Born in Alton (Illinois), on May 26, 1926, son of Dr. Miles Dewey Davis, Jr . and nucleotide Mae Davis (music teacher). By twelve he started taking lessons in trumpet.
At 17, he joined Eddie Randle's 's Blue Devils, a regional band from St. Louis.
In September 1944 he moved to Harlem, New York, to attend classes at the Institute of Musical Art ; studies sharing the evening with performances by some local
study leave in 1945 to focus on his jazz career, playing with Charlie Parker in clubs and joined the formation of Benny Carter, also making his first recordings as a sideman.
Between 1947-1948 Charlie Parker incorporates it to his band, but at the same recording his first session as leader training in 1947. At that meeting they also participated in addition to Parker, pianist John Lewis, Nelson Boyd, bass and drummer Max Roach.
The first turning point career occurs in the summer of 1948, Davis organized a group of nine musicians (nonet) with an unusual horn section then. This group also consists of his trumpet, an alto sax, baritone sax, trombone, French horn and tuba. arrangements shall be borne by Gil Evans (mainly), Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis (the latter two lesser extent). Contract touched for two weeks in the Royal Roost New York in September 1948.
immediately get a contract with Capitol Records and begin to record three studio sessions January 1949 fruit from which arise 12 tracks, you will not see light until February 1957 in an LP titled "Birth of the Cool." Along with Miles (trumpet), participated in these historic recordings Kai Winding and JJ Johnson (trombone), Lee Konitz (tenor sax), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax). Al Haig and John Lewis (piano) and Max Roach and Kenny Clark (drums). Cool sound was born.
In January 1951 he began a series of recordings for Prestige that became his most relevant work for many years. A mid-managed wean from the drug and caused a huge impression playing "'Round Midnight" at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1955, an interpretation that would earn him signing a contract with Columbia Records .
In October 1955, Davis organized a quintet with which he recorded for the Capitol album "Round about Midnight", and which is accompanied by the saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, Paul Chambers bass and drummer Philly Joe Jones . At the same time, must meet the rest of the Prestige contract, recording in the meantime some highly praised albums such as "Cooking", "Working" "Steaming", etc.
In December 1957 he traveled to P aris, to play the music for the film L'Ascenseur pour l' scaffold ". The appearance of the album "Jazz Track" in 1960 that contains the soundtrack of the film allows her Grammy nomination for Best Performance section of jazz.
To record "Milestone" in April 1958 the quintet became a sextet (the "Miles Davis Sextet"), adding the saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. Immediately after, Red Garland was replaced on piano by Bill Evans and Jimmy Cobb replaces Philly Joe Jones on drums.
Davis and his sextet enter the history of music recorded between March and April 1959 the album "Kind of Blue", where Davis experiments with modal music, basing his improvisations on scales rather than chord changes. The members of that select group were: Bill Evans replacing Red Garland (piano), Jimmy Cobb coming through Philly Joe Jones (drums), Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto sax), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Paul Chambers (bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums).
Davis late 1964 as his second classic quintet, halfway between the modalism hardbop of "Kind of Blue" and the new vanguard of free jazz, and that will endure over time until 1968, leaving the track records as emblematic as "ESP" "Miles Smiles" and "Nefertiti." The addition of Davis quintet (trumpet) was formed by Wayne Shorter (tenor sax, as well as musical director and composer), Ron Carter (bass), Herbie Hancock (piano) and Tony Williams (drums).
For the new band that would lead to the following Davis foray in new settings (this time fusing jazz and rock), Ron Carter was replaced by Englishman David Holland (bass) joined the band and guitarist John McLaughlin, Chick Corea as a second keyboardist Joe Zawinul and the Austrian (electric piano); participate subsequently in the band names like Keith Jarrett and George Benson, among others.
admiration (envy healthy point to some) of Davis for the success of musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Sly and The Family Stone, addresses this in the search for new horizons, giving the fruit records like "In a silent way "(1969) and" Bitches Brew "(1970), again placing Davis at the forefront of jazz, this time in his role or style of jazz rock.
Miles died early in 1991 and after he left an enormous legacy of relentless search and the record of having been perhaps the greatest contemporary jazz school.
