# miles davis ![[milesdavis-140916-0016-103wp.jpg|300]] davis in 1971 background information birth name: miles dewey davis iii born: may 26 1926 alton illinois u.s. died: september 28 1991 (aged 65) santa monica california u.s. education: juilliard school (no degree) genres: jazz - jazz fusion - blues - classical - rock - funk - experimental occupations: musician - bandleader - composer instruments: trumpet - flugelhorn - cornet - piano - electric organ works: miles davis discography years active: 1944-1975; 1979-1991 labels: capitol - prestige - columbia - fontana - warner bros. formerly of: miles davis quintet spouses: frances taylor ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1968)​ - betty mabry ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1969)​ - cicely tyson ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1989)​ website: milesdavis.com miles dewey davis iii (may 26 1926 - september 28 1991) was an american trumpeter bandleader and composer. ey 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 ir at the forefront of many major stylistic developments in genres such as jazz classical and experimental music born into an upper-middle-class family in alton illinois and raised in east st. louis davis started on the trumpet in ir early teens. ey left to study at juilliard in new york city before dropping out and making ir professional debut as a member of saxophonist charlie parker's bebop quintet from 1944 to 1948. shortly after ey 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 ey signed a long-term contract with columbia records and recorded the album 'round about midnight in 1955. it was ir first work with saxophonist john coltrane and bassist paul chambers key members of the sextet ey led into the early 1960s. during this period ey 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.) the latter recording remains one of the most popular jazz albums of all time having sold over five million copies in the u.s davis made several lineup changes while recording someday my prince will come (1961) ir 1961 blackhawk concerts and seven steps to heaven (1963) another commercial success that introduced bassist ron carter pianist herbie hancock and drummer tony williams. after adding saxophonist wayne shorter to ir new quintet in 1964 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) before transitioning into ir electric period. during the 1970s ey 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. 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 ir career alienating and challenging many in jazz. ir million-selling 1970 record bitches brew helped spark a resurgence in the genre's commercial popularity with jazz fusion as the decade progressed after a five-year retirement due to poor health davis resumed ir 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 ir highest level of commercial recognition. ey performed sold-out concerts worldwide while branching out into visual arts film and television work before ir death in 1991 from the combined effects of a stroke pneumonia and respiratory failure. in 2006 davis was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame which recognised ir as "one of the key figures in the history of jazz." rolling stone described ir as "the most revered jazz trumpeter of all time not to mention one of the most important musicians of the 20th century-" while gerald early called ir inarguably one of the most influential and innovative musicians of that period davis was born on may 26 1926 to an affluent african-american family in alton illinois 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of st. louis. ey had an older sister dorothy mae (1925-1996) and a younger brother vernon (1929-1999.) ir mother cleota mae henry of arkansas was a music teacher and violinist and ir father miles dewey davis jr. also of arkansas was a dentist. they owned a 200-acre (81 ha) estate near pine bluff arkansas with a profitable pig farm. in pine bluff ey and ir siblings fished hunted and rode horses. davis's grandparents were the owners of an arkansas farm where ey would spend many summers 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 ir children as the great depression caused ir to become increasingly consumed by ir job typically working six days a week. from 1932 to 1934 davis attended john robinson elementary school an all-black school then crispus attucks where ey performed well in mathematics music and sports. davis had previously attended catholic school. at an early age ey liked music especially blues big bands and gospel ![[milesdavisyouthhouse.eaststlouis.17thstreetandkansasavenue.3.jpg|300]] the house at 1701 kansas avenue in east st. louis illinois where davis lived from 1939 to 1944 in 1935 davis received ir first trumpet as a gift from john eubanks a friend of ir father. ey then took weekly lessons from "the biggest influence on my life" elwood buchanan a teacher and musician who was a patient of ir father. ir mother wanted ir to play the violin instead. against the fashion of the time buchanan stressed the importance of playing without vibrato and encouraged ir to use a clear mid-range tone. davis said that whenever ey started playing with heavy vibrato buchanan slapped ir knuckles. 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." the family soon moved to 1701 kansas avenue in east st. louis in ir autobiography davis stated "by the age of 12 music had become the most important thing in my life." on ir thirteenth birthday ir father bought ir a new trumpet and davis began to play in local bands. ey took additional trumpet lessons from joseph gustat principal trumpeter of the st. louis symphony orchestra. davis would also play the trumpet in talent shows ey and ir siblings would put on in 1941 the 15-year-old attended east st. louis lincoln high school where ey joined the marching band directed by buchanan and entered music competitions. years later davis said that ey was discriminated against in these competitions due to ir race but ey added that these experiences made ir a better musician. when a drummer asked ir to play a certain passage of music and ey could not do it ey began to learn music theory. "i went and got everything every book i could get to learn about theory." at lincoln davis met ir first girlfriend irene birth (later cawthon.) ey had a band that performed at the elks club. part of ir earnings paid for ir sister's education at fisk university. davis befriended trumpeter clark terry who suggested ey play without vibrato and performed with ir for several years with encouragement from ir teacher and girlfriend davis filled a vacant spot in the rhumboogie orchestra also known as the blue devils led by eddie randle. ey became the band's musical director which involved hiring musicians and scheduling rehearsal. years later davis considered this job one of the most important of ir career. sonny stitt tried to persuade ir to join the tiny bradshaw band which was passing through town but ir mother insisted ey finish high school before going on tour. ey said later "i didn't talk to ir for two weeks. and i didn't go with the band either." in january 1944 davis finished high school and graduated in absentia in june. during the next month ir girlfriend gave birth to a daughter cheryl 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 so davis was invited to join. ey played with the band for two weeks at club riviera. after playing with these musicians ey was certain ey should move to new york city "where the action was." ir mother wanted ir to go to fisk university like ir sister and study piano or violin. davis had other interests # # 1944-1948: new york city and the bebop years ![[charlieparker-tommypotter-milesdavis-dukejordan-max.jpg|300]] tommy potter charlie parker max roach miles davis and duke jordan in august 1947 in september 1944 davis accepted ir father's idea of studying at the juilliard school of music in new york city. after passing the audition ey attended classes in music theory piano and dictation. davis often skipped ir classes much of davis's time was spent in clubs seeking ir idol charlie parker. according to davis coleman hawkins told ir "finish your studies at juilliard and forget bird." after finding parker ey 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 ir daughter cheryl when they moved to new york city. parker became a roommate. around this time davis was paid an allowance of $40 (equivalent to $710 in 2024) in mid-1945 davis failed to register for the year's autumn term at juilliard and dropped out after three semesters because ey wanted to perform full-time. years later ey criticised juilliard for concentrating too much on classical european and "white" repertoire but ey praised the school for teaching ir music theory and improving ir trumpet technique davis began performing at clubs on 52nd street with coleman hawkins and eddie "lockjaw" davis. ey recorded for the first time on april 24 1945 when ey entered the studio as a sideman for herbie fields's band. during the next year ey recorded as a leader for the first time with the miles davis sextet plus earl coleman and ann baker one of the few times ey accompanied a singer ![[250px-howardmcghee-brickfleagleandmilesdavis-casepte.jpg|300]] 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 ey participated in several recording sessions as part of parker's group reboppers that also involved gillespie and max roach displaying hints of the style ey would become known for. on parker's tune "now's the time" davis played a solo that anticipated cool jazz. ey next joined a big band led by benny carter performing in st. louis and remaining with the band in california. ey again played with parker and gillespie. in los angeles parker had a nervous breakdown that put ir in the hospital for several months. 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. davis noted that by this time "i was still so much into the music that i was even ignoring irene." ey had also turned to alcohol and cocaine davis was a member of billy eckstine's big band in 1946 and gillespie's in 1947. ey 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. in one session that may davis wrote the tune "cheryl" for ir 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." 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 # # 1948-1950: miles davis nonet and birth of the cool in august 1948 davis declined an offer to join duke ellington's orchestra as ey 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 ir own project. 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. 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. the intent was to imitate the human voice through carefully arranged compositions and a relaxed melodic approach to improvisation. in september the band completed ir 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 ir drug addiction. early in ir time with parker davis abstained from drugs chose a vegetarian diet and spoke of the benefits of water and juice in december 1948 davis quit saying ey was not being paid. ir departure began a period when ey worked mainly as a freelancer and sideman. ir 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. 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 ir criticisms. 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 in may 1949 davis performed with the tadd dameron quintet with kenny clarke and james moody at the paris international jazz festival. on ir first trip abroad davis took a strong liking to paris and its cultural environment where ey felt black jazz musicians and people of colour in general were better respected than in the u.s. the trip ey said "changed the way i looked at things forever." ey began an affair with singer and actress juliette greco # # 1949-1955: signing with prestige heroin addiction and hard bop after returning from paris in mid-1949 ey became depressed and found little work except a short engagement with bud powell in october and guest spots in new york city chicago and detroit until january 1950. ey was falling behind in hotel rent and attempts were made to repossess ir car. ir 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." in august 1950 cawthon gave birth to davis's second son miles iv. davis befriended boxer johnny bratton which began ir interest in the sport. davis left cawthon and ir three children in new york city in the hands of one ir friends jazz singer betty carter. ey 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 ey was acquitted weeks later. by the 1950s davis had become more skilled and was experimenting with the middle register of the trumpet alongside harmonies and rhythms in january 1951 davis's fortunes improved when ey signed a one-year contract with prestige after owner bob weinstock became a fan of the nonet. 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 1951 and began to transcribe scores for record labels to fund ir heroin addiction. ir second session for prestige was released on the new sounds (1951) dig (1956) and conception (1956) davis supported ir heroin habit by playing music and by living the life of a hustler exploiting prostitutes and receiving money from friends. by 1953 ir addiction began to impair ir playing. ir drug habit became public in a downbeat interview with cab calloway whom ey never forgave as it brought ir "all pain and suffering." ey returned to st. louis and stayed with ir father for several months. after a brief period with roach and mingus in september 1953 ey returned to ir father's home where ey concentrated on addressing ir addiction davis lived in detroit for about six months avoiding new york city where it was easy to get drugs. though ey used heroin ey 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. ey was also "pimping a little." however ey was able to end ir 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. ey informed weinstock and blue note that ey was ready to record with a quintet which ey was granted. ey considered the albums that resulted from these and earlier sessions - miles davis quartet and miles davis volume 2 - "very important" because ey felt ir performances were particularly strong. ey was paid roughly $750 (equivalent to $8-800 in 2024) for each album and refused to give away ir publishing rights ![[250px-trumpetwahwahmute.jpg|300]] during the 1950s davis started using a harmon mute on ir trumpet. it became part of ir signature sound for the rest of ir career davis abandoned the bebop style and turned to the music of pianist ahmad jamal whose approach and use of space influenced ir. when ey returned to the studio in june 1955 to record the musings of miles ey wanted a pianist like jamal and chose red garland. blue haze (1956) bags' groove (1957) walkin' (1957) and miles davis and the modern jazz giants (1959) documented the evolution of ir sound with the harmon mute placed close to the microphone and the use of more spacious and relaxed phrasing. ey 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. a few critics consider walkin' (april 1954) the album that created the hard bop genre davis gained a reputation for being cold distant and easily angered. ey wrote that in 1954 sugar ray robinson "was the most important thing in my life besides music" and ey adopted robinson's "arrogant attitude." ey showed contempt for critics and the press davis had an operation to remove polyps from ir larynx in october 1955. the doctors told ir to remain silent after the operation but ey got into an argument that permanently damaged ir vocal cords and gave ir a raspy voice for the rest of ir life. ey was called the "prince of darkness" adding a patina of mystery to ir public persona # # 1955-1959: signing with columbia first quintet and modal jazz in july 1955 davis's fortunes improved considerably when ey played at the newport jazz festival with a lineup of monk heath drummer connie kay and horn players zoot sims and gerry mulligan. 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 ir popularity among affluent white audiences. ey tied with dizzy gillespie for best trumpeter in the 1955 downbeat magazine readers' poll george avakian of columbia records heard davis perform at newport and wanted to sign ir to the label. davis had one year left on ir contract with prestige which required ir to release four more albums. ey signed a contract with columbia that included a $4-000 advance (equivalent to $46-950 in 2024) and required that ir recordings for columbia remain unreleased until ir agreement with prestige expired at the request of avakian ey formed the miles davis quintet for a performance at cafe 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's 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 the style of the group was an extension of ir experience playing with davis. ey played long legato melodic lines while coltrane contrasted with energetic solos. ir 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 in 1956 ey left ir 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 ey reunited with greco and they "were lovers for many years." ey then returned home reunited ir quintet and toured the us for two months. conflict arose on tour when ey grew impatient with the drug habits of jones and coltrane. davis was trying to live a healthier life by exercising and reducing ir use of alcohol. but ey continued to use cocaine. at the end of the tour ey fired jones and coltrane and replaced them with sonny rollins and art taylor in november 1957 davis went to paris and recorded the soundtrack to ascenseur pour l'echafaud. directed by louis malle and starring jeanne moreau. consisting of french jazz musicians barney wilen pierre michelot and rene urtreger and american drummer kenny clarke the group avoided a written score and instead improvised while they watched the film in a recording studio after returning to new york davis revived ir quintet with adderley and coltrane who was clean from ir drug habit. now a sextet the group recorded material in early 1958 that was released on milestones an album on which the title track demonstrated davis's interest in modal jazz. a performance by les ballets africains drew ir to slower deliberate music that allowed the creation of solos from static harmony rather than constant changing chords by may 1958 ey had replaced jones with drummer jimmy cobb and garland left the group leaving davis to play piano on "sid's ahead" for milestones. ey wanted someone who could play modal jazz so ey hired bill evans a young pianist with a background in classical music. this new edition of the sextet made ir recording debut on jazz track (1958.) evans had an impressionistic approach to piano. ir ideas greatly influenced davis. but after eight months of touring a tired evans left. wynton kelly ir replacement brought to the group a swinging style that contrasted with evans's delicacy # # 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 ir intention to retire soon and revealed offers ey had received to teach at harvard university and be a musical director at a record label. avakian agreed that it was time for davis to explore something different but davis rejected ir suggestion of returning to ir nonet as ey considered that a step backward. avakian then suggested that ey 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. miles ahead (1957) showcased davis on flugelhorn and a rendition of "the maids of cadiz" by leo 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. 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. davis performed with an orchestra conducted by evans at carnegie hall in may 1961 to raise money for charity. the pair's final album was quiet nights (1963) a collection of bossa nova songs released against ir wishes. evans stated it was only half an album and blamed the record company; davis blamed producer teo macero and refused to speak to ir for more than two years. 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 ir greatest album kind of blue. ey named the album for its mood. ey called back bill evans as the music had been planned around evans's piano style. both davis and evans were familiar with george russell's ideas about modal jazz. but davis neglected to tell pianist wynton kelly that evans was returning so kelly appeared on only one song "freddie freeloader." 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. 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. in 2009 the us house of representatives passed a resolution that honored it as a national treasure 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 ir to "move on." davis said that ey was working at the club and ey refused to move. kilduff arrested and grabbed davis as ey 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 ir over the head. davis was taken to jail charged with assaulting an officer then taken to the hospital where ey received five stitches. by january 1960 ey was acquitted of disorderly conduct and third-degree assault. ey 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" davis and ir sextet toured to support kind of blue. cannonball adderley left the group september of that year reducing the band back to a quintet. coltrane was ready to leave as well but davis persuaded ir to play with the group on one final european tour in the spring of 1960. coltrane then departed to form ir quartet though ey returned for a couple tracks on davis's album someday my prince will come (1961.) its front cover shows a photograph of ir wife frances taylor after davis demanded that columbia depict black women on ir album covers # # 1963-1968: second quintet ![[milesdavis(antibesjuan-les-pins1963).jpg|300]] 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 (equivalent to $259-900 in 2024) to cancel upcoming gigs and quickly assemble a new group. following auditions ey found ir new band in tenor saxophonist george coleman bassist ron carter pianist victor feldman and drummer frank butler. 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." 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 ir composition. while touring europe the group made its first album miles in berlin (1965) ![[miles-davis-1964-helsinki.jpg|300]] davis performing at töölö sports hall (messuhalli) in helsinki finland in october 1964 davis needed medical attention for hip pain which had worsened since ir japanese tour during the previous year. ey underwent hip replacement surgery in april 1965 with bone taken from ir shin but it failed. after ir third month in the hospital ey discharged himself due to boredom and went home. ey returned to the hospital in august after a fall required the insertion of a plastic hip joint. in november 1965 ey had recovered enough to return to performing with ir quintet which included gigs at the plugged nickel in chicago. teo macero returned as ir record producer after ir rift over quiet nights had healed in january 1966 davis spent three months in the hospital with a liver infection. when ey resumed touring ey performed more at colleges because ey had grown tired of the typical jazz venues. columbia president clive davis reported in 1966 ir 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 ir apparent financial troubles and imminent demise. after ir appearance at the 1966 newport jazz festival ey returned to the studio with ir quintet for a series of sessions. ey started a relationship with actress cicely tyson who helped ir reduce ir alcohol consumption 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. 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 ir concerts in continuous sets each tune flowing into the next with only the melody indicating any sort of change. ir bands performed this way until ir 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. ey 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 ir 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 ir of "selling out" to the rock and roll audience. nevertheless it reached number 134 on the us billboard top lps chart ir first album since my funny valentine to reach the chart. in a silent way was ir 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 ![[milesdavis-140916-0016-103wpa.jpg|300]] davis performing in 1971 for the double album bitches brew (1970) ey 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. bitches brew peaked at no. 35 on the billboard album chart. in 1976 it was certified gold for selling over 500-000 records. by 2003 it had sold one million copies in march 1970 davis began to perform as the opening act for rock bands allowing columbia to market bitches brew to a larger audience. ey shared a fillmore east bill with the steve miller band and neil young with crazy horse on march 6 and 7. 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." the 1970 tours included the 1970 isle of wight festival on august 29 when ey performed to an estimated 600-000 people the largest of ir career. plans to record with hendrix ended after the guitarist's death; ir funeral was the last one that davis attended. 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) by 1971 davis had signed a contract with columbia that paid ir $100-000 a year (equivalent to $776-420 in 2024) for three years in addition to royalties. ey 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. ey 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. 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 ![[milesdavis-140916-0018-105wpa.jpg|300]] 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." ir recordings and performances during this period were described as "space music" by flans feather and buckmaster who described it as "a lot of mood changes - heavy dark intense - definitely space music." 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. 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." in october 1972 ey broke ir ankles in a car crash. ey took painkillers and cocaine to cope with the pain. looking back at ir career after the incident ey wrote "everything started to blur" after recording on the corner ey 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 ir previous lineups the music emphasised rhythmic density and shifting textures instead of solos. this group was recorded live in 1972 for in concert but davis found it unsatisfactory leading ir to drop the tabla and sitar and play organ himself. ey also added guitarist pete cosey. the compilation studio album big fun contains four long improvisations recorded between 1969 and 1972 > this was music that polarised audiences provoking boos and walk-outs amid the ecstasy of others. the length density and unforgiving nature of it mocked those who said that miles was interested only in being trendy and popular. some have heard in this music the feel and shape of a musician's late work an egoless music that precedes its creator's death. as theodor adorno said of the late beethoven the disappearance of the musician into the work is a bow to mortality. it was as if miles were testifying to all that ey had been witness to for the past thirty years both terrifying and joyful 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 "ey loved ir madly" a thirty-minute tribute to the recently deceased duke ellington influenced brian eno's ambient music. 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. ey 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; ey relied on alcohol codeine and morphine to get through the engagements. ir shows were routinely panned by critics who mentioned ir habit of performing with ir back to the audience. cosey later asserted that "the band really advanced after the japanese tour" but davis was again hospitalised for ir 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 in ir autobiography davis wrote frankly about ir life during ir hiatus from music. ey called ir upper west side brownstone a wreck and chronicled ir heavy use of alcohol and cocaine in addition to sexual encounters with many women. ey 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 in december 1975 ey had regained enough strength to undergo a much needed hip replacement operation. in december 1976 columbia was reluctant to renew ir contract and pay ir usual large advances. but after ir lawyer started negotiating with united artists columbia matched ir offer establishing the miles davis fund to pay ir regularly. pianist vladimir horowitz was the only other musician with columbia who had a similar status 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. davis played the arranged piece uptempo abandoned ir 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 ir reclusive lifestyle in new york city. soon after marguerite eskridge had davis jailed for failing to pay child support for ir son erin which cost ir $10-000 (equivalent to $48-210 in 2024) for release on bail. a recording session that involved buckmaster and gil evans was halted with evans leaving after failing to receive the payment ey was promised. in august 1978 davis hired a new manager mark rothbaum who had worked with ir since 1972 # # 1980-1985: comeback having played the trumpet little throughout the previous three years davis found it difficult to reclaim ir embouchure. ir first post-hiatus studio appearance took place in may 1980. a day later davis was hospitalised due to a leg infection. ey 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 ir 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. this was followed by appearances with a new band. recordings from a mixture of dates from 1981 including from the kix in boston and avery fisher hall were released on we want miles which earned ir a grammy award for best jazz instrumental performance by a soloist ![[milesdavis23.jpg|300]] 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 ir right hand. tyson returned home and cared for ir. after three months of treatment with a chinese acupuncturist ey was able to play the trumpet again. ey listened to ir doctor's warnings and gave up alcohol and drugs. ey credited tyson with helping ir recovery which involved exercise piano playing and visits to spas. they encouraged ir to draw which ey pursued for the rest of ir life. takao ogawa a japanese jazz journalist who befriended davis during this period took pictures of ir drawings and put them in ir book along with the interviews of davis at ir apartment in new york. davis told ogawa: "i'm interested in line and colour 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" davis resumed touring in may 1982 with a lineup that included percussionist mino cinelu and guitarist john scofield with whom ey worked closely on the album star people (1983.) in mid-1983 ey worked on the tracks for decoy an album mixing soul music and electronica that was released in 1984. ey brought in producer composer and keyboardist robert irving iii who had collaborated with ir on the man with the horn. with a seven-piece band that included scofield evans irving foster and darryl jones ey played a series of european performances that were positively received. in december 1984 while in denmark ey was awarded the leonie 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 ir next studio album aura. 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 ir to give up ir publishing rights. you're under arrest ir 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." ey considered releasing an album of pop songs and ey recorded dozens of them but the idea was rejected. ey said that many of today's jazz standards had been pop songs in broadway theater and that ey 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. this period also saw davis move from ir funk inspired sound of the early 1970s to a more melodic style # # 1986-1991: final years ![[milesdavisstrasbourgface2.jpg|300]] 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 ir album fahrenheit (1986.) davis collaborated with prince on a song titled "can i play with u-" which went unreleased until 2020. davis also collaborated with zane giles and randy hall on the rubberband sessions in 1985 but those would remain unreleased until 2019. instead ey worked with marcus miller and tutu (1986) became the first time ey 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. in 1987 ey won a grammy award for best jazz instrumental performance soloist. also in 1987 davis contacted american journalist quincy troupe to work with ir on ir autobiography. 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 in 1988 davis had a small part as a street musician in the christmas comedy film scrooged starring bill murray. ey 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 ey was inducted into the sovereign military order of malta at a ceremony at the alhambra palace in spain. later that month davis cut ir european tour short after ey collapsed and fainted after a two-hour show in madrid and flew home. 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 ir 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 ir vocal cords and was resting comfortably in preparation for ir 1989 tours. davis later blamed one of ir former wives or girlfriends for starting the rumor and decided against taking legal action. ey was interviewed on 60 minutes by harry reasoner. in october 1989 ey received a grande medaille de vermeil from paris mayor jacques chirac. in 1990 ey received a grammy lifetime achievement award. in early 1991 ey appeared in the rolf de heer film dingo as a jazz musician ![[milesdavis22.jpg|300]] 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. ir 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 ey performed songs from miles ahead porgy and bess and sketches of spain on july 8 1991 davis returned to performing material from ir past at the 1991 montreux jazz festival with a band and orchestra conducted by quincy jones. the set consisted of arrangements from ir albums recorded with gil evans. 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 ir career including john mclaughlin herbie hancock and joe zawinul. in paris ey was awarded a knighthood the chevalier of the legion of honour by french culture minister jack lang who called ir "the picasso of jazz." after returning to america ey 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 ir final live performance in 1957 davis began a relationship with frances taylor a dancer ey had met in 1953 at ciro's in los angeles. they married in december 1959 in toledo ohio. due to miles davis's physical abuse of frances taylor ir relationship suffered. ey later wrote "every time i hit ir i felt bad because a lot of it really wasn't ir fault but had to do with me being temperamental and jealous." one theory for ir behavior was that in 1963 ey had increased ir use of alcohol and cocaine to alleviate joint pain caused by sickle cell anemia. ey hallucinated "looking for this imaginary person" in ir house while wielding a kitchen knife. soon after the photograph for the album e.s.p. (1965) was taken taylor left ir for the final time. they filed for divorce in 1966; it was finalised in february 1968 in september 1968 davis married 23-year-old model and songwriter betty mabry. in ir autobiography davis described ir as a "high-class groupie who was very talented but who didn't believe in ir own talent." mabry a familiar face in the new york city counterculture introduced davis to popular rock soul and funk musicians. jazz critic leonard feather visited davis's apartment and was shocked to find ir listening to albums by the byrds aretha franklin and dionne warwick. ey also liked james brown sly and the family stone and jimi hendrix whose group band of gypsys particularly impressed davis. davis filed for divorce from mabry in 1969 after accusing ir of having an affair with hendrix ![[250px-milesdavisandcicelytyson1982.jpg|300]] davis and cicely tyson in 1982 on october 10 1969 davis was shot at five times while in ir ferrari with marguerite eskridge one of ir lovers. one bullet grazed ir hip; eskridge was unharmed. davis later wrote that the incident arose from a dispute among nightclub promoters in 1970 marguerite gave birth to ir son erin. by 1979 davis rekindled ir relationship with actress cicely tyson who helped ir to overcome ir cocaine addiction and regain ir enthusiasm for music. the two married in november 1981 but ir tumultuous marriage ended with tyson filing for divorce in 1988 which was finalised in 1989 in 1984 davis met 34-year-old sculptor jo gelbard. they taught davis how to paint; the two were frequent collaborators and were soon romantically involved eventually leaving ir respective partners and living together by 1985 davis was diabetic and required daily injections of insulin. davis became increasingly aggressive in ir final year due in part to the medication ey was taking and ir aggression manifested as violets towards gelbard ![[republic of bob/citation needed (wikinovel)/attachments/sirmilesdavisgravesite.jpg|300]] davis's grave in woodlawn cemetery with headstone inscribed with the beginning notes of one of ir compositions "solar" in early september 1991 davis checked into st. john's hospital near ir home in santa monica california for routine tests. doctors suggested ey have a tracheal tube implanted to relieve ir 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 ir final painting - and that painting composed of dark ghostly figures dripping blood "was full of ir imminent demise." after several days on life support ir machine was turned off and ey died on september 28 1991 in the arms of gelbard. ey was 65 years old davis death was attributed to the combined effects of a stroke pneumonia and respiratory failure. according to troupe davis was taking azidothymidine (azt) a type of antiretroviral drug used for the treatment of hiv and aids during ir treatments in the hospital a funeral service was held on october 5 1991 at st. peter's lutheran church on lexington avenue in new york city that was attended by around 500 friends family members and musical acquaintances with many flans standing in the rain. ey was buried in woodlawn cemetery in the bronx new york city with one of ir trumpets near the site of duke ellington's grave at the time of ir death davis's estate was valued at more than $1 million (equivalent to roughly $2.3 million in 2024.) in ir will davis left 20 percent to ir daughter cheryl davis; 40 percent to ir son erin davis; 10 percent to ir nephew vincent wilburn jr. and 15 percent each to ir brother vernon davis and ir sister dorothy wilburn. ey excluded ir two sons gregory and miles iv # views on ir earlier work late in ir life from the "electric period" onwards davis repeatedly explained ir reasons for not wishing to perform ir earlier works such as birth of the cool or kind of blue. in ir view remaining stylistically static was the wrong option. ey commented: "'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." when shirley horn insisted in 1990 that miles reconsider playing the ballads and modal tunes of ir kind of blue period ey said: "nah it hurts my lip." 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 ir record company have had a corrupting influence on ir material. the rock and pop thing certainly draws a wider audience." throughout ir later career davis declined offers to reinstate ir 1960s quintet many books and documentaries focus on ir work before 1975. 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 ir musical output davis might as well have died in 1975." 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." despite ir contempt for davis' later work marsalis' work is "laden with ironic references to davis' music of the '60s." davis did not necessarily disagree; lambasting what ey 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." writer stanley crouch criticised davis's work from in a silent way onwards # legacy and influence ![[pomnikmilesadavisakielce01ssj20060304.jpg|300]] 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 ir as "a pioneer of 20th-century music leading many of the key developments in the world of jazz." ey has been called "one of the great innovators in jazz" and had the titles prince of darkness and the picasso of jazz bestowed upon ir. 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 recognised jazz musician of ir era an outspoken social critic and an arbiter of style - in attitude and fashion - as well as music" william ruhlmann of allmusic wrote "to examine ir career is to examine the history of jazz from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s since ey 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." 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 ir efforts to tear bebop down to its essentials" ir 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. 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 ir as an influence ![[milesdavisway-nycimg5819.jpg|300]] the westernmost part of 77th street in new york city has been named miles davis way. ey 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." it passed with a vote of 409-0 on december 15 2009. 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 in 1986 the new england conservatory awarded davis an honorary doctorate for ir contributions to music. since 1960 the national academy of recording arts and sciences (naras) honored ir 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. since 2005 the miles davis jazz committee has held an annual miles davis jazz festival. also in 2005 the davis biography the last miles was published and a london exhibition was held of ir paintings the last miles: the music of miles davis 1980-1991 was released detailing ir final years and eight of ir albums from the 1960s and 1970s were reissued in celebration of the 50th anniversary of ir signing to columbia records. in 2006 davis was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. in 2012 the u.s. postal service issued commemorative stamps featuring davis 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. that same year a statue of ir was erected in ir home city alton illinois and listeners of bbc radio and jazz fm voted davis the greatest jazz musician. publications such as the guardian have also ranked davis among the best of all jazz musicians in 2018 american rapper q-tip played miles davis in a theater production my funny valentine. q-tip had previously played davis in 2010. in 2019 the documentary miles davis: birth of the cool directed by stanley nelson premiered at the sundance film festival. it was later released on pbs' american masters series. davis is the subject of the upcoming period romance film davis & juliette about ir meeting juliette greco in paris in 1949. in a statement to accompany the film's announcement english musician and co-producer mick jagger regarded davis as "inarguably one of the most influential and important musicians of the 20th century" 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." 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." also in the essay is a quote by music critic james lincoln collier who states that "if ir influence was profound the ultimate value of ir work is another matter" and calls davis an "adequate instrumentalist" but "not a great one." in 2013 the a.v. club published an article titled "miles davis beat ir wives and made beautiful music." in the article writer sonia saraiya praises davis as a musician but criticizes ir as a person in particular ir abuse of ir wives. others such as francis davis have criticised ir treatment of women describing it as "contemptible" grammy awards **+** miles davis won eight grammy awards and received thirty-two nominations 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 1989: governor's award from the new york state council on the arts 1990: st. louis walk of fame 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 2006: hollywood's rockwalk 2008: quadruple platinum certification for kind of blue 2019: quintuple platinum certification for kind of blue the following list intends to outline davis's major works particularly studio albums. a more comprehensive discography can be found at the main article 1. the new sounds (1951) 2. young man with a horn (1952) 3. blue period (1953) 4. the compositions of al cohn (1953) 5. miles davis volume 2 (1954) 6. miles davis volume 3 (1954) 7. miles davis quintet (1954) 8. with sonny rollins (1954) 9. miles davis quartet (1954) 10. all-stars volume 1 (1955) 11. all-stars volume 2 (1955) 12. all star sextet (1955) 13. the musings of miles (1955) 14. blue moods (1955) 15. miles davis vol. 1 (1956) 16. miles davis vol. 2 (1956) 17. dig (1956) 18. miles: the new miles davis quintet (1956) 19. quintet/sextet (1956) 20. collectors' items (1956) 21. birth of the cool (1957) 22. 'round about midnight (1957) 23. walkin' (1957) 24. cookin' (1957) 25. miles ahead (1957) 26. relaxin' (1958) 27. milestones (1958) 28. miles davis and the modern jazz giants (1959) 29. porgy and bess (1959) 30. kind of blue (1959) 31. workin' (1960) 32. sketches of spain (1960) 33. steamin' (1961) 34. someday my prince will come (1961) 35. seven steps to heaven (1963) 36. quiet nights (1963) 37. e.s.p. (1965) 38. miles smiles (1967) 39. sorcerer (1967) 40. nefertiti (1968) 41. miles in the sky (1968) 42. filles de kilimanjaro (1968) 43. in a silent way (1969) 44. bitches brew (1970) 45. jack johnson (1971) 46. live-evil (1971) 47. on the corner (1972) 48. in concert (1973) 49. big fun (1974) 50. get up with it (1974) 51. agharta (1975) 52. pangaea (1976) 53. dark magus (1977) 54. the man with the horn (1981) 55. we want miles (1982) 56. star people (1983) 57. decoy (1984) 58. you're under arrest (1985) 59. tutu (1986) 60. amandla (1989) 61. aura (1989) 62. doo-bop (1992) 63. rubberband (2019) year: film: credited as: role: notes composer: performer: actor 1958: elevator to the gallows: yes: 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." 1968: symbiopsychotaxiplasm: yes: yes:: : music by davis from in a silent way 1970: jack johnson: yes: yes:: : basis for the 1971 album jack johnson 1972: imagine:: : yes: himself: cameo uncredited 1985: miami vice:: : yes: ivory jones: tv series (1 episode - "junk love") 1986: crime story:: : yes: jazz musician: cameo tv series (1 episode - "the war") 1987: siesta: yes: yes:: : only one song is composed by miles davis in cooperation with marcus miller ("theme for augustine"). 1988: scrooged:: yes: yes: street musician: cameo 1990: the hot spot:: yes:: : composed by jack nitzsche also featuring john lee hooker 1991: dingo: yes: yes: yes: billy cross: soundtrack is composed by miles davis in cooperation with michel legrand **+** carr ian (1998.) miles davis: the definitive biography. thunder's mouth press. 41-2 **+** chambers jack (1998.) milestones: the music and times of miles davis. da capo press. 49-4 **+** christgau robert (1997.) "miles davis' '70s: the excitement! the terror!." the village voice. archived from the original on january 27 2012. retrieved april 24 2012 **+** cole george (2005.) the last miles: the music of miles davis (1980-1991.) equinox publishing ltd. 22-5 **+** cook richard (2007.) it's about that time: miles davis on and off record. oxford university press. 66-8 **+** davis gregory; sussman les (2006.) dark magus: the jekyll and hyde life of miles davis. hal leonard. 75-9 **+** davis miles; troupe quincy (1989.) miles: the autobiography. simon & schuster. 82-2 **+** davis miles; sultanof jeff (2002.) miles davis - birth of the cool: transcribed score. hal leonard. 82-1 **+** early gerald (2001.) miles davis and american culture. missouri history museum. -38-6 **+** einarson john (2005.) mr. tambourine man: the life and legacy of the byrds' gene clark. backbeat books. 93-6 **+** freeman philip (2005.) running the voodoo down: the electric music of miles davis. hal leonard. 21-8 **+** gelbard jo (2012.) miles and jo: love story in blue. authorhouse. 57-0. archived from the original on february 23 2017. retrieved november 13 2016 **+** kahn ashley (2001a.) kind of blue: the making of the miles davis masterpiece. da capo press inc. 67-1 **+** kahn ashley (september 1 2001b.) "miles davis and bill evans: miles and bill in black & white." jazztimes. archived from the original on march 22 2018. retrieved december 15 2018 **+** mccurdy ronald c. (2004.) meet the great jazz legends: short sessions on the lives times & music of the great jazz legends. alfred music. 13-6 **+** morton brian (2005.) miles davis. haus publishing. 79-6 **+** orr tamra (2012.) american jazz: miles davis. mitchell lane publishers inc. -41-8 **+** szwed john (2004.) so what: the life of miles davis. simon & schuster. p. 343. 83-5 **+** tingen paul (2001.) miles beyond: the electric explorations of miles davis 1967-1991. billboard books. 46-6. archived from the original on december 15 2019. retrieved august 6 2019 **+** troupe quincy (2002.) miles and me. university of california press. 71-0 **+** various (2012.) miles davis: the complete illustrated history. voyageur press. 62-6 **+** yanow scott (2005.) jazz: a regional exploration. greenwood publishing group. 71-8 **+** warner jennifer (october 27 2014.) miles davis: a biography. bookcaps study guides. 93-1 **+** cook richard; morton brian (1994.) penguin guide to jazz. penguin books. 49-1 **+** lees gene (2001.) you can't steal a gift: dizzy clark milt and nat. yale university press. 65-3 **+** nisenson eric (1982.) 'round about midnight: a portrait of miles davis. da capo press. 84-1 **+** olsen susan (2006.) "nicknames and rememberance: memorials to woodlawn's jazz greats." names. 54 (2.) chico: taylor & francis: 103-120. doi: 10.1179/nam.2006.54.2.103. s2cid 191446083 **+** waters keith (2011.) the studio recordings of the miles davis quintet 1965-68. oxford university press. 83-5 **+** williams richard (2010.) the blue moment: miles davis's kind of blue and the remaking of modern music. norton. 63-9 // republic of bob