...his passion and love of music. Born in 1926 into a middle-class home, Miles Davis had the opportunity to take his first trumpet lesson from a family friend named Elwood Buchanan. When he was not taking lessons, Davis spent his time practicing relentlessly and studying complex concepts of music theory (Frankl, 21). Miles Davis took advantage of his musical resources and eventually became an iconic jazz trumpeter and bandleader. As an active jazz musician for over 50 years, Miles Davis was able to contribute a stylistically diverse body of music compositions to the jazz community and the world (Gridley, 261). Miles Davis impacted the development of modern jazz by creating a novel trumpet playing style, producing numerous noteworthy recordings and spreading his enthusiasm and appreciation for jazz music. Miles Davis’s colorful trumpet style and sound was very distinct and unique. Thus, many other trumpet players during the cool and hard bop periods admired Davis sound and were influenced by it. Davis was known to use a Harmon mute without the stem in order to soften the instrument’s loud sound down to an intimate whisper (Frankl, 14). At the Newport Jam Session in 1955, Davis became highly recognized for his Harmon mute solo in the song “Round Midnight.” His improvisation had a beautiful sound conveyed a sense of sadness and loss (Frankl, 14). In addition to producing beautiful sounds with his trumpet, Davis used periods of silence as effective dramatic devices (Gridley, 262). His...
Words: 1095 - Pages: 5
...repetition of a riff with variation Jimmy Smith- Hammond B3 Organ- made organ respectable, organ trio- organ drums guitar playing the bass on the organs foot pedals. both hands and feet Bill Evans- piano composer, lyrical sensitive and swinging. piano trio- equal play trio included: Scott Lafaro - Bass, Paul Motian - Drums Free Jazz- Atonal, No form, Dissonance, High Energy, Collective Improv, Unusual ensemble, Ornette Coleman -Alto,trumpet,commposer- free jazz, no set solos or form, double quartet. Cecil Taylor-explosive pianist, aggressive. Drawn to percussive and physical aspect John Coltrane- Tenor, Soprano Sax. Miles Davis Quintet-Hard Bop. Joined Monk Quartet. influence by Monks unorthodox recorded album Giant Steps. didnt play cool jazz, Kind of Blue, formed Coltrane Quartet -McCoy Tyner- Piano, Jimmy Garrison-Bass, Elvin Jones- Drums made A love Supreme. free jazz Miles Davis- trumpet, played some bebop, some cool jazz, modal jazz, jazz fusion. -original trumpet style. birth of cool jazz, pioneered modal jazz, jazz-rock fusion. bitchesbrew -middle range, melancholic sound, melodic soloist. First Quintet- john coltrane-sax, red garland-piano,paul chambers-bass, phillyjoejones-drums Sextet-added cannonball...
Words: 687 - Pages: 3
...After 65 long years, Miles Davis rested in peace. He left over 120 recordings and a legacy in the music of Jazz that will never be forgotten or replaced. Davis left an image that probably no Jazz musician will be able to live up to. Learning about Miles Davis' life was just as interesting as evaluating one of his famous record albums. I chose the very ironic title Miles To Go and it was soothing to hear. In this album you will find the following songs: So What, 'Round Midnight, Back Seat Betty and My Funky...
Words: 905 - Pages: 4
...One of my favorite trumpet players is Miles Davis. Miles Davis, "American jazz musician, a great trumpeter who as a bandleader and composer was one of the major influences on the art from the late 1940s." Miles Davis was, and still is one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time. His style and smoothness on the trumpet caught the ears of many people. Miles Davis was born in Alton, Illinois., on May 26, 1926. For most of Miles's life he was raised in East St. Louis in an upper middle class family. Before Davis got interested into music he liked sports a lot. He loved playing baseball, football, boxing, and basketball. The first trumpet he received was in his preteen years. He practically fell in love with it the first time he played it. Davis liked to play in his high school band and in R&B bands. In 1942 Miles married his wonderful wife, Irene. In July of 1944 he sat in with Billy Eckstine and his band, where he met his life long idols, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. In the fall, Miles goes to New York to attend Juilliard School of Music. "I spent my first week in NY and my first month's allowance looking for Charlie "Bird" Parker. Later I roomed with Parker for a year and followed him around down to 52nd street. Every night I'd write down chords, on matchbook covers. Next day, I'd play these chords, all day in the practice rooms at Juilliard, instead of going to classes." "Instead of taking classes he hooked up with Bird, playing in his quintet...
Words: 887 - Pages: 4
...Trumpeters Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis became two of the most inspiring American jazz musicians of all time by accessing very differently to their art. In the analysis an album from each artist, I choose “What A Wonderful World” of Louis Armstrong and “Kind of Blue” of Miles Davis. Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971) was the most influential performer to affect a lot of Jazz musicians. He influenced the whole jazz population with his amazing voice and energetic trumpet. And he played a great role in the modernization of jazz. His career spanned almost 50 years, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different jazz eras. The work of Louis Armstrong summed up the achievements of New Orleans jazz style and indicated the way to the later...
Words: 1104 - Pages: 5
...IAll Blues General Points - Comes from the album 'Kind of Blue' - The band is a 'sextet' consisting of a front line and a rhythm section. - The album was recording with next to no rehearsal and the musicians have no score, they were told only the following things: Structure, basic chord sequence, main melodic idea and which mode or scale to improvise on. Instrumentation The band consists of 2 different sections, the front line and the rhythm section. In the front line there is: - Miles Davis on trumpet. - Julian Adderly on the alto sax. - John Coltrane on the tenor sax. In the rhythm section there is: - Bill Evans on on piano. - Paul Chambers on bass. - Jimmy Cobb on the drums. Structure - 'All Blues' is based on a 12 bar blues progression. - The main melody is called the head and is played by the trumpet and is heard at the start and end of the piece. Miles Davis Melody - The head melody is quite simple and is characterized by a rising 6th (from D to B). The head is then followed by 4 solos. - Trumpet: Lasts for four choruses and is made up of short syncopated motifs. - Alto Sax: Lasts for four choruses and uses quicker notes and a wider range than the trumpet. - Tenor Sax: Lasts for four choruses and uses fast scales and quick runs. It's very virtuosic. - Piano: Lasts for 2 choruses. This is a much calmer improvisation that the others with a simple melody and a string of parallel chords. Harmony and Tonality - The piece is in G Major but has a flattened...
Words: 360 - Pages: 2
...One Night with Blue Note “One Night with Blue Note” directed by John Jopson is based on a jazz concert performed at The Town Hall in New York City on February 22, 1985. This film brings together some of the jazz legends associated with Blue Note over the years as well as some newly signed artists. The concert introduces more than 30 of the world’s most revered jazz musicians in the form of all-star bands and is considered by many to be one of the most important nights in jazz history. Some of the great jazz musicians we heard were Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Jimmy Smith, Woody Shaw, Walter Davis Jr., Michel Petrucciani Art Blakey, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Henderson, Grover Washington, Jr., and Tony Williams. My favorite artist in the film was Michel Petrucciani. He is not only a great talented pianist but an inspiration as well. Michel Petrucciani was born with osteogenesis imperfecta which is a genetic disease that causes brittle bones and short stature. He still became one of the most accomplished jazz pianists of his generation, despite having arms which caused him pain. I believe that he teaches us that anything is possible with hard work and dedication no matter how hard things may seem. Although I am not a big music fan, I feel this concert was worthwhile watching as well as listening too. At the end I am glad I watched this film because it allowed me to be more open minded to music and the different styles and forms. These people and countless more, and innumerable...
Words: 289 - Pages: 2
...BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG; A TURNING POINT IN WAR What comes to mind when you hear the words “The Battle of Gettysburg”? To me, I think of the event itself. The United States was two years into the Civil War, when the bloody battle in Pennsylvania broke out. General Lee, also known as the general of the Confederate army, plotted an attack at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle started on July 1st, 1863 and continued on for three straight days. In just those three days, it turned the Civil War around. A turning point is an action or event that alters the outcome of a situation. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point? The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point for three reasons; geographic advantage, the many losses and the change in morale. The geographic advantage was a reason why Gettysburg was a turning point. In (Document A), Lincoln created the Anaconda plan. His plan was three steps; blockade, control the Mississippi River and take the capital of the South; Richmond, Virginia. The blockade was to prevent any European imported goods. That way the Confederacy didn’t have any access to shipped resources. Next, was to control the Mississippi River. By dividing the south into two, Lincoln’s scheme went as planned. Last but not least, was to capture Richmond, Virginia. This was the Confederacy’s capital! If the capital were to surrender to the North, then the Union will have more power, while the south remains helpless. This evidence shows that geographic advantage...
Words: 721 - Pages: 3
...Cheryl Hornung Research paper 11/14/2012 Jefferson Davis; President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis was born in Fairview, Kentucky on June 3, 1808. Davis was the youngest of 10. They were all raised in Mississippi, and he was sent to various boarding schools. It was understood that he was not the best student and was often in trouble for one reason or another. In 1821, he attended Transylvania University in Kentucky where he did very well. One of his peers recalled that he was the best looking, the most intelligent, and loved by many. After that, he served in the US Army in remote garrison posts in Illinois and Wisconsin under the command of Zachary Taylor. In 1832, he fought in the Black Hawk War. Shortly after the war, Davis fell in love with his commander's daughter in 1833. Her name was Sarah Knox Taylor. Mr. Taylor did not approve of Davis. Sarah went to live with her aunt and Davis resigned his military post in order to join Sarah. Once they were reunited, they soon were married despite her father's wishes. Davis bought a small plantation called Brierfield, in Mississippi. Though this was the beginning of their lives together, their marriage did not last long. They both contracted malaria and Sarah died three months after their wedding. Davis continued to run his plantation for the next ten, lonely years in misery. He became very devoted to plantation life and owned many slaves. He was very generous and kind to them. He considered them to be part of his family. He never...
Words: 1187 - Pages: 5
...Miles Davis-Dark Prince, one of the well-known jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader, virtuoso started in bebop, went on to pioneer multiple styles of jazz. He was born on 25 May,1926 and grew up in black middle class of East S t Louis. Before enter to the jazz society, he was study at Juilliard School of Music on 1944. His albums 'Kind of Blue', 'Bitches Brew' and 'Birth of Cool' are considered to among the best selling jazz albums in history. The album “Birth of cool” which developed the cool jazz. In this study the aim is focused on the reason that influence Miles Davis to create cool jazz and the impact of cool jazz towards the creation of Modal Jazz. As for cool jazz, we should start of with bebop era. Bebop is a form of jazz with the fast tempo, changing time signature and throbbing bass.On the top, we mentioned about that Miles Davis moved to New York City study at Juilliard school after graduation from high school, but the reason why he want to moved to New York is because there is a hottest jazz scene in the country and he could listen and learn bebop from jazz greats like saxophonist Charlie Parker, and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. When he arriving in New York, he spent most of his first weeks in town trying to get in contact with Charlie Parker, despite being advised against doing so by several people he met during his quest. On the early, he playing was sometimes tentative and not always fully in tune, unique, intimate tone and his fertile musical imagination...
Words: 769 - Pages: 4
...In this report I compare two great historical figures: Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, steered the Union to victory in the American Civil War and abolished slavery, and the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. Abraham Lincoln was the President of the Union, and Jefferson Davis struggled to lead the Confederacy to independence in the U.S. Civil War. Lincoln was treasured by the African Americans and was considered an earthly incarnation of the Savior of mankind (DeGregorio 20-25). On the other hand, Davis was both admired and hated. Lincoln had a different view of how the U.S. should be in abolishing slavery. Davis was a politician, president of the Confederate States of America, and also a successful planter. He had beliefs for the South to continue in the old ways with slavery and plantations. Both Lincoln and Davis had strong feelings for the protection of their land (Arnold 55-57). Both Abraham and Jefferson Davis shared several differences and similarities. Lincoln was known to have an easy going and joking type attitude. In contrast, Davis had a temper such that when challenged, he simply could not back down (DeGregorio 89). Davis had been a fire-eater before Abraham Lincoln's election, but the prospect of Civil War made him gloomy and depressed. Fifty- three years old in 1861, he suffered from a variety of ailments such as fever, neuralgia, and inflamed eye, poor digestion, insomnia...
Words: 459 - Pages: 2
...Two of the most powerful men during the war of the North and South or ‘War Between the States’ was President Abraham Lincoln’s wife Mary Todd Lincoln, and Varina Davis, wife of the President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. These were women from rival governmental systems, yet lived parallel to either in a world where personal tragedies helped to conform them to the world around them. Abraham fell in love with his wife in 1862, while Jefferson Davis met his ‘rose scarlet’ in 1865. Through four years of battles, these two women helped to hold down the fort and maintain our country’s legacy through valiance, grace, and dignity. For a first time in America two presidents ran the nation, alongside the two leading women who stood behind them. Through many of the differences suffered because of the war, the two first ladies both had similarities that brought their unity closer than the men’s although it did not occur to anyone that the women were the ones who were to hold this nation together behind closed doors. Both women were from the South and married men who were very stubborn and affected by the civil war. However, one of the first ladies would be hailed as a public symbol for peace during the war. The other first lady would go on to become a symbol of recourse as the two women who lived in separate White Houses helped to bring about a great change to our nation. Mary Todd Lincoln’s life in the White House came under very harsh conditions. During a very...
Words: 705 - Pages: 3
..."Satchmo," "Pops," and "Ambassador Satch" were names for an outstanding jazz artist that inspired many. He was one of the most important musicians in jazz. He helped to transform the traditional New Orleans style into a completely different form of jazz. Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana in a very poor neighborhood. His father, a laborer, abandoned the family when he was young, and his mother was an irresponsible single parent. She left Armstrong and his sister in the care of their grandmother(Source C). Armstrong was taken out of school in fifth grade to begin working. On New Year's Eve in 1912, Armstrong fired his stepfather's gun in the air during a celebration and was arrested. He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys and there, he was taught how to play the cornet and fell in love with music (Source B). In 1914, when they released him, he began dreaming of a life making music. Louis should be recognized in Black History Month for encouraging different races that if you follow your dreams, you can make it. One of the greatest cornet players in town, Joe "King" Oliver, began acting as a mentor to the young Armstrong, showing him pointers on the horn. In 1918, he replaced King in Kid Ory's band, which was one of the most popular bands in New Orleans. Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable (Source C). In the summer of 1922, he received a call from King Oliver to...
Words: 717 - Pages: 3
...Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington is one of the most accomplished Jazz musicians of all time. He was born in Washington D.C. in 1899. Duke Ellington’s father worked as a butler at the White House, and both his father and mother were amateur pianist. As a young child Ellington preferred sports to music—which quickly changed. Ellington dropped out of high school in 1917 to pursue his music career, and by the mid-twenties had relocated to New York. Ellington’s spotlight to fame came from Harlem’s Cotton Club. Duke Ellington performed at the Cotton Club for a continuous six years, which during that time was a place where many distinguished musicians were born. Ellington is largely responsible for the birth of the “Big Band” era of Jazz. However, Ellington frequently referred to his music as “American Music”. He is credited with the composition of over 3,000 songs. “Mood Indigo”, composed and performed by Ellington and his band, is one of Ellington’s most recognized works. Ellington claimed that he wrote “Mood Indigo” in only 15 minutes one evening while waiting for his mother to finish supper. The rapid composition of this song further demonstrates the natural talent possessed by Mr. Ellington. Duke Ellington states that the song is about a young girl, about eight years old, who is in love with a boy her age. The boy comes to visit the girl daily. The young boy and girl never discuss their feeling for each other, the girl claims to like the way the boy wears his hat...
Words: 761 - Pages: 4
...A Personality and a Pioneer: Jack Cole’s Influence on Modern Jazz Countless of women have marveled over Marilyn Monroe’s stunning performance of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The way she captivates the men around her while maintaining a dominant, sultry poise has made this an iconic scene in the history of American film. She comes across as a natural presence, dancing flawlessly and confidently. What most people do not know is that Marilyn was not trained in dance whatsoever before this debut. A man by the name of Jack Cole is responsible for her training and choreography during this legendary performance (Friscoe, September 10, 2013) Jack not only transformed Marilyn Monroe’s entire career, but reshaped theatrical performance in the film industry and modern jazz as a whole. In a post-war period marked by radical transformation, American Jazz made a shift from the “danceable rhythms” of 1930s swing to the “dissonant harmonics and frenzied rhythmic shifts” of 1940s bebop. A federal tax wage was placed on dance floors, causing them to shut down and the big swing bands that performed in them to be eclipsed. As Vaudeville houses closed and swing bands faded, jazz in its traditional form of tap dancing on the popular stage diminished. This environment...
Words: 651 - Pages: 3
