Miles Davis's Birth Of The Cool Jazz

Miles Davis was born in 1926 in Illinois to a dentist and a music teacher. He was introduced to music fairly early when his father gave him a trumpet at age 13. His music teacher also influenced him early by having him play the trumpet without vibrato which was the style common to the time by other trumpeters, such as Louis Armstrong. Davis performed throughout high school and at the age of 17 was asked by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker to replace one of their sick band members. In 1944 he traveled to New York to learn more about music at Julliard School. During his time there he collaborated with Charlie Parker and other musicians with whom he helped form the basis of bebop (“Miles Davis”). Davis eventually left Julliard to explore his own voice and came across a composer named Gil Evans and they began to exchange ideas. They were looking for something other than swing and bebop and formed a style called “cool jazz” (Kirker, Tim). This new style was evident in his album Birth of the Cool which was performed with a nine-piece band that included artists such as Max Roach, John Lewis, Lee Konitz, and Gerry Mulligan (Macnie, Jim).

So instead of chords, which are vertical, it requires scales, which are horizontal, to make it sound appealing. This method also makes the artist rely on things such as melody, rhythm, and emotion which give the song an entirely different sound. Miles Davis also was at the forefront of this style of jazz in the late 1950’s to early 1960’s. His song Milestones and even more so his album called Kind of Blue are excellent examples of the use of modal jazz and this work heavily influenced other jazz musicians of the era. In the 1960’s John Coltrane explored this style in his work with the pianist McCoy Tyner. They took modal jazz in a more spiritual direction with his albums entitled My Favorite Things, Impressions, and A Love Supreme