeJohnette, Keith Jarrett, Billy Cobham, Darryl Jones, Branford Marsalis, to name a few.

Imagine getting all those major band leaders to play together. Understanding Miles Davis includes how he helped so many other artists develop and achieve prominence.


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## KEnK (Sep 28, 2015)

NYC Composer said:


> It was sad reading his autobiography-not a great guy.


I'm a big Miles fan- Never really warmed up to his post 80's stuff though.
For the longest time I was deeply into the 70's stuff from Bitches Brew on.
Also like the 2nd 70's band (the one on Get Up With It) Very Dark stuff.
Now my favorite period is the acoustic band w/ Herbie, Shorter, Williams and Carter.
Absolutely clairvoyant- That band was in a class by itself.

As to the autobiography, I already knew he was a dick, so I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Mingus was also a major shit-head as was Ben Webster.
Then think about these pop divas.

Lotsa pricks do great art.

k


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## synthpunk (Sep 28, 2015)

Yep, he has a great legacy of hiring young lions for his sidemen and band.

John, Bitches Brew is a tough listen, but it sure will kick your ass! It's like going to the Guggenheim.



NYC Composer said:


> and I love everything...before Bitches Brew.  It's always where you were in your head at the time and how that stood up for you over the years.


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## kgdrum (Sep 28, 2015)

I love everything Miles! I often joke I belong to the church of Miles Davis.

For people that like or even dislike his electric period from the '70's you might want to check out an incredible cd under Bill Laswells name:
Panthalassa,these are remixes from that period and it's really amazing! I found it on Amazon.


Miles was a complex artist and person,was he a nice guy? Not by most accounts but he was a true trailblazer and innovator imo like no other.
He influenced more changes and musicians than probably any artist in the history of Jazz.
I only saw him play live once in the 80's with his electric Go-Go oriented band and it was amazing!
I can and do listen to music from all of Miles periods,his Quintet from the 60's with Herbie,Tony and Wayne and Ron.... is probably my favorite but Bitches Brew and that period knock me out equally, the earlier bands from the 50's and early 60's are also incredible.
I have at last count 50 Miles cd's, yes I'm a bit of a Miles fanboy!I also have quite a few of his lp's including original pressings of Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew etc.....
Rashied Ali was a very close friend of mine,Miles hated how and what he played with Coltrane and mentioned it quite a few times in the biography "Miles" a great read btw......
I can't tell you how many times Rashied would play songs from Miles cd's over and over just muttering how that MFer was a fu**ing GENIUS and praise Miles not caring that Miles publicly dissed his playing and musical approach.
For me Miles was the most influential artist & innovator of the modern Jazz era.


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## synthpunk (Sep 28, 2015)

I believe I read Zawinul say he could be a very nice person.


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## NYC Composer (Sep 28, 2015)

I know a great musician who was in Dylan's band for years. 
His description-"mercurial."


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## Patrick de Caumette (Sep 28, 2015)

Huge Miles fan here.
Love his ability to lead great young talents in new directions, his sense of space, and his soulful voice.
Considering what African Americans had to deal with during the time period, i'll give him the benefit of the doubt as far as his bad reputation is concerned + drugs may have something to do with it...
Today's is the anniversary of his death.
Miles in the sky!


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## EastWest Lurker (Sep 28, 2015)

One of the musical giants of the last century, by any reasonable measuring stick IMHO.


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## synthpunk (Sep 28, 2015)

Kind Of Blue Documentary


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## David Story (Sep 28, 2015)

The epitome of cool in 2 bars.


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## NYC Composer (Sep 29, 2015)

David Story said:


> The epitome of cool in 2 bars.



I completely agree.


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## EastWest Lurker (Sep 29, 2015)

NYC Composer said:


> I completely agree.



+1.


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## cmillar (Sep 29, 2015)

A real artist in every sense of the word.


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## synthpunk (Oct 9, 2015)

First clip from the Movie Miles Ahead
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/first-watch-don-cheadle-as-jazz-icon-miles-davis-155527788.html


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## NYC Composer (Oct 9, 2015)

Very exciting....thanks for posting.

The James Brown movie fell curiously flat given its fabulous subject matter, although the music scenes were quite good. I trust Don Cheadle here for all the fine work he's done, but a tough story to tell. I hope he doesn't sanitize it.


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## stonzthro (Oct 9, 2015)

I'll be seeing this one for sure - Miles Davis truly an original voice.


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## jonathanparham (Jul 20, 2017)

David Story said:


> The epitome of cool in 2 bars.


first jazz piece I have learned


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## NYC Composer (Jul 28, 2017)

Oh, for anyone who never realized it (like me) the similarity of "So What" to the horn riff in James Brown's "Cold Sweat" was not exactly an accident, as described by his co-writer Peewee Ellis.


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