Miles Davis

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox musical artist

Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926Template:Spaced ndashSeptember 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musical directions in a roughly five-decade career that kept him at the forefront of many major stylistic developments in jazz.<ref name="allmusic"/>

Born into an upper-middle-class<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> family in Alton, Illinois, and raised in East St. Louis, Davis started on the trumpet in his early teens. He left to study at Juilliard in New York City, before dropping out and making his professional debut as a member of saxophonist Charlie Parker's bebop quintet from 1944 to 1948. Shortly after, he recorded the Birth of the Cool sessions for Capitol Records, which were instrumental to the development of cool jazz. In the early 1950s, while addicted to heroin, Davis recorded some of the earliest hard bop music under Prestige Records. After a widely acclaimed comeback performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, he signed a long-term contract with Columbia Records, and recorded the album 'Round About Midnight in 1955.Template:Sfn It was his first work with saxophonist John Coltrane and bassist Paul Chambers, key members of the sextet he led into the early 1960s. During this period, he alternated between orchestral jazz collaborations with arranger Gil Evans, such as the Spanish music-influenced Sketches of Spain (1960), and band recordings, such as Milestones (1958) and Kind of Blue (1959).<ref name="aar" /> The latter recording remains one of the most popular jazz albums of all time,Template:Sfn having sold over five million copies in the U.S.

Davis made several lineup changes while recording Someday My Prince Will Come (1961), his 1961 Blackhawk concerts, and Seven Steps to Heaven (1963), another commercial success that introduced bassist Ron Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, and drummer Tony Williams.<ref name="aar"/> After adding saxophonist Wayne Shorter to his new quintet in 1964,<ref name="aar">Template:Cite web</ref> Davis led them on a series of more abstract recordings often composed by the band members, helping pioneer the post-bop genre with albums such as E.S.P. (1965) and Miles Smiles (1967),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before transitioning into his electric period. During the 1970s, he experimented with rock, funk, African rhythms, emerging electronic music technology, and an ever-changing lineup of musicians, including keyboardist Joe Zawinul, drummer Al Foster, bassist Michael Henderson, and guitarist John McLaughlin.Template:Sfn This period, beginning with Davis's 1969 studio album In a Silent Way and concluding with the 1975 concert recording Agharta, was the most controversial in his career, alienating and challenging many in jazz.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> His million-selling 1970 record Bitches Brew helped spark a resurgence in the genre's commercial popularity with jazz fusion as the decade progressed.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

After a five-year retirement due to poor health, Davis resumed his career in the 1980s, employing younger musicians and pop sounds on albums such as The Man with the Horn (1981), You're Under Arrest (1985) and Tutu (1986). Critics were often unreceptive but the decade garnered Davis his highest level of commercial recognition. He performed sold-out concerts worldwide, while branching out into visual arts, film, and television work, before his death in 1991 from the combined effects of a stroke, pneumonia and respiratory failure.<ref name="rsbio"/> In 2006, Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,<ref name="Miles Davis"/> which recognized him as "one of the key figures in the history of jazz".<ref name="Miles Davis"/> Rolling Stone described him as "the most revered jazz trumpeter of all time, not to mention one of the most important musicians of the 20th century,"<ref name="rsbio">Template:Cite magazine</ref> while Gerald Early called him inarguably one of the most influential and innovative musicians of that period.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Early life

Davis was born on May 26, 1926, to an affluent African-American family in Alton, Illinois, Template:Convert north of St. Louis.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn He had an older sister, Dorothy Mae (1925–1996) and a younger brother, Vernon (1929–1999). His mother, Cleota Mae Henry of Arkansas, was a music teacher and violinist, and his father, Miles Dewey Davis Jr., also of Arkansas, was a dentist. They owned a Template:Convert estate near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with a profitable pig farm. In Pine Bluff, he and his siblings fished, hunted, and rode horses.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Davis's grandparents were the owners of an Arkansas farm where he would spend many summers.Template:Sfn

In 1927, the family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois. They lived on the second floor of a commercial building behind a dental office in a predominantly white neighborhood. Davis's father would soon become distant to his children as the Great Depression caused him to become increasingly consumed by his job; typically working six days a week.Template:Sfn From 1932 to 1934, Davis attended John Robinson Elementary School, an all-black school,Template:Sfn then Crispus Attucks, where he performed well in mathematics, music, and sports.Template:Sfn Davis had previously attended Catholic school.Template:Sfn At an early age he liked music, especially blues, big bands, and gospel.Template:Sfn

File:MilesDavisYouthHouse.EastStLouis.17thStreetandKansasAvenue.3.jpg

The house at 1701 Kansas Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois, where Davis lived from 1939 to 1944

In 1935, Davis received his first trumpet as a gift from John Eubanks, a friend of his father.Template:Sfn He then took weekly lessons from "the biggest influence on my life", Elwood Buchanan, a teacher and musician who was a patient of his father.Template:Sfn<ref name=":10">Template:Cite web</ref> His mother wanted him to play the violin instead.Template:Sfn Against the fashion of the time, Buchanan stressed the importance of playing without vibrato and encouraged him to use a clear, mid-range tone. Davis said that whenever he started playing with heavy vibrato, Buchanan slapped his knuckles.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In later years Davis said, "I prefer a round sound with no attitude in it, like a round voice with not too much tremolo and not too much bass. Just right in the middle. If I can't get that sound I can't play anything."Template:Sfn The family soon moved to 1701 Kansas Avenue in East St. Louis.Template:Sfn

In his autobiography, Davis stated, "By the age of 12, music had become the most important thing in my life."<ref name=":10" /> On his thirteenth birthday his father bought him a new trumpet,Template:Sfn and Davis began to play in local bands. He took additional trumpet lessons from Joseph Gustat, principal trumpeter of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.Template:Sfn Davis would also play the trumpet in talent shows he and his siblings would put on.Template:Sfn

In 1941, the 15-year-old attended East St. Louis Lincoln High School, where he joined the marching band directed by Buchanan and entered music competitions. Years later, Davis said that he was discriminated against in these competitions due to his race, but he added that these experiences made him a better musician.Template:Sfn When a drummer asked him to play a certain passage of music, and he couldn't do it, he began to learn music theory. "I went and got everything, every book I could get to learn about theory."Template:Sfn At Lincoln, Davis met his first girlfriend, Irene Birth (later Cawthon).Template:Sfn He had a band that performed at the Elks Club.<ref name="Arons">Template:Cite web</ref> Part of his earnings paid for his sister's education at Fisk University.Template:Sfn Davis befriended trumpeter Clark Terry, who suggested he play without vibrato, and performed with him for several years.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

With encouragement from his teacher and girlfriend, Davis filled a vacant spot in the Rhumboogie Orchestra, also known as the Blue Devils, led by Eddie Randle. He became the band's musical director, which involved hiring musicians and scheduling rehearsal.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Years later, Davis considered this job one of the most important of his career.Template:Sfn Sonny Stitt tried to persuade him to join the Tiny Bradshaw band, which was passing through town, but his mother insisted he finish high school before going on tour. He said later, "I didn't talk to her for two weeks. And I didn't go with the band either."Template:Sfn In January 1944, Davis finished high school and graduated in absentia in June. During the next month, his girlfriend gave birth to a daughter, Cheryl.Template:Sfn

In July 1944, Billy Eckstine visited St. Louis with a band that included Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker. Trumpeter Buddy Anderson was too sick to perform,Template:Sfn so Davis was invited to join. He played with the band for two weeks at Club Riviera.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn After playing with these musicians, he was certain he should move to New York City, "where the action was".Template:Sfn His mother wanted him to go to Fisk University, like his sister, and study piano or violin. Davis had other interests.Template:Sfn

Career

1944–1948: New York City and the bebop years

File:Charlie Parker, Tommy Potter, Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Max Roach (Gottlieb 06851).jpg

Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Duke Jordan in August 1947

In September 1944, Davis accepted his father's idea of studying at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.Template:Sfn After passing the audition, he attended classes in music theory, piano and dictation.Template:Sfn Davis often skipped his classes.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Much of Davis's time was spent in clubs seeking his idol, Charlie Parker. According to Davis, Coleman Hawkins told him "finish your studies at Juilliard and forget Bird [Parker]".Template:Sfn Template:Sfn After finding Parker, he joined a cadre of regulars at Minton's and Monroe's in Harlem who held jam sessions every night. The other regulars included J. J. Johnson, Kenny Clarke, Thelonious Monk, Fats Navarro, and Freddie Webster. Davis reunited with Irene and their daughter Cheryl when they moved to New York City. Parker became a roommate.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Around this time Davis was paid an allowance of $40 (Template:Inflation Template:Inflation/fn).<ref name=":12" />

In mid-1945, Davis failed to register for the year's autumn term at Juilliard and dropped out after three semestersTemplate:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn because he wanted to perform full-time.Template:Sfn Years later he criticized Juilliard for concentrating too much on classical European and "white" repertoire, but he praised the school for teaching him music theory and improving his trumpet technique.

Davis began performing at clubs on 52nd Street with Coleman Hawkins and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. He recorded for the first time on April 24, 1945, when he entered the studio as a sideman for Herbie Fields's band.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn During the next year, he recorded as a leader for the first time with the Miles Davis Sextet plus Earl Coleman and Ann Baker, one of the few times he accompanied a singer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Howard McGhee, Brick Fleagle and Miles Davis, ca September 1947 (Gottlieb).jpg

Davis on piano with Howard McGhee (trumpet), Joe Albany (pianist, standing) and Brick Fleagle (guitarist, smoking), September 1947

In 1945, Davis replaced Dizzy Gillespie in Charlie Parker's quintet. On November 26, he participated in several recording sessions as part of Parker's group Reboppers that also involved Gillespie and Max Roach,Template:Sfn displaying hints of the style he would become known for. On Parker's tune "Now's the Time", Davis played a solo that anticipated cool jazz. He next joined a big band led by Benny Carter, performing in St. Louis and remaining with the band in California. He again played with Parker and Gillespie.Template:Sfn In Los Angeles, Parker had a nervous breakdown that put him in the hospital for several months.Template:Sfn<ref>On this occasion, Mingus bitterly criticized Davis for abandoning his "musical father" (see The Autobiography).</ref> In March 1946, Davis played in studio sessions with Parker and began a collaboration with bassist Charles Mingus that summer. Cawthon gave birth to Davis's second child, Gregory, in East St. Louis before reuniting with Davis in New York City the following year.Template:Sfn Davis noted that by this time, "I was still so much into the music that I was even ignoring Irene." He had also turned to alcohol and cocaine.Template:Sfn

Davis was a member of Billy Eckstine's big band in 1946 and Gillespie's in 1947.<ref name="New Grove">Template:Cite book</ref> He joined a quintet led by Parker that also included Max Roach. Together they performed live with Duke Jordan and Tommy Potter for much of the year, including several studio sessions.Template:Sfn In one session that May, Davis wrote the tune "Cheryl", for his daughter. Davis's first session as a leader followed in August 1947, playing as the Miles Davis All Stars that included Parker, pianist John Lewis, and bassist Nelson Boyd; they recorded "Milestones", "Half Nelson", and "Sippin' at Bells".Template:Sfn Template:Sfn After touring Chicago and Detroit with Parker's quintet, Davis returned to New York City in March 1948 and joined the Jazz at the Philharmonic tour, which included a stop in St. Louis on April 30.Template:Sfn

1948–1950: Miles Davis Nonet and Birth of the Cool

In August 1948, Davis declined an offer to join Duke Ellington's orchestra as he had entered rehearsals with a nine-piece band featuring baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and arrangements by Gil Evans, taking an active role on what soon became his own project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn Evans' Manhattan apartment had become the meeting place for several young musicians and composers such as Davis, Roach, Lewis, and Mulligan who were unhappy with the increasingly virtuoso instrumental techniques that dominated bebop.Template:Sfn These gatherings led to the formation of the Miles Davis Nonet, which included atypical modern jazz instruments such as French horn and tuba, leading to a thickly textured, almost orchestral sound.<ref name=":1" /> The intent was to imitate the human voice through carefully arranged compositions and a relaxed, melodic approach to improvisation. In September, the band completed their sole engagement as the opening band for Count Basie at the Royal Roost for two weeks. Davis had to persuade the venue's manager to write the sign "Miles Davis Nonet. Arrangements by Gil Evans, John Lewis and Gerry Mulligan". Davis returned to Parker's quintet, but relationships within the quintet were growing tense mainly due to Parker's erratic behavior caused by his drug addiction.Template:Sfn Early in his time with Parker, Davis abstained from drugs, chose a vegetarian diet, and spoke of the benefits of water and juice.Template:Sfn

In December 1948, Davis quit, saying he was not being paid.Template:Sfn His departure began a period when he worked mainly as a freelancer and sideman. His nonet remained active until the end of 1949. After signing a contract with Capitol Records, they recorded sessions in January and April 1949, which sold little but influenced the "cool" or "west coast" style of jazz.Template:Sfn The lineup changed throughout the year and included tuba player Bill Barber, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Al Haig, trombone players Mike Zwerin with Kai Winding, French horn players Junior Collins with Sandy Siegelstein and Gunther Schuller, and bassists Al McKibbon and Joe Shulman. One track featured singer Kenny Hagood. The presence of white musicians in the group angered some black players, many of whom were unemployed at the time, yet Davis rebuffed their criticisms.Template:Sfn Recording sessions with the nonet for Capitol continued until April 1950. The Nonet recorded a dozen tracks which were released as singles and subsequently compiled on the 1957 album Birth of the Cool.<ref name=":1" />

In May 1949, Davis performed with the Tadd Dameron Quintet with Kenny Clarke and James Moody at the Paris International Jazz Festival. On his first trip abroad Davis took a strong liking to Paris and its cultural environment, where he felt black jazz musicians and people of color in general were better respected than in the U.S. The trip, he said, "changed the way I looked at things forever".Template:Sfn He began an affair with singer and actress Juliette Gréco.Template:Sfn

1949–1955: Signing with Prestige, heroin addiction, and hard bop

After returning from Paris in mid-1949, he became depressed and found little work except a short engagement with PowellTemplate:Who? in October and guest spots in New York City, Chicago, and Detroit until January 1950.Template:Sfn He was falling behind in hotel rent and attempts were made to repossess his car. His heroin use became an expensive addiction, and Davis, not yet 24 years old, "lost my sense of discipline, lost my sense of control over my life, and started to drift".Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In August 1950, Cawthon gave birth to Davis's second son, Miles IV. Davis befriended boxer Johnny Bratton which began his interest in the sport. Davis left Cawthon and his three children in New York City in the hands of one his friends, jazz singer Betty Carter.Template:Sfn He toured with Eckstine and Billie Holiday and was arrested for heroin possession in Los Angeles. The story was reported in DownBeat magazine, which led to a further reduction in work, though he was acquitted weeks later.Template:Sfn By the 1950s, Davis had become more skilled and was experimenting with the middle register of the trumpet alongside harmonies and rhythms.<ref name=":1" />

In January 1951, Davis's fortunes improved when he signed a one-year contract with Prestige after owner Bob Weinstock became a fan of the nonet.Template:Sfn Davis chose Lewis, trombonist Bennie Green, bassist Percy Heath, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and drummer Roy Haynes; they recorded what became part of Miles Davis and Horns (1956). Davis was hired for other studio dates in 1951Template:Sfn and began to transcribe scores for record labels to fund his heroin addiction. His second session for Prestige was released on The New Sounds (1951), Dig (1956), and Conception (1956).Template:Sfn

Davis supported his heroin habit by playing music and by living the life of a hustler, exploiting prostitutes, and receiving money from friends. By 1953, his addiction began to impair his playing. His drug habit became public in a DownBeat interview with Cab Calloway, whom he never forgave as it brought him "all pain and suffering".Template:Sfn He returned to St. Louis and stayed with his father for several months.Template:Sfn After a brief period with Roach and Mingus in September 1953,Template:Sfn he returned to his father's home, where he concentrated on addressing his addiction.Template:Sfn

Davis lived in Detroit for about six months, avoiding New York City, where it was easy to get drugs. Though he used heroin, he was still able to perform locally with Elvin Jones and Tommy Flanagan as part of Billy Mitchell's house band at the Blue Bird club. He was also "pimping a little".Template:Sfn However, he was able to end his addiction, and, in February 1954, Davis returned to New York City, feeling good "for the first time in a long time", mentally and physically stronger, and joined a gym.Template:Sfn He informed Weinstock and Blue Note that he was ready to record with a quintet, which he was granted. He considered the albums that resulted from these and earlier sessions – Miles Davis Quartet and Miles Davis Volume 2 – "very important" because he felt his performances were particularly strong.Template:Sfn He was paid roughly $750 (Template:Inflation Template:Inflation/fn) for each album and refused to give away his publishing rights.Template:Sfn

File:Trumpet WahWahMute.jpg

During the 1950s, Davis started using a Harmon mute on his trumpet. It became part of his signature sound for the rest of his career.

Davis abandoned the bebop style and turned to the music of pianist Ahmad Jamal, whose approach and use of space influenced him.Template:Sfn When he returned to the studio in June 1955 to record The Musings of Miles, he wanted a pianist like Jamal and chose Red Garland.Template:Sfn Blue Haze (1956), Bags' Groove (1957), Walkin' (1957), and Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants (1959) documented the evolution of his sound with the Harmon mute placed close to the microphone, and the use of more spacious and relaxed phrasing. He assumed a central role in hard bop, less radical in harmony and melody, and used popular songs and American standards as starting points for improvisation. Hard bop distanced itself from cool jazz with a harder beat and music inspired by the blues.<ref>Open references to the blues in jazz playing were fairly recent. Until the middle of the 1930s, as Coleman Hawkins declared to Alan Lomax (The Land Where the Blues Began. New York: Pantheon, 1993), African-American players working in white establishments would avoid references to the blues altogether.</ref> A few critics consider Walkin' (April 1954) the album that created the hard bop genre.Template:Sfn

Davis gained a reputation for being cold, distant, and easily angered. He wrote that in 1954 Sugar Ray Robinson "was the most important thing in my life besides music", and he adopted Robinson's "arrogant attitude".Template:Sfn He showed contempt for critics and the press.

Davis had an operation to remove polyps from his larynx in October 1955.Template:Sfn The doctors told him to remain silent after the operation, but he got into an argument that permanently damaged his vocal cords and gave him a raspy voice for the rest of his life.<ref>Acquired by shouting at a record producer while still ailing after a recent operation to the throat – The Autobiography.</ref> He was called the "prince of darkness", adding a patina of mystery to his public persona.Template:Efn

1955–1959: Signing with Columbia, first quintet, and modal jazz

In July 1955, Davis's fortunes improved considerably when he played at the Newport Jazz Festival, with a lineup of Monk, Heath, drummer Connie Kay, and horn players Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan.Template:Sfn<ref name=":3">Template:Cite journal</ref> The performance was praised by critics and audiences alike, who considered it to be a highlight of the festival as well as helping Davis, the least well known musician in the group, to increase his popularity among affluent white audiences.Template:Sfn<ref name=":3" /> He tied with Dizzy Gillespie for best trumpeter in the 1955 DownBeat magazine Readers' Poll.Template:Sfn

George Avakian of Columbia Records heard Davis perform at Newport and wanted to sign him to the label. Davis had one year left on his contract with Prestige, which required him to release four more albums. He signed a contract with Columbia that included a $4,000 advance (Template:Inflation Template:Inflation/fn) and required that his recordings for Columbia remain unreleased until his agreement with Prestige expired.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

At the request of Avakian, he formed the Miles Davis Quintet for a performance at Café Bohemia. The quintet contained Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Rollins was replaced by John Coltrane, completing the membership of the first quintet. To fulfill Davis' contract with Prestige, this new group worked through two marathon sessions in May and October 1956 that were released by the label as four LPs: Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1957), Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1958), Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1960) and Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1961). Each album was critically acclaimed and helped establish Davis's quintet as one of the best.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

The style of the group was an extension of their experience playing with Davis. He played long, legato, melodic lines, while Coltrane contrasted with energetic solos. Their live repertoire was a mix of bebop, standards from the Great American Songbook and pre-bop eras, and traditional tunes. They appeared on 'Round About Midnight, Davis's first album for Columbia.Template:Cn

In 1956, he left his quintet temporarily to tour Europe as part of the Birdland All-Stars, which included the Modern Jazz Quartet and French and German musicians. In Paris, he reunited with Gréco and they "were lovers for many years".Template:Sfn Template:Sfn He then returned home, reunited his quintet and toured the US for two months. Conflict arose on tour when he grew impatient with the drug habits of Jones and Coltrane. Davis was trying to live a healthier life by exercising and reducing his use of alcohol. But he continued to use cocaine.Template:Sfn At the end of the tour, he fired Jones and Coltrane and replaced them with Sonny Rollins and Art Taylor.Template:Sfn

In November 1957, Davis went to Paris and recorded the soundtrack to Ascenseur pour l'échafaud.<ref name="New Grove" /> directed by Louis Malle and starring Jeanne Moreau. Consisting of French jazz musicians Barney Wilen, Pierre Michelot, and René Urtreger, and American drummer Kenny Clarke, the group avoided a written score and instead improvised while they watched the film in a recording studio.Template:Cn

After returning to New York, Davis revived his quintet with Adderley<ref name="New Grove" /> and Coltrane, who was clean from his drug habit. Now a sextet, the group recorded material in early 1958 that was released on Milestones, an album that demonstrated Davis's interest in modal jazz. A performance by Les Ballets Africains drew him to slower, deliberate music that allowed the creation of solos from harmony rather than chords.Template:Sfn

By May 1958, he had replaced Jones with drummer Jimmy Cobb, and Garland left the group, leaving Davis to play piano on "Sid's Ahead" for Milestones.Template:Sfn He wanted someone who could play modal jazz, so he hired Bill Evans, a young pianist with a background in classical music.Template:Sfn Evans had an impressionistic approach to piano. His ideas greatly influenced Davis. But after eight months of touring, a tired Evans left. Wynton Kelly, his replacement, brought to the group a swinging style that contrasted with Evans's delicacy. The sextet made their recording debut on Jazz Track (1958).Template:Sfn

1957–1963: Collaborations with Gil Evans and Kind of Blue

By early 1957, Davis was exhausted from recording and touring and wished to pursue new projects. In March, the 30-year-old Davis told journalists of his intention to retire soon and revealed offers he had received to teach at Harvard University and be a musical director at a record label.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Avakian agreed that it was time for Davis to explore something different, but Davis rejected his suggestion of returning to his nonet as he considered that a step backward.Template:Sfn Avakian then suggested that he work with a bigger ensemble, similar to Music for Brass (1957), an album of orchestral and brass-arranged music led by Gunther Schuller featuring Davis as a guest soloist.

Davis accepted and worked with Gil Evans in what became a five-album collaboration from 1957 to 1962.Template:Sfn Miles Ahead (1957) showcased Davis on flugelhorn and a rendition of "The Maids of Cadiz" by Léo Delibes, the first piece of classical music that Davis recorded. Evans devised orchestral passages as transitions, thus turning the album into one long piece of music.Template:Sfn<ref>Cook, op. cit.</ref> Porgy and Bess (1959) includes arrangements of pieces from George Gershwin's opera. Sketches of Spain (1960) contained music by Joaquín Rodrigo and Manuel de Falla and originals by Evans. The classical musicians had trouble improvising, while the jazz musicians couldn't handle the difficult arrangements, but the album was a critical success, selling over 120,000 copies in the US.Template:Sfn Davis performed with an orchestra conducted by Evans at Carnegie Hall in May 1961 to raise money for charity.Template:Sfn The pair's final album was Quiet Nights (1963), a collection of bossa nova songs released against their wishes. Evans stated it was only half an album and blamed the record company; Davis blamed producer Teo Macero and refused to speak to him for more than two years.Template:Sfn The boxed set Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (1996) won the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album and Best Album Notes in 1997.

In March and April 1959, Davis recorded what some consider his greatest album, Kind of Blue. He named the album for its mood.Template:Sfn He called back Bill Evans, as the music had been planned around Evans's piano style.Template:Sfn Both Davis and Evans were familiar with George Russell's ideas about modal jazz.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn But Davis neglected to tell pianist Wynton Kelly that Evans was returning, so Kelly appeared on only one song, "Freddie Freeloader".Template:Sfn The sextet had played "So What" and "All Blues" at performances, but the remaining three compositions they saw for the first time in the studio.

Released in August 1959, Kind of Blue was an instant success, with widespread radio airplay and rave reviews from critics.Template:Sfn It has remained a strong seller over the years. In 2019, the album achieved 5× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over five million copies in the US, making it one of the most successful jazz albums in history.<ref name=riaa>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2009, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution that honored it as a national treasure.<ref name="autogenerated1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 1959, during a break in a recording session at the Birdland nightclub in New York City, Davis was escorting a blonde-haired woman to a taxi outside the club when policeman Gerald Kilduff told him to "move on".Template:Sfn<ref name="arrest"/> Davis said that he was working at the club, and he refused to move.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kilduff arrested and grabbed Davis as he tried to protect himself. Witnesses said the policeman hit Davis in the stomach with a nightstick without provocation. Two detectives held the crowd back, while a third approached Davis from behind and beat him over the head. Davis was taken to jail, charged with assaulting an officer, then taken to the hospital where he received five stitches.<ref name="arrest">Template:Cite news</ref> By January 1960, he was acquitted of disorderly conduct and third-degree assault. He later stated the incident "changed my whole life and whole attitude again, made me feel bitter and cynical again when I was starting to feel good about the things that had changed in this country".Template:Sfn

Davis and his sextet toured to support Kind of Blue.Template:Sfn He persuaded Coltrane to play with the group on one final European tour in the spring of 1960. Coltrane then departed to form his quartet, though he returned for some tracks on Davis's album Someday My Prince Will Come (1961). Its front cover shows a photograph of his wife, Frances Taylor, after Davis demanded that Columbia depict black women on his album covers.Template:Sfn

1963–1968: Second quintet

File:Miles Davis (Antibes Juan-les-Pins 1963).jpg

Davis performing in Antibes, France, in July 1963

In December 1962, Davis, Rollins, Kelly, Chambers and Cobb played together for the last time as the latter three wanted to leave and play as a trio. Rollins left them soon after, leaving Davis to pay over $25,000 (Template:Inflation Template:Inflation/fn) to cancel upcoming gigs and quickly assemble a new group. Following auditions, he found his new band in tenor saxophonist George Coleman, bassist Ron Carter, pianist Victor Feldman, and drummer Frank Butler.Template:Sfn By May 1963, Feldman and Butler were replaced by 23-year-old pianist Herbie Hancock and 17-year-old drummer Tony Williams who made Davis "excited all over again".Template:Sfn With this group, Davis completed the rest of what became Seven Steps to Heaven (1963) and recorded the live albums Miles Davis in Europe (1964), My Funny Valentine (1965), and Four & More (1966). The quintet played essentially the same bebop tunes and standards that Davis's previous bands had played, but they approached them with structural and rhythmic freedom and occasionally breakneck speed.

In 1964, Coleman was briefly replaced by saxophonist Sam Rivers (who recorded with Davis on Miles in Tokyo) until Wayne Shorter was persuaded to leave the Jazz Messengers. The quintet with Shorter lasted through 1968, with Shorter becoming the group's principal composer. The album E.S.P. (1965) was named after his composition. While touring Europe, the group made its first album, Miles in Berlin (1965).Template:Sfn

File:Miles-Davis-1964-Helsinki.jpg

Davis performing at Töölö Sports Hall (Messuhalli) in Helsinki, Finland, in October 1964

Davis needed medical attention for hip pain, which had worsened since his Japanese tour during the previous year.Template:Sfn He underwent hip replacement surgery in April 1965, with bone taken from his shin, but it failed. After his third month in the hospital, he discharged himself due to boredom and went home. He returned to the hospital in August after a fall required the insertion of a plastic hip joint.Template:Sfn In November 1965, he had recovered enough to return to performing with his quintet, which included gigs at the Plugged Nickel in Chicago. Teo Macero returned as his record producer after their rift over Quiet Nights had healed.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

In January 1966, Davis spent three months in the hospital with a liver infection. When he resumed touring, he performed more at colleges because he had grown tired of the typical jazz venues.Template:Sfn Columbia president Clive Davis reported in 1966 his sales had declined to around 40,000–50,000 per album, compared to as many as 100,000 per release a few years before. Matters were not helped by the press reporting his apparent financial troubles and imminent demise.Template:Sfn After his appearance at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival, he returned to the studio with his quintet for a series of sessions. He started a relationship with actress Cicely Tyson, who helped him reduce his alcohol consumption.Template:Sfn

Material from the 1966–1968 sessions was released on Miles Smiles (1966), Sorcerer (1967), Nefertiti (1967), Miles in the Sky (1968), and Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968). The quintet's approach to the new music became known as "time no changes"—which referred to Davis's decision to depart from chordal sequences and adopt a more open approach, with the rhythm section responding to the soloists' melodies.Template:Sfn Through Nefertiti the studio recordings consisted primarily of originals composed by Shorter, with occasional compositions by the other sidemen. In 1967, the group began to play their concerts in continuous sets, each tune flowing into the next, with only the melody indicating any sort of change. His bands performed this way until his hiatus in 1975.

Miles in the Sky and Filles de Kilimanjaro—which tentatively introduced electric bass, electric piano, and electric guitar on some tracks—pointed the way to the fusion phase of Davis's career. He also began experimenting with more rock-oriented rhythms on these records. By the time the second half of Filles de Kilimanjaro was recorded, bassist Dave Holland and pianist Chick Corea had replaced Carter and Hancock. Davis soon took over the compositional duties of his sidemen.

1968–1975: The electric period

In a Silent Way was recorded in a single studio session in February 1969, with Shorter, Hancock, Holland, and Williams alongside keyboardists Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul and guitarist John McLaughlin. The album contains two side-long tracks that Macero pieced together from different takes recorded at the session. When the album was released later that year, some critics accused him of "selling out" to the rock and roll audience. Nevertheless, it reached number 134 on the US Billboard Top LPs chart, his first album since My Funny Valentine to reach the chart. In a Silent Way was his entry into jazz fusion. The touring band of 1969–1970—with Shorter, Corea, Holland, and DeJohnette—never completed a studio recording together, and became known as Davis's "lost quintet", though radio broadcasts from the band's European tour have been extensively bootlegged.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Miles Davis-140916-0016-103WPA.jpg

Davis performing in 1971

For the double album Bitches Brew (1970), he hired Jack DeJohnette, Harvey Brooks, and Bennie Maupin. The album contained long compositions, some over twenty minutes, that more often than not, were constructed from several takes by Macero and Davis via splicing and tape loops amid epochal advances in multitrack recording technologies.Template:Sfn Bitches Brew peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Album chart.<ref name="Bitches">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1976, it was certified gold for selling over 500,000 records. By 2003, it had sold one million copies.<ref name=riaa/>

In March 1970, Davis began to perform as the opening act for rock bands, allowing Columbia to market Bitches Brew to a larger audience. He shared a Fillmore East bill with the Steve Miller Band and Neil Young with Crazy Horse on March 6 and 7.Template:Sfn Biographer Paul Tingen wrote, "Miles' newcomer status in this environment" led to "mixed audience reactions, often having to play for dramatically reduced fees, and enduring the 'sell-out' accusations from the jazz world", as well as being "attacked by sections of the black press for supposedly genuflecting to white culture".Template:Sfn The 1970 tours included the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival on August 29 when he performed to an estimated 600,000 people, the largest of his career.Template:Sfn Plans to record with Hendrix ended after the guitarist's death; his funeral was the last one that Davis attended.Template:Sfn Several live albums with a transitional sextet/septet including Corea, DeJohnette, Holland, Airto Moreira, saxophonist Steve Grossman, and keyboardist Keith Jarrett were recorded during this period, including Miles Davis at Fillmore (1970) and Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West (1973).<ref name="Miles Davis">Template:Cite web</ref>

By 1971, Davis had signed a contract with Columbia that paid him $100,000 a year (Template:Inflation Template:Inflation-fn) for three years in addition to royalties.Template:Sfn He recorded a soundtrack album (Jack Johnson) for the 1970 documentary film about heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson, containing two long pieces of 25 and 26 minutes in length with Hancock, McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock, and Billy Cobham. He was committed to making music for African-Americans who liked more commercial, pop, groove-oriented music. By November 1971, DeJohnette and Moreira had been replaced in the touring ensemble by drummer Leon "Ndugu" Chancler and percussionists James Mtume and Don Alias.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Live-Evil was released in the same month. Showcasing bassist Michael Henderson, who had replaced Holland in 1970, the album demonstrated that Davis's ensemble had transformed into a funk-oriented group while retaining the exploratory imperative of Bitches Brew.

File:Miles Davis-140916-0018-105WPa.jpg

Davis's septet in November 1971; left to right: Gary Bartz, Davis, Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, James Mtume, and Don Alias

In 1972, composer-arranger Paul Buckmaster introduced Davis to the music of avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, leading to a period of creative exploration. Biographer J. K. Chambers wrote, "The effect of Davis' study of Stockhausen could not be repressed for long ... Davis' own 'space music' shows Stockhausen's influence compositionally."Template:Sfn His recordings and performances during this period were described as "space music" by fans, Feather, and Buckmaster, who described it as "a lot of mood changes—heavy, dark, intense—definitely space music".Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The studio album On the Corner (1972) blended the influence of Stockhausen and Buckmaster with funk elements. Davis invited Buckmaster to New York City to oversee the writing and recording of the album with Macero.Template:Sfn The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard jazz chart but peaked at No. 156 on the more heterogeneous Top 200 Albums chart. Davis felt that Columbia marketed it to the wrong audience. "The music was meant to be heard by young black people, but they just treated it like any other jazz album and advertised it that way, pushed it on the jazz radio stations. Young black kids don't listen to those stations; they listen to R&B stations and some rock stations."Template:Sfn In October 1972, he broke his ankles in a car crash. He took painkillers and cocaine to cope with the pain.Template:Sfn Looking back at his career after the incident, he wrote, "Everything started to blur."Template:Sfn

After recording On the Corner, he assembled a group with Henderson, Mtume, Carlos Garnett, guitarist Reggie Lucas, organist Lonnie Liston Smith, tabla player Badal Roy, sitarist Khalil Balakrishna, and drummer Al Foster. In striking contrast to that of his previous lineups, the music emphasized rhythmic density and shifting textures instead of solos. This group was recorded live in 1972 for In Concert, but Davis found it unsatisfactory, leading him to drop the tabla and sitar and play organ himself. He also added guitarist Pete Cosey. The compilation studio album Big Fun contains four long improvisations recorded between 1969 and 1972. Template:Quote box Studio sessions throughout 1973 and 1974 led to Get Up with It, an album which included four long pieces alongside four shorter recordings from 1970 and 1972. The track "He Loved Him Madly", a thirty-minute tribute to the recently deceased Duke Ellington, influenced Brian Eno's ambient music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the United States, it performed comparably to On the Corner, reaching number 8 on the jazz chart and number 141 on the pop chart. He then concentrated on live performance with a series of concerts that Columbia released on the double live albums Agharta (1975), Pangaea (1976), and Dark Magus (1977). The first two are recordings of two sets from February 1, 1975, in Osaka, by which time Davis was troubled by several physical ailments; he relied on alcohol, codeine, and morphine to get through the engagements. His shows were routinely panned by critics who mentioned his habit of performing with his back to the audience.Template:Sfn Cosey later asserted that "the band really advanced after the Japanese tour",Template:Sfn but Davis was again hospitalized, for his ulcers and a hernia, during a tour of the US while opening for Herbie Hancock.

After appearances at the 1975 Newport Jazz Festival in July and the Schaefer Music Festival in New York in September, Davis dropped out of music.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1975–1980: Hiatus

In his autobiography, Davis wrote frankly about his life during his hiatus from music. He called his Upper West Side brownstone a wreck and chronicled his heavy use of alcohol and cocaine, in addition to sexual encounters with many women.Template:Sfn He also stated that "Sex and drugs took the place music had occupied in my life." Drummer Tony Williams recalled that by noon (on average) Davis would be sick from the previous night's intake.<ref name=":11" />

In December 1975, he had regained enough strength to undergo a much needed hip replacement operation.Template:Sfn In December 1976, Columbia was reluctant to renew his contract and pay his usual large advances. But after his lawyer started negotiating with United Artists, Columbia matched their offer, establishing the Miles Davis Fund to pay him regularly. Pianist Vladimir Horowitz was the only other musician with Columbia who had a similar status.Template:Sfn

In 1978, Davis asked fusion guitarist Larry Coryell to participate in sessions with keyboardists Masabumi Kikuchi and George Pavlis, bassist T. M. Stevens, and drummer Al Foster.Template:Sfn Davis played the arranged piece uptempo, abandoned his trumpet for the organ, and had Macero record the session without the band's knowledge. After Coryell declined a spot in a band that Davis was beginning to put together, Davis returned to his reclusive lifestyle in New York City.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Soon after, Marguerite Eskridge had Davis jailed for failing to pay child support for their son Erin, which cost him $10,000 (Template:Inflation Template:Inflation-fn) for release on bail.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn A recording session that involved Buckmaster and Gil Evans was halted,Template:Sfn with Evans leaving after failing to receive the payment he was promised. In August 1978, Davis hired a new manager, Mark Rothbaum, who had worked with him since 1972.Template:Sfn

1980–1985: Comeback

Having played the trumpet little throughout the previous three years, Davis found it difficult to reclaim his embouchure. His first post-hiatus studio appearance took place in May 1980.Template:Sfn A day later, Davis was hospitalized due to a leg infection.Template:Sfn He recorded The Man with the Horn from June 1980 to May 1981 with Macero producing. A large band was abandoned in favor of a combo with saxophonist Bill Evans and bassist Marcus Miller. Both would collaborate with him during the next decade.

The Man with the Horn received a poor critical reception despite selling well. In June 1981, Davis returned to the stage for the first time since 1975 in a ten-minute guest solo as part of Mel Lewis's band at the Village Vanguard.Template:Sfn This was followed by appearances with a new band.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Recordings from a mixture of dates from 1981, including from the Kix in Boston and Avery Fisher Hall, were released on We Want Miles,Template:Sfn which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Soloist.Template:Sfn

File:Miles Davis 23.jpg

Davis performing in 1985

In January 1982, while Tyson was working in Africa, Davis "went a little wild" with alcohol and suffered a stroke that temporarily paralyzed his right hand.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Tyson returned home and cared for him. After three months of treatment with a Chinese acupuncturist, he was able to play the trumpet again. He listened to his doctor's warnings and gave up alcohol and drugs. He credited Tyson with helping his recovery, which involved exercise, piano playing, and visits to spas. She encouraged him to draw, which he pursued for the rest of his life.Template:Sfn Takao Ogawa, a Japanese jazz journalist who befriended Davis during this period, took pictures of his drawings and put them in his book along with the interviews of Davis at his apartment in New York. Davis told Ogawa: "I'm interested in line and color, line is like phrase and coating colors is like code. When I see good paintings, I hear good music. That is why my paintings are the same as my music. They are different than any paintings."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Davis resumed touring in May 1982 with a lineup that included percussionist Mino Cinelu and guitarist John Scofield, with whom he worked closely on the album Star People (1983). In mid-1983, he worked on the tracks for Decoy, an album mixing soul music and electronica that was released in 1984. He brought in producer, composer, and keyboardist Robert Irving III, who had collaborated with him on The Man with the Horn. With a seven-piece band that included Scofield, Evans, Irving, Foster, and Darryl Jones, he played a series of European performances that were positively received. In December 1984, while in Denmark, he was awarded the Léonie Sonning Music Prize. Trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg had written "Aura", a contemporary classical piece, for the event which impressed Davis to the point of returning to Denmark in early 1985 to record his next studio album, Aura.Template:Sfn Columbia was dissatisfied with the recording and delayed its release.

In May 1985, one month into a tour, Davis signed a contract with Warner Bros. that required him to give up his publishing rights.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn You're Under Arrest, his final album for Columbia, was released in September. It included cover versions of two pop songs: "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper and Michael Jackson's "Human Nature". He considered releasing an album of pop songs, and he recorded dozens of them, but the idea was rejected. He said that many of today's jazz standards had been pop songs in Broadway theater and that he was simply updating the standards repertoire.

Davis collaborated with a number of figures from the British post-punk and new wave movements during this period, including Scritti Politti.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This period also saw Davis move from his funk inspired sound of the early 1970s to a more melodic style.<ref name= ":12">Template:Cite journal</ref>

1986–1991: Final years

File:Miles Davis Strasbourg face 2.jpg

Davis performing in Strasbourg, 1987

After taking part in the recording of the 1985 protest song "Sun City" as a member of Artists United Against Apartheid, Davis appeared on the instrumental "Don't Stop Me Now" by Toto for their album Fahrenheit (1986). Davis collaborated with Prince on a song titled "Can I Play With U," which went unreleased until 2020.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Davis also collaborated with Zane Giles and Randy Hall on the Rubberband sessions in 1985 but those would remain unreleased until 2019.<ref name="announce">Template:Cite web</ref> Instead, he worked with Marcus Miller, and Tutu (1986) became the first time he used modern studio tools such as programmed synthesizers, sampling, and drum loops. Released in September 1986, its front cover is a photographic portrait of Davis by Irving Penn.Template:Sfn In 1987, he won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist. Also in 1987, Davis contacted American journalist Quincy Troupe to work with him on his autobiography.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref> The two men had met the previous year when Troupe conducted a two-day-long interview, which was published by Spin as a 45-page article.<ref name=":8" />

In 1988, Davis had a small part as a street musician in the Christmas comedy film Scrooged starring Bill Murray. He also collaborated with Zucchero Fornaciari in a version of Dune Mosse (Blue's), published in 2004 in Zu & Co. of the Italian bluesman. In November 1988 he was inducted into the Sovereign Military Order of Malta at a ceremony at the Alhambra Palace in Spain.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Later that month, Davis cut his European tour short after he collapsed and fainted after a two-hour show in Madrid and flew home.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There were rumors of more poor health reported by the American magazine Star in its February 21, 1989, edition, which published a claim that Davis had contracted AIDS, prompting his manager Peter Shukat to issue a statement the following day. Shukat said Davis had been in the hospital for a mild case of pneumonia and the removal of a benign polyp on his vocal cords and was resting comfortably in preparation for his 1989 tours.<ref name=latimes1989>Template:Cite web</ref> Davis later blamed one of his former wives or girlfriends for starting the rumor and decided against taking legal action.Template:Sfn He was interviewed on 60 Minutes by Harry Reasoner. In October 1989, he received a Grande Medaille de Vermeil from Paris mayor Jacques Chirac.Template:Sfn In 1990, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.Template:Sfn In early 1991, he appeared in the Rolf de Heer film Dingo as a jazz musician.

File:Miles Davis 22.jpg

Davis at the North Sea Jazz Festival, 1991

Davis followed Tutu with Amandla (1989) and soundtracks to four films: Street Smart, Siesta, The Hot Spot, and Dingo. His last albums were released posthumously: the hip hop-influenced Doo-Bop (1992) and Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux (1993), a collaboration with Quincy Jones from the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival where, for the first time in three decades, he performed songs from Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On July 8, 1991, Davis returned to performing material from his past at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival with a band and orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones.Template:Sfn The set consisted of arrangements from his albums recorded with Gil Evans.Template:Sfn The show was followed by a concert billed as "Miles and Friends" at the Grande halle de la Villette in Paris two days later, with guest performances by musicians from throughout his career, including John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, and Joe Zawinul.Template:Sfn In Paris he was awarded a knighthood, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by French Culture Minister, Jack Lang, who called him "the Picasso of Jazz."Template:Sfn After returning to America, he stopped in New York City to record material for Doo-Bop and then returned to California to play at the Hollywood Bowl on August 25, his final live performance.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Clear

Personal life

In 1957,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Davis began a relationship with Frances Taylor, a dancer he had met in 1953 at Ciro's in Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn They married in December 1959 in Toledo, Ohio.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Due to Miles Davis' physical abuse of Frances Taylor, their relationship, of course, suffered. He later wrote, "Every time I hit her, I felt bad because a lot of it really wasn't her fault but had to do with me being temperamental and jealous."Template:Sfn Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One theory for his behavior was that in 1963 he had increased his use of alcohol and cocaine to alleviate joint pain caused by sickle cell anemia.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn He hallucinated, "looking for this imaginary person" in his house while wielding a kitchen knife. Soon after the photograph for the album E.S.P. (1965) was taken, Taylor left him for the final time.Template:Sfn She filed for divorce in 1966; it was finalized in February 1968.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Sfn

In September 1968, Davis married 23-year-old model and songwriter Betty Mabry.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In his autobiography, Davis described her as a "high-class groupie, who was very talented but who didn't believe in her own talent".Template:Sfn Mabry, a familiar face in the New York City counterculture, introduced Davis to popular rock, soul, and funk musicians.Template:Sfn Jazz critic Leonard Feather visited Davis's apartment and was shocked to find him listening to albums by the Byrds, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick. He also liked James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and Jimi Hendrix,Template:Sfn whose group Band of Gypsys particularly impressed Davis.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Davis filed for divorce from Mabry in 1969, after accusing her of having an affair with Hendrix.Template:Sfn

File:Miles Davis and Cicely Tyson 1982.jpg

Davis and Cicely Tyson in 1982

On October 10, 1969, Davis was shot at five times while in his Ferrari with Marguerite Eskridge, one of his lovers. One bullet grazed his hip; Eskridge was unharmed.Template:Sfn Davis later wrote that the incident arose from a dispute among nightclub promoters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1970, Marguerite gave birth to their son Erin. By 1979, Davis rekindled his relationship with actress Cicely Tyson, who helped him to overcome his cocaine addiction and regain his enthusiasm for music. The two married in November 1981,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn but their tumultuous marriage ended with Tyson filing for divorce in 1988, which was finalized in 1989.Template:Sfn

In 1984, Davis met 34-year-old sculptor Jo Gelbard.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite web</ref> Gelbard would teach Davis how to paint; the two were frequent collaborators and were soon romantically involved.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":8" /> By 1985, Davis was diabetic and required daily injections of insulin.Template:Sfn Davis became increasingly aggressive in his final year due in part to the medication he was taking,<ref name=":9" /> and his aggression manifested as violence towards Gelbard.<ref name=":9" />

Death

File:Sir Miles Davis Gravesite.JPG

Davis' grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, with headstone inscribed with the beginning notes of one of his compositions, "Solar"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In early September 1991, Davis checked into St. John's Hospital near his home in Santa Monica, California, for routine tests.Template:Sfn Doctors suggested he have a tracheal tube implanted to relieve his breathing after repeated bouts of bronchial pneumonia. The suggestion provoked an outburst from Davis that led to an intracerebral hemorrhage followed by a coma. According to Jo Gelbard, on September 26, Davis painted his final painting – and that painting, composed of dark, ghostly figures dripping blood "was full of his imminent demise".<ref name=":11" /> After several days on life support, his machine was turned off and he died on September 28, 1991, in the arms of Gelbard.Template:Sfn<ref name=":8" /> He was 65 years old. His death was attributed to the combined effects of a stroke, pneumonia, and respiratory failure.<ref name="Miles Davis"/> According to Troupe, Davis was taking azidothymidine (AZT), a type of antiretroviral drug used for the treatment of HIV and AIDS, during his treatments in the hospital.Template:Sfn A funeral service was held on October 5, 1991, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church on Lexington Avenue in New York City<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> that was attended by around 500 friends, family members, and musical acquaintances, with many fans standing in the rain.Template:Sfn He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City, with one of his trumpets, near the site of Duke Ellington's grave.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

At the time of his death, Davis's estate was valued at more than $1 million (equivalent to roughly $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year Template:Inflation/fn). In his will, Davis left 20 percent to his daughter Cheryl Davis; 40 percent to his son Erin Davis; 10 percent to his nephew Vincent Wilburn Jr. and 15 percent each to his brother Vernon Davis and his sister Dorothy Wilburn. He excluded his two sons Gregory and Miles IV.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Views on his earlier work

Late in his life, from the "electric period" onwards, Davis repeatedly explained his reasons for not wishing to perform his earlier works, such as Birth of the Cool or Kind of Blue. In his view, remaining stylistically static was the wrong option.Template:Sfn He commented: Template:"'So What' or Kind of Blue, they were done in that era, the right hour, the right day, and it happened. It's over ... What I used to play with Bill Evans, all those different modes, and substitute chords, we had the energy then and we liked it. But I have no feel for it anymore, it's more like warmed-over turkey."<ref name="Bill">Template:Cite web</ref> When Shirley Horn insisted in 1990 that Miles reconsider playing the ballads and modal tunes of his Kind of Blue period, he said: "Nah, it hurts my lip."<ref name="Bill" /> Bill Evans, who played piano on Kind of Blue, said: "I would like to hear more of the consummate melodic master, but I feel that big business and his record company have had a corrupting influence on his material. The rock and pop thing certainly draws a wider audience."<ref name="Bill" /> Throughout his later career, Davis declined offers to reinstate his 1960s quintet.<ref name=":11" />

Many books and documentaries focus on his work before 1975.<ref name=":11" /> According to an article by The Independent, from 1975 onwards a decline in critical praise for Davis's output began to form, with many viewing the era as "worthless": "There is a surprisingly widespread view that, in terms of the merits of his musical output, Davis might as well have died in 1975."<ref name=":11" /> In a 1982 interview in DownBeat, Wynton Marsalis said: "They call Miles's stuff jazz. That stuff is not jazz, man. Just because somebody played jazz at one time, that doesn't mean they're still playing it."<ref name=":11" /> Despite his contempt for Davis' later work, Marsalis' work is "laden with ironic references to Davis' music of the '60s".<ref name=":12" /> Davis did not necessarily disagree; lambasting what he saw as Marsalis's stylistic conservatism, Davis said "Jazz is dead ... it's finito! It's over and there's no point apeing the shit."<ref name="gilroy1993">Template:Cite book</ref> Writer Stanley Crouch criticized Davis's work from In a Silent Way onwards.<ref name=":11" />

Legacy and influence

File:Pomnik Milesa Davisa Kielce 01 ssj 20060304.jpg

Miles Davis Monument, unveiled in 2001, by Grzegorz Łagowski, in Kielce, Poland

Miles Davis is considered one of the most innovative, influential, and respected figures in the history of music. The Guardian described him as "a pioneer of 20th-century music, leading many of the key developments in the world of jazz."<ref name="guardian">Template:Cite web</ref> He has been called "one of the great innovators in jazz",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and had the titles Prince of Darkness and the Picasso of Jazz bestowed upon him.Template:Sfn The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll said, "Miles Davis played a crucial and inevitably controversial role in every major development in jazz since the mid-'40s, and no other jazz musician has had so profound an effect on rock. Miles Davis was the most widely recognized jazz musician of his era, an outspoken social critic and an arbiter of style—in attitude and fashion—as well as music."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote, "To examine his career is to examine the history of jazz from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s, since he was in the thick of almost every important innovation and stylistic development in the music during that period ... It can even be argued that jazz stopped evolving when Davis wasn't there to push it forward."<ref name="allmusic">Template:Cite web</ref> Francis Davis of The Atlantic noted that Davis's career can be seen as "an ongoing critique of bebop: the origins of 'cool' jazz..., hard bop, or 'funky'..., modal improvisation..., and jazz-rock fusion... can be traced to his efforts to tear bebop down to its essentials."<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref>

His approach, owing largely to the African-American performance tradition that focused on individual expression, emphatic interaction, and creative response to shifting contents, had a profound impact on generations of jazz musicians.<ref name="possible">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2016, digital publication The Pudding, in an article examining Davis's legacy, found that 2,452 Wikipedia pages mention Davis, with over 286 citing him as an influence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Miles Davis Way, NYC IMG 5819.JPG

The westernmost part of 77th Street in New York City has been named Miles Davis Way. He once lived on the block.

On November 5, 2009, U.S. Representative John Conyers of Michigan sponsored a measure in the United States House of Representatives to commemorate Kind of Blue on its 50th anniversary. The measure also affirms jazz as a national treasure and "encourages the United States government to preserve and advance the art form of jazz music".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It passed with a vote of 409–0 on December 15, 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The trumpet Davis used on the recording is displayed on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It was donated to the school by Arthur "Buddy" Gist, who met Davis in 1949 and became a close friend. The gift was the reason why the jazz program at UNCG is named the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1986, the New England Conservatory awarded Davis an honorary doctorate for his contributions to music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since 1960 the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) honored him with eight Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards.

In 2001, The Miles Davis Story, a two-hour documentary film by Mike Dibb, won an International Emmy Award for arts documentary of the year.<ref name="Deans">Template:Cite web</ref> Since 2005, the Miles Davis Jazz Committee has held an annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 2005, the Davis biography, The Last Miles was published,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a London exhibition was held of his paintings, The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis, 1980–1991' was released detailing his final years and eight of his albums from the 1960s and 1970s were reissued in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his signing to Columbia Records.<ref name=":11">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<ref name="Rolling Stone Stamp">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service issued commemorative stamps featuring Davis.<ref name="Rolling Stone Stamp" />

Miles Ahead was a 2015 American music film directed by Don Cheadle, co-written by Cheadle with Steven Baigelman, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson, which interprets the life and compositions of Davis. It premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2015. The film stars Cheadle, Emayatzy Corinealdi as Frances Taylor, Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Lakeith Stanfield.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year a statue of him was erected in his home city, Alton, Illinois and listeners of BBC Radio and Jazz FM voted Davis the greatest jazz musician.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":2" /> Publications such as The Guardian have also ranked Davis among the best of all jazz musicians.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2018, American rapper Q-Tip played Miles Davis in a theater production, My Funny Valentine.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> Q-Tip had previously played Davis in 2010.<ref name=":4" /> In 2019, the documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, directed by Stanley Nelson, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was later released on PBS' American Masters series.<ref name="Rolling Stone 2020">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Davis is the subject of the upcoming period romance film Davis & Juliette about his meeting Juliette Gréco in Paris in 1949. In a statement to accompany the film's announcement, English musician Mick Jagger regarded Davis as "inarguably one of the most influential and important musicians of the 20th Century."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Davis has, however, been subject to criticism. In 1990, writer Stanley Crouch, a prominent critic of jazz fusion, labeled Davis "the most brilliant sellout in the history of jazz,"<ref name=":11" /> A 1993 essay by Robert Walser in The Musical Quarterly claims that "Davis has long been infamous for missing more notes than any other major trumpet player."<ref name=":5">Template:Cite journal</ref> Also in the essay is a quote by music critic James Lincoln Collier who states that "if his influence was profound, the ultimate value of his work is another matter", and calls Davis an "adequate instrumentalist" but "not a great one".<ref name=":5" /> In 2013, The A.V. Club published an article titled "Miles Davis beat his wives and made beautiful music". In the article, writer Sonia Saraiya praises Davis as a musician, but criticizes him as a person, in particular, his abuse of his wives.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref> Others, such as Francis Davis, have criticized his treatment of women, describing it as "contemptible".<ref name=":7" />

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

Miles Davis won eight Grammy Awards and received thirty-two nominations.<ref name="Grammy">Template:Cite web</ref>

Year	Category	Work
1960	Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration	Sketches of Spain
1970	Best Jazz Performance, Large Group or Soloist with Large Group	Bitches Brew
1982	Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist	We Want Miles
1986	Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist	Tutu
1989	Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist	Aura
1989	Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band	Aura
1990	Lifetime Achievement Award
1992	Best R&B Instrumental Performance	Doo-Bop
1993	Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance	Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux

Other awards

Year	Award	Source
1955	Voted Best Trumpeter, DownBeat Readers' Poll
1957	Voted Best Trumpeter, DownBeat Readers' Poll
1961	Voted Best Trumpeter, DownBeat Readers' Poll
1984	Sonning Award for Lifetime Achievement in Music
1986	Doctor of Music, honoris causa, New England Conservatory
1988	Knighthood by the Knights of Malta	Template:Sfn
1989	Governor's Award from the New York State Council on the Arts	<ref name=latimes19890615>Template:Cite web</ref>
1990	St. Louis Walk of Fame	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1991	Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Music Score for Dingo, shared with Michel Legrand
1991	Knight of the Legion of Honor
1998	Hollywood Walk of Fame
2006	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame	<ref name="Rolling Stone Stamp" />
2006	Hollywood's Rockwalk
2008	Quadruple platinum certification for Kind of Blue
2019	Quintuple platinum certification for Kind of Blue

Discography

Template:Main

The following list intends to outline Davis' major works, particularly studio albums. A more comprehensive discography can be found at the main article.

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The New Sounds (1951)
Young Man with a Horn (1952)
Blue Period (1953)
The Compositions of Al Cohn (1953)
Miles Davis Volume 2 (1954)
Miles Davis Volume 3 (1954)
Miles Davis Quintet (1954)
With Sonny Rollins (1954)
Miles Davis Quartet (1954)
All-Stars, Volume 1 (1955)
All-Stars, Volume 2 (1955)
All Star Sextet (1955)
The Musings of Miles (1955)
Blue Moods (1955)
Miles Davis, Vol. 1 (1956)
Miles Davis, Vol. 2 (1956)
Dig (1956)
Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet (1956)
Quintet/Sextet (1956)
Collectors' Items (1956)
Birth of the Cool (1957)
'Round About Midnight (1957)
Walkin' (1957)
Cookin' (1957)
Miles Ahead (1957)
Relaxin' (1958)
Milestones (1958)
Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants (1959)
Porgy and Bess (1959)
Kind of Blue (1959)
Workin' (1960)
Sketches of Spain (1960)
Steamin' (1961)
Someday My Prince Will Come (1961)
Seven Steps to Heaven (1963)
Quiet Nights (1963)
E.S.P. (1965)
Miles Smiles (1967)
Sorcerer (1967)
Nefertiti (1968)
Miles in the Sky (1968)
Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968)
In a Silent Way (1969)
Bitches Brew (1970)
Jack Johnson (1971)
Live-Evil (1971)
On the Corner (1972)
In Concert (1973)
Big Fun (1974)
Get Up with It (1974)
Agharta (1975)
Pangaea (1976)
Dark Magus (1977)
The Man with the Horn (1981)
We Want Miles (1982)
Star People (1983)
Decoy (1984)
You're Under Arrest (1985)
Tutu (1986)
Amandla (1989)
Aura (1989)
Doo-Bop (1992)
Rubberband (2019)
Birth of the Blue (2024)

Template:Div col end

Filmography

Year	Film	Credited as			Role	Notes
Year	Film	Composer	Performer	Actor	Role	Notes
1958	Elevator to the Gallows	Template:Yes	Template:Yes		—	Described by critic Phil Johnson as "the loneliest trumpet sound you will ever hear, and the model for sad-core music ever since. Hear it and weep."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1968	Symbiopsychotaxiplasm	Template:Yes	Template:Yes		—	Music by Davis, from In a Silent Way<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
1970	Jack Johnson	Template:Yes	Template:Yes			Basis for the 1971 album Jack Johnson
1972	Imagine			Template:Yes	Himself	Cameo, uncredited
1985	Miami Vice			Template:Yes	Ivory Jones	TV series (1 episode – "Junk Love")
1986	Crime Story			Template:Yes	Jazz musician	Cameo, TV series (1 episode – "The War")
1987	Siesta	Template:Yes	Template:Yes		—	Only one song is composed by Miles Davis in cooperation with Marcus Miller ("Theme For Augustine").
1988	Scrooged		Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Street musician	Cameo
1990	The Hot Spot		Template:Yes			Composed by Jack Nitzsche, also featuring John Lee Hooker
1991	Dingo	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Billy Cross	Soundtrack is composed by Miles Davis in cooperation with Michel Legrand.

Notes

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References

Citations

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Sources

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External links

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