Miles Davis

Unheared
miles davis
unheared
 Miles Davis
Unheared

An intimate look at the

life of New York’s Greatest
This book was made for my Typography Class at Parsons School of Design during
my Fall 2021 semester. I would like to thank my professors Hoon Kim and Hyung
Cho for their guidance and support. The assignment prompt was to create a book
from a Wikipedia page with minimum 10,000 words. Living in New York City and
being an audiophile, I instantly selected the Miles Davis Wikipedia page.

Miles Davis Unheared

Designed by Sidhya Tikku

Parsons School of Design

2 W 13th Street,
New York, New York,
United States, 10011

No Rights Reserved

All contents of this book are taken from the internet. The texts are available to the
designer via Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 3.0 and the images are
owned by their respective owners. The book is available to Public Domain under
the CC0 license.

Designed 2021
First Edition published in 2021
Made in New York City

For more information visit [Link]

6
Index

1 About Miles Davis 9

2 Early Life 13

3 1944–1948: New York City and the Bebop Years 17

4 1948–1950: Miles Davis Nonet and Birth of the Cool 21

5 1949–1955: Heroin and Hard Bop 25

6 1955–1959: First Quintet and Modal Jazz 29

7 1957–1963: Gil Evans and Kind of Blue 33

8 1963–1968: Second quintet 37

9 1968–1975: The electric period 41

10 1975–1980: Hiatus and Comeback 47

11 Final Years and Death 53

12 Legacy and Influence 59

13 Awards and Honors 64

14 Discography 66

15 Filmography 68

16 References 70

7
ABOUT MILES DAVIS 1
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September
28, 1991) was an American 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 five-decade career that kept him at
the forefront of many major stylistic developments
in jazz.1

Born in Alton, Illinois, and raised in East St. Louis,

Davis 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, Miles
Davis recorded some of the earliest hard bop music
while on Prestige Records but did so haphazardly
due to a heroin addiction. After a widely acclaimed
comeback performance at the Newport Jazz Festival
in 1955, he signed a long-term contract with
9
About Miles Davis
Columbia Records and recorded the album 'Round About Midnight in
1955.2 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).3 The latter recording remains one of the most popular jazz albums
of all time,4 having sold over five million copies in the U.S.

Davis made several line-up changes while recording Someday My Prince

Will Come (1961), his 1961 Blackhawk concerts, and Seven Steps to
Heaven (1963), another mainstream success that introduced bassist Ron
Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, and drummer Tony Williams.3 After
adding saxophonist Wayne Shorter to his new quintet in 1964,3 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),5 before transitioning into his electric
period. During the 1970s, he experimented with rock, funk, African
rhythms, emerging electronic music technology, and an ever-changing
line-up of musicians, including keyboardist Joe Zawinul, drummer Al
Foster, and guitarist John McLaughlin.6 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.7 His million-selling 1970 record Bitches Brew
helped spark a resurgence in the genre's commercial popularity with jazz
fusion as the decade progressed.8

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) 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.9 In
2006, Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,10 which
recognized him as "one of the key figures in the history of jazz".10 Rolling
Stone described him as "the most revered jazz trumpeter of all time, not

10
 About Miles Davis
to mention one of the most important musicians of the 20th century,"9
while Gerald Early called him inarguably one of the most influential and
innovative musicians of that period.11

Davis in his New York City home, c. 1955–56

Photograph by Tom Palumbo

11
EARLY LIFE 2
Miles Dewey Davis III was born on May 26, 1926,
to an affluent African-American family in Alton, Il-
linois, 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of St. Louis.13
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 Dew-
ey 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,
he and his siblings fished, hunted, and rode horses.14
Davis's grandparents were the owners of an Arkan-
sas farm where he would spend many summers.16

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 neighbourhood. Davis's father would soon
become distant to his children as the Great Depres-
sion caused him to become increasingly consumed
by his job; typically working six days a week.16 From
1932 to 1934, Davis attended John Robinson
13
Early Life
Elementary School, an all-black school,13 then Crispus Attucks, where he
performed well in mathematics, music, and sports.15 Davis had previously
attended Catholic school.16 At an early age he liked music, especially blues,
big bands, and gospel.14

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.17 He took lessons from "the biggest influence on my
life," Elwood Buchanan, a teacher and musician who was a patient of his
father.18 His mother wanted him to play the violin instead.19 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.20 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."21 The
family soon moved to 1701 Kansas Avenue in East St. Louis.16

14
 Early Life
According to Davis "By the age of 12, music had become the most import-
ant thing in my life."18 On his thirteenth birthday his father bought him a
new trumpet,17 and Davis began to play in local bands. He took additional
trumpet lessons from Joseph Gustat, principal trumpeter of the St. Louis
Symphony Orchestra.17 Davis would also play the trumpet in talent shows
he and his siblings would put on.16

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.15 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."22
At Lincoln, Davis met his first girlfriend, Irene Birth (later Cawthon).23 He
had a band that performed at the Elks Club.24 Part of his earnings paid for
his sister's education at Fisk University.25 Davis befriended trumpeter Clark
Terry, who suggested he play without vibrato, and performed with him for
several years.17 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.26 Years later, Davis
considered this job one of the most important of his career.22 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."27 In January 1944, Davis finished high school and graduat-
ed in absentia in June. During the next month, his girlfriend gave birth to a
daughter, Cheryl.25

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,12 so Davis was invited to join. He played with the
band for two weeks at Club Riviera.28 After playing with these musicians, he
was certain he should move to New York City, "where the action was".29 His
mother wanted him to go to Fisk University, like his sister, and study piano
or violin. Davis had other interests.27

15
1944–1948: NEW YORK CITY AND
THE BEBOP YEARS 3
In September 1944, Davis accepted his father's idea
of studying at the Institute of Musical Arts, later
known as the Juilliard School, in New York City.25
After passing the audition, he attended classes in
music theory, piano and dictation.30 Davis would
frequently skip said classes.31

Much of Davis's time was spent in clubs looking

for his idol, Charlie Parker. According to Davis,
Coleman Hawkins told him "finish your studies at
Juilliard and forget Bird [Parker]".32 After finding
Parker, he became one of a cadre of regulars at Min-
ton's and Monroe's in Harlem who held jam sessions
every night. The other regulars included J. J. John-
son, Kenny Clarke, Thelonious Monk, Fats Navarro,
and Freddie Webster. Davis reunited with Cawthon
and their daughter when they moved to New York
City. Parker became a roommate.28 Around this
time Davis was paid an allowance of $40 ($582 by
2020).33 In mid-1945, Davis failed to register for
the year's autumn term at Juilliard and dropped out
after three semesters35 because he wanted to perform
17
1944–1948: New York City and the Bebop Years

Potter, Parker, Roach, Davis, Jordan in August 1947

because he wanted to perform full-time.36 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.

He 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.28 During
the next year, he recorded as a leader for the first time with the Miles Davis
Sextet plus Earl Coleman and Ann Hathaway, one of the few times he ac-
companied a singer.37

In 1945, he replaced Dizzy Gillespie in Charlie Parker's quintet. On No-

vember 26, Davis participated in several recording sessions as part of Park-
er's group Reboppers that also involved Gillespie and Max Roach,25 display-
ing hints of the style he would become known for. In Parker's tune "Now's
the Time", Davis played a solo that anticipated cool jazz. He thenjoined 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.38 In Los
Angeles, Parker had a nervous breakdown that put him in the hospital for sev-
eral months.39 In March 1946, Davis played in studio sessions with Parker

18
 1944–1948: New York City and the Bebop Years
and began a collaboration with bassist Charles Mingus that summer. Caw-
thon gave birth to Davis's second child, Gregory, in East St. Louis before
reuniting with Davis in New York City the following year.38 Davis noted
that by this time, "I was still so much into the music that I was even ignor-
ing Irene." He had also turned to alcohol and cocaine.40 He was a member
of Billy Eckstine's big band in 1946 and Gillespie's in 1947.41 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.38 In one session that
May, Davis wrote the tune "Cheryl", named after 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".42 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 30.38

Davis on piano with Howard McGhee, Joe Albany, and

Brick Fleagle, September 1947

19
1948–1950: MILES DAVIS NONET
AND BIRTH OF THE COOL 4
In August 1948, Davis declined an offer to join Duke
Ellington's orchestra as he had entered rehearsals with
a nine-piece band with pianist and arranger Gil Evans
and baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, taking an
active role on what soon became his own project.43

Evans' Manhattan apartment had become the meet-

ing 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.44 These gatherings
led to the formation of the Miles Davis Nonet, which
included the unusual additions of French horn and
tuba; leading to a thickly textured orchestral sound.31
The intent was to imitate the human voice through
carefully arranged compositions and a relaxed, me-
lodic approach to improvisation. In September, the
band completed their sole engagement as the open-
ing 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".
21
1948–1950: Miles Davis Nonet and Birth Of The Cool
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.38 Early in his time with Parker, Davis abstained from drugs, ate a
vegetarian diet, and spoke of the benefits of water and juice.45

In December 1948 Davis quit,38 claiming he was not being paid. His depar-
ture 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.38 The
line-up changed throughout the year and included the additions of 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.46 Record-
ing sessions with the nonet for Capitol continued until April 1950.

The Nonet recorded in total a dozen tracks which were released as singles
and subsequently compiled on the 1957 album Birth of the Cool.31 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 for 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".47 He began an affair with singer and actress Juliette Gréco.47

22
1949–1955: HEROIN AND HARD BOP 5
After returning from Paris in mid-1949, he became
depressed and found little work, which included a
short engagement with Powell in October and guest
spots in New York City, Chicago, and Detroit until
January 1950.48 He was falling behind in hotel rent
and attempts were made to repossess his car.

His heroin use became an expensive addiction, and

Davis, yet to reach 24 years old, "lost my sense of
discipline, lost my sense of control over my life, and
started to drift".49In August 1950, Cawthon gave
birth to Davis's second son, Miles IV. Davis be-
friended boxer Johnny Bratton and began his inter-
est in the sport. Davis left Cawthon and his three
children in New York City in the hands of a friend,
jazz singer Betty Carter.48 He toured with Eckstine
and Billie Holiday and was arrested for heroin pos-
session in Los Angeles. The story was reported in
DownBeat magazine, which caused a further reduc-
tion in work, though he was acquitted weeks later.50
By the 1950s, Davis had become a more skilled play-
er and was experimenting with the middle register
25
1949–1955: Heroin and Hard Bop
of the trumpet alongside harmonies and rhythms.31 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 51 Davis chose Lewis, trom-
bonist 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 195150 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).52

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".53 He returned to St. Louis and stayed
with his father for several months.53 After a brief period with Roach and
Mingus in September 1953,54 he returned to his father's home, where he
concentrated on addressing his addiction.55

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".56 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.57 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.58 He was paid roughly $750
(US$7,228 in 2020 dollars59) for each album and refused to give away his
publishing rights.60

Davis abandoned the bebop style and turned to the music of pianist Ahmad
Jamal, whose approach and use of space influenced him.61 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.61

26
 1949–1955: Heroin and Hard Bop
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 stan-
dards as starting points for improvisation. Hard bop distanced itself from
cool jazz with a harder beat and music inspired by the blues.62 A few critics
consider Walkin' (April 1954) the album that created the hard bop genre.21

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".63 He
showed contempt for critics and the press.

Davis had an operation to remove polyps from his larynx in October 1955.64
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.65 He was called the "prince of darkness", adding
a patina of mystery to his public persona.

During the 1950s, Davis started using a mute on his trumpet. It

became part of his signature sound for the rest of his career.

27
1955–1959: FIRST QUINTET AND
MODAL JAZZ 6
In July 1955, Davis's fortunes improved considerably
when he played at the Newport Jazz Festival, with a
line-up of Monk, Heath, drummer Connie Kay, and
horn players Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan.70 The
performance was praised by critics and audiences
alike, who considered it to be a highlight of the ses-
sion as well as helping Davis, the least well known
musician in the group, to increase his popularity
among affluent white audiences.71 He tied with Dizzy
Gillespie for best trumpeter in the 1955 DownBeat
magazine Readers' Poll.72

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 (US$38,643 in 2020
dollars59) and a condition that his recordings for
Columbia would remain unreleased until his agreement
with Prestige expired.74 At the request of Avakian, he
formed the Miles Davis Quintet for a performance at
29
1955–1959: First Quintet and Modal Jazz
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 mem-
bership of the first quintet. This group appeared on his final albums for
Prestige, which were recorded in two one-day sessions in 1956. Each album
helped establish Davis's quintet as one of the best.77

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.

In 1956, he left his quintet temporarily to tour Europe as part of the Bird-
land All-Stars, which included the Modern Jazz Quartet and French and
German musicians. In Paris, he reunited with Gréco and they "remained
lovers for many years".79 He then returned home, reunited his quintet and
toured the US for two months. Conflict arose on tour as he grew impa-
tient with the drug habits of Jones and Coltrane. Davis was trying to live a
healthier life by exercising and reducing his alcohol. But he continued to use
cocaine.80 At the end of the tour, he fired Jones and lovers for many years".79
He then returned home, reunited his quintet and toured the US for two
months. Conflict arose on tour as he grew impatient with the drug habits of
Jones and Coltrane. Davis was trying to live a healthier life by exercising and
reducing his alcohol. But he continued to use cocaine.[80] At the end of the
tour, he fired Jones and Coltrane and replaced them with Sonny Rollins and
Art Taylor.81

n November 1957, Davis went to Paris and recorded the soundtrack to As-
censeur pour l'échafaud41 directed by Louis Malle. 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 im-
provised while they watched the film in a recording [Link] returning
to New York, Davis revived his quintet with Adderley41 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

30
 1955–1959: First Quintet and Modal Jazz
him to slower, deliberate music that allowed the creation of solos from
harmony rather than chords.82 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.83 He wanted someone who could
play modal jazz, so he hired Bill Evans, a young pianist with a background in
classical music.84 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).84

31
1957–1963:GIL EVANS AND
KIND OF BLUE 6
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 imminently and revealed offers
he had received to become a teacher at Harvard
University and a musical director at a record label.85
Avakian agreed that it was time for Davis to explore
something different, but Davis rejected his sugges-
tion of returning to his nonet as he considered that
a step backward.86 Avakian then suggested that he
work with a bigger ensemble, similar to Music for
Brass (1957), an album of orchestral and brass-ar-
ranged 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
1962.87 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
33
1957–1963:Gil Evans and Kind Of Blue
piece of music.89 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 clas-
sical 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.90 Davis performed with an orchestra
conducted by Evans at Carnegie Hall in May 1961 to raise money for char-
ity.91 The pair's final album was Quiet Nights (1962), 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.92 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 many critics consider his
greatest album, Kind of Blue. He named the album for its mood.93He called
back Bill Evans, as the music had been planned around Evans's piano style.94
Both Davis and Evans were familiar with George Russell's ideas about
modal jazz.95 But Davis neglected to tell pianist Wynton Kelly that Evans
was returning, so Kelly appeared on only one song, "Freddie Freeloader". 96
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 wide-
spread radio airplay and rave reviews from critics.93 It has remained a strong
seller over the years. By November 2019, the album reached 5× platinum
certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for
shipments of over five million copies in the US, making it one of the most
successful jazz albums in history.97 In 2009, the US House of Representa-
tives passed a resolution that honored it as a national treasure.98

In August 1959, during a break in a recording session at the Birdland night-

club 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".[100]
[101]
Davis said that he was working at the club, and he refused to move.[102]
Kilduff arrested and grabbed Davis as he tried to protect himself. Witnesses

34
 1957–1963:Gil Evans and Kind Of Blue
said the policeman hit Davis in the stomach with a nightstick without prov-
ocation. Two detectives held the crowd back, while a third approached Da-
vis 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.101 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".103

Davis and his sextet toured to support Kind of Blue.93 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.104

In 1957,105 Davis began a relationship with Taylor, a dancer he had met

in 1953 at Ciro's in Los Angeles.106 They married in December 1959 in
Toledo, Ohio.107 The relationship involved numerous incidents of Davis's
domestic violence towards Taylor. 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."108 One reason for his behavior was that in 1963
he had increased his use of alcohol and cocaine to reduce joint pain caused
by sickle cell anemia.112 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.114 She
filed for divorce in 1966; it was finalized in February 1968.115

35
1963–1968: SECOND QUINTET 8
In December 1962, Davis, Kelly, Chambers, Cobb,
and Rollins played together for the last time as the
first three wanted to leave and play as a trio. Roll-
ins left them soon after, leaving Davis to pay over
$25,000 (US$213,889 in 2020 dollars59) to cancel
upcoming gigs and quickly assemble a new group.

Following auditions, he found his new band in ten-

or saxophonist George Coleman, bassist Ron Carter,
pianist Victor Feldman, and drummer Frank Butler.117
By May 1963, Feldman and Butler were replaced by
pianist Herbie Hancock and 17-year-old drummer
Tony Williams who made Davis "excited all over
again".118 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.
37
1963–1968: Second Quintet
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 Art Blakey. The quintet with Shorter lasted through 1968, with the
saxophonist 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).119

Davis needed medical attention for hip pain, which had worsened since his
Japanese tour during the previous year.120 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.121 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 af-
ter their rift over Quiet Nights had healed.122 In January 1966, Davis spent
three months in the hospital due to a liver infection. When he resumed
touring, he performed more at colleges because he had grown tired of the
typical jazz venues.124 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.125
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.126

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.127 Through Nefertiti the studio
recordings consisted primarily of originals composed by Shorter, with occa-
sional 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.

38
 1963–1968: Second Quintet
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 compo-
sitional duties of his sidemen.

Davis performing in Antibes, France, July 1963

39
1968–1975: THE ELECTRIC PERIOD 9
In September 1968, Davis married 23-year-old
model and songwriter Betty Mabry.128 In his autobi-
ography, Davis described her as a "high-class group-
ie, who was very talented but who didn't believe in
her own talent".129 Mabry, a familiar face in the New
York City counterculture, helped introduce Davis
to popular rock, soul, and funk musicians.130 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,131 whose group Band of Gypsys
particularly made an impression on Davis.132 Davis
filed for divorce from Mabry in 1969, after accusing
her of having an affair with Hendrix.129

In a Silent Way was recorded in a single studio ses-

sion in February 1969, with Shorter, Hancock, Hol-
land, and Williams alongside keyboardists Chick
Corea and Josef Zawinul and guitarist John Mc-
Laughlin. The album contains two side-long tracks
that Macero pieced together from different takes
41
1968–1975: The Electric Period
recorded at the session. When the album was
released later that year, some critics accused
him of "selling out" to the rock and roll au-
dience. 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 De-
Johnette—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 Davis performing in 1971
bootlegged.133

In October 1969, Davis was shot at five times while in his car with one of
his two lovers, Marguerite Eskridge. The incident left him with a graze and
Eskridge unharmed.135 In 1970, Marguerite gave birth to their son Erin.

For the double album Bitches Brew (1970), he hired Jack DeJohnette,
Airto Moreira, and Bennie Maupin. The album contained long composi-
tions, some over twenty minutes, that were never played in the studio but
were constructed from several takes by Macero and Davis via splicing and
tape loops amid epochal advances in multitrack recording technologies.136
Bitches Brew peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Album chart.137 In 1976, it
was certified gold for selling over 500,000 records. By 2003, it had sold one
million copies.97

In March 1970, Davis began to perform as the opening act for rock acts,
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 7.135 Biographer Paul Tingen wrote, "Miles' newcom-
er 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".138 The 1970 tours included
the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival on August 29 when he performed to an

42
 1968–1975: The Electric Period
estimated 600,000 people, the largest of his career.139 Plans to record with
Hendrix ended after the guitarist's death; his funeral was the last that Davis
attended.140 Several live albums with a transitional sextet/septet including
Corea, DeJohnette, Holland, 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).10

By 1971, Davis had signed a contract with Columbia that paid him
$100,000 a year (US$639,030 in 2020 dollars59) for three years in addition
to royalties.141 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, McLaugh-
lin, Sonny Sharrock,
and Billy Cobham.
He was committed
to making music
for African-Ameri-
cans 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" Chan-
cler and percussionists Davis's septet in November 1971; left to right: Gary Bartz, Davis,
James Mtume and Don Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler,
Alias.142 James Mtume, and Don Alias

Live-Evil was released in the same month. Showcasing bassist Michael Hen-
derson, who had replaced Holland in 1970, the album demonstrated that
Davis's ensemble had transformed into a funk-oriented group while retain-
ing the exploratory imperative of Bitches Brew. In 1972, composer-arranger
Paul Buckmaster introduced Davis to the music of avant-garde composer
Karlheinz Stockhausen, leading to a period of creative exploration.

43
1968–1975: The Electric Period
Biographer J. K. Chambers wrote, "The effect of Davis' study of Stock-
hausen could not be repressed for long ... Davis' own 'space music' shows
Stockhausen's influence compositionally."143 His recordings and performanc-
es during this period were described as "space music" by fans, Feather, and
Buckmaster, who described it as "a lot of mood changes—heavy, dark, in-
tense—definitely space music".144 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.146 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 au-
dience. "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."147 In October 1972, he
broke his ankles in a car crash. He took painkillers and cocaine to cope with
the pain.148 Looking back at his career after the incident, he wrote, "Every-
thing started to blur."149

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. Only Smith was a jazz instrumentalist; consequently, 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 unsatis-
factory, leading him to drop the tabla and sitar and play keyboards. He also
added guitarist Pete Cosey. The compilation studio album Big Fun contains
four long improvisations recorded between 1969 and 1972. 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, presaged later developments in ambient music.151 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, 1975, in Osaka, by

44
 1968–1975: The Electric Period
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.152 Cosey later asserted that "the band really
advanced after the Japanese tour",153 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.154

"This was music that polarized 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 he had been witness to for the past thirty years,
both terrifying and joyful."

— John Szwed on Agharta and Pangaea

45
1975–1985: HIATUS AND COMEBACK 10
In his autobiography, Davis wrote frankly about his
life during his hiatus from music. He called his Up-
per West Side brownstone a wreck and chronicled
his heavy use of alcohol and cocaine, in addition
to his sexual encounters with many women.156 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.157

In December 1975, he had regained enough

strength to undergo a much needed hip replacement
operation.158 In December 1976, Columbia was re-
luctant 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 regu-
larly. Pianist Vladimir Horowitz was the only other
musician with Columbia who had a similar status.159

In 1978, Davis asked fusion guitarist Larry Coryell to

47
1975–1985: Hiatus and Comeback
participate in sessions with keyboardists Masabumi Kikuchi and George
Pavlis, bassist T. M. Stevens, and drummer Al Foster.160 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.162 Soon after, Margue-
rite Eskridge had Davis jailed for failing to pay child support to their son
Erin, which cost him $10,000 (US$39,679 in 2020 dollars59) for release
on bail.158 A recording session that involved Buckmaster and Gil Evans was
halted,163 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 1972.164

By 1979, Davis had rekindled his relationship with actress Cicely Tyson,
with whom he overcame his cocaine addiction and regained his enthusiasm
for music. The two married in November 1981,165 but their tumultuous
marriage ended with Tyson filing
for divorce in 1988, which was
finalized in 1989.167

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 1980.168 A day
later, Davis was hospitalized due
to a leg infection.169 He recorded
Davis and Cicely Tyson in 1982
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.170 This was followed by appearances
with a new band.172 Recordings from a mixture of dates from 1981, includin

48
 1975–1985: Hiatus and Comeback
from the Kix in Boston and Avery Fisher Hall, were released on We Want
Miles,173 which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental
Performance by a Soloist.174

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.175 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 re-
covery, which involved exercise, piano playing,
and visits to spas. She encouraged him to draw,
which he pursued for the rest of his life.176

Davis resumed touring in May 1982 with

a line-up that included percussionist Mino
Cinelu and guitarist John Scofield, with whom Davis performing in 1985
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 produc-
er, 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 Euro-
pean 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.177 Columbia was dissatisfied
with the recording and delayed its release.

Also in 1984, Davis met 34-year-old sculptor Jo Gelbard.[178] Gelbard

would teach Davis how to paint; the two were frequent collaborators and
were soon romantically engaged.179 By 1985, Davis was diabetic and required
daily injections of insulin.180 In May 1985, one month into a tour, Davis

49
1975–1985: Hiatus and Comeback
signed a contract with Warner Bros. that required him to give up his pub-
lishing rights.182 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.183 This
period also saw Davis move from his funk inspired sound of the early 70s to
a more melodic style.34

50
FINAL YEARS AND DEATH 11
After taking part in the recording of the 1985 pro-
test song "Sun City" as a member of Artists United
Against Apartheid, Davis appeared on the instru-
mental "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 2020.184 Davis also collaborated
with Zane Giles and Randy Hall on the Rubberband
sessions in 1985 but those would remain unreleased
until 2019.185

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.182 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.179
The two men had met the previous year when Troupe
conducted a two-day-long interview.179
53
Final Years and Death
The interview was then published by Spin as a
45-page article.179

In 1988, Davis had a small part as a street mu-

sician 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 Order of Malta
at a ceremony at the Alhambra Palace in
Spain188 (this was part of the reasoning for his
Davis performing in Strasbourg, 1987
daughter's decision to include the honorific
"Sir" on his headstone).189 Later that month, Davis cut his European tour
short after he collapsed and fainted after a two-hour show in Madrid and
flew home.190 There were rumors
of his 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
Davis performing in North Sea Jazz Festival, 1991 his vocal cords and was resting
comfortably in preparation for
his 1989 tours.191 Davis later blamed one of his former wives or girlfriends
for starting the rumor and decided against taking legal action.192 He was in-
terviewed on 60 Minutes by Harry Reasoner. In October 1989, he received
a Grande Medaille de Vermeil from Paris mayor Jacques Chirac.193 In 1990,
he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.194 In early 1991, he
appeared in the Rolf de Heer film Dingo as a jazz musician. 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:

54
 Final Years and Death
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 per-
formed songs from Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain.195

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 Quin-
cy Jones.196 The set consisted of arrangements from his albums recorded
with Gil Evans.197 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.197 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".194 After returning
to America, he stopped in New York City to record material for Doo-Bop,
then returned to California to play at the Hollywood Bowl on August 25,
his final live performance.196 Davis would become increasingly aggressive in
his final year due in part to the medication he was taking.178 His aggression
would take the form of violence towards his partner Jo Gelbard.178

In early September 1991, Davis checked into St. John's Hospital near his
home in Santa Monica, California, for routine tests.199 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, composed of dark,
ghostly figures, dripping blood
and "his imminent demise."157
After several days on life sup-
port, his machine was turned off
and he died on September 28,
1991, in the arms of Gelbard.200
He was 65 years old. His death
was attributed to the combined
Davis's grave in Woodlawn Cemetery
55
Final Years and Death
effects of a stroke, pneumonia, and respiratory failure.10 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
hospital.201 A funeral service was held on October 5, 1991, at St. Peter's Lu-
theran Church on Lexington Avenue in New York City202 that was attended
by around 500 friends, family members, and musical acquaintances, with
many fans standing in the rain.204 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.205 On his religious views, he was an agnostic.206

At the time of his death, Davis's estate was valued at more than $1 million.
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.207

56
LEGACY AND INFLUENCE 12
Miles Davis is considered one of the most innova-
tive, influential, and respected figures in the history
of music. Based on professional rankings of his al-
bums and songs, the aggregate website Acclaimed
Music lists him as the 16th most acclaimed record-
ing artist in history.211 The Guardian described him
as "a pioneer of 20th-century music, leading many of
the key developments in the world of jazz."212 He has
been called "one of the great innovators in jazz",213
and had the titles Prince of Darkness and the Picas-
so of Jazz bestowed upon him.214 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."215

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote, "To examine

his career is to examine the history of jazz from the
59
Legacy and Influence

Statue in Kielce, Poland

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

60 60
 Legacy and Influence
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." Francis Davis of The Atlantic notes that Davis's
career can be seen as a critique of the jazz music played time, specifically
bebop.216 Music writer Christopher Smith wrote:

"Miles Davis' artistic interest was in the creation and manipulation

of ritual space, in which gestures could be endowed with symbolic
power sufficient to form a functional communicative, and hence
musical, vocabulary. ... Miles' performance tradition emphasized
orality and the transmission of information and artistic insight
from individual to individual. His position in that tradition, and
his personality, talents, and artistic interests, impelled him to pursue
a uniquely individual solution to the problems and the experiential
possibilities of improvised performance."

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.217 Musicians and admirers of Davis's work include Carlos
Santana, Herbie Hancock, Flea, The Roots, and Wayne Shorter.218 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.219

On November 5, 2009, U.S. Representative John Conyers of Michigan

sponsored a measure in the United States House of Representatives to
commemorate the album 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".220 It passed with a vote of
409–0 on December 15, 2009.221 The trumpet Davis used on the recording
is displayed on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greens-
boro. 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.222

61 61
Legacy and Influence
In 1986, the New England Conservatory awarded Davis an honorary doctorate
for his contributions to music.223 Since 1960 the National Academy of Record-
ing 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.224 Since
2005, the Miles Davis Jazz Committee has held an annual Miles Davis Jazz Fes-
tival.225 Also in 2005, 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 70s were reissued in celebra-
tion of the 50th anniversary of his signing to Columbia Records.157 In 2006,
Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.226 In 2012, the U.S.
Postal Service issued commemorative stamps featuring Davis.226

Miles Ahead was a 2015 American music film directed by Don Cheadle,
co-written by Cheadle with Steven Baigelman, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christo-
pher Wilkinson, which interprets the life and compositions of Davis. It pre-
miered 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.227 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.228 Publications such as The Guardian have also ranked
Davis amongst the best of all jazz musicians.229 On May 27, 2016, American
pianist and record producer Robert Glasper released a tribute album entitled
Everything's Beautiful which features 11 reinterpretations of Davis songs.230
In 2018, American rapper Q-Tip played Miles Davis in a theatre production
My Funny Valentine.231 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.232 Birth of the cool was later released
on PBS' American Masters series.218

Davis has, however, been subject to criticism. In 1990, writer Stanley Crouch,
labelled Davis "the most brilliant sellout in the history of jazz,"157 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."234 Also

62
 Legacy and Influence
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."233 In 2013,
The A.V. Club published an article titled "Miles Davis beat his wives and made
beautiful music".234 In the article, writer Sonia Saraiya praises Davis as a musi-
cian, but criticizes him as a person, in particular, his abuse of his wives.234 Oth-
ers, such as Francis Davis, have criticized his treatment of women, describing it
as "contemptible".216

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.208 He 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."209 When Shirley Horn insisted in 1990 that Miles recon-
sider playing the ballads and modal tunes of his Kind of Blue period, he said:
"Nah, it hurts my lip."209 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 materi-
al. The rock and pop thing certainly draws a wider audience."209 Throughout his
later career, Davis declined offers to reinstate his '60s quintet.157

Many books and documentaries focus on his work before 1975.157 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."157 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."157 Despite his contempt for Davis' later work, Marsalis'
work is "laden with ironic references to Davis' music of the '60s".34 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."210 Writer Stanley Crouch criticised Davis's work from "In a Silent Way"
onwards.157

63
AWARDS AND HONORS
13
Year Grammy Award Work

1960 Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Sketches of Spain

Minutes Duration

1970 Best Jazz Performance, Large Group or Bitches Brew

Soloist with Large Group

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, 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

Year Award

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 Knight Hospitaller by the Order of St. John

64
Year Award

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

65
DISCOGRAPHY
14
Year Album Year Album

1951 The New Sounds 1957 'Round About Midnight

1952 Young Man with a Horn 1957 Walkin'

1953 Blue Period 1957 Cookin' (1957)

1953 Compositions of Al Cohn 1957 Miles Ahead (1957)

1954 Miles Davis Volume 2 1958 Relaxin' (1958)

1954 Miles Davis Volume 3 1958 Milestones (1958)

1954 Miles Davis Quintet 1959 Porgy and Bess (1959)

1954 With Sonny Rollins 1959 Kind of Blue (1959)

1954 Miles Davis Quartet 1959 Workin' (1959)

1955 All-Stars, Volume 1 1960 Sketches of Spain (1960)

1955 All-Stars, Volume 2 1961 Steamin' (1961)

1955 All-Stars Sextet 1961 Someday My Prince Will

Come

1955 The Musings of Miles 1963 Seven Steps to Heaven

1955 Blue Moods 1963 Quiet Nights (1963)

1956 Miles: The New Miles 1965 E.S.P. (1965)

Davis Quintet

1956 Quintet/Sextet 1967 Miles Smiles (1967)

1956 Collector's Items 1967 Sorcerer (1967)

66
Year Album Year Album

1968 Nefertiti (1968) 1976 Water Babies

1968 Miles in the Sky (1968) 1981 The Man with the Horn

1968 Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968) 1983 Star People (1983)

1969 In a Silent Way (1969) 1984 Decoy (1984)

1970 Bitches Brew (1970) 1985 You're Under Arrest (1985)

1971 Jack Johnson (1971) 1986 Tutu (1986)

1972 On the Corner (1972) 1989 Amandla (1989)

1974 Big Fun (1974) 1989 Aura (1989)

1974 Get Up with It (1974) 1992 Doo-Bop (1992)

67
FILMOGRAPHY
15
Year Film Credit Role Notes

1958 Elevator to the Composer – Described by critic Phil

Gallows Johnson as "the loneliest
trumpet sound you will
ever hear, and the model
for sad-core music ever
since. Hear it and weep."

1968 Symbiopsycho- Composer –

taxiplasm

1970 Jack Johnson Composer – Basis for the 1971 album

Jack Johnson

1972 Imagine Actor Himself Cameo, uncredited

1985 Miami Vice Actor Ivory TV series (1 episode –

Jones "Junk Love")

1986 Crime Story Actor Jazz Artist Cameo, TV series (1

episode – "The War")

1987 Siesta Composer – Only one song is com-

posed by Miles Davis
in cooperation with
Marcus Miller ("Theme
For Augustine").
68
Year Film Credit Role Notes

1988 Scrooged Actor Street Cameo

Artist

1990 The Hot Spot Composer – Composed by Jack

Nitzsche, also featuring
John Lee Hooker

1991 Dingo Actor Billy Soundtrack is com-

Cross posed by Miles Davis in
cooperation with Michel
Legrand

69
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An intimate look at the
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