Miles Davis (1926-1991) Presentation By Akram Najjar Karaz w Laimoon 16 Nov 2016 1 / 51
Bebop Hard Bop Cool Jazz Modal Jazz Free Jazz Jazz-Rock Fusion 2 / 51
Ancestors of Big Bands... Rhythm and Blues 30s Boogie Woogie 50s Rock n Roll 20s Honky Tonk Ragtime Stride Early Jazz Big Bands Blues March Bands Sacred Music 20s+30s 30s+40s
Modern Jazz started in the early 40s with the decline of Big Bands
The Evolution of Jazz after Big Bands Extensive Modal Jazz Opposed Everything Oppositional Oppositional Oppositional Free Jazz Big Bands Bebop Cool Jazz Hard Bop Absorbed Everything Regressive Fusion
Miles Davis: Periods and School (In Spite of Overlap!) A) The New York Bebop Years 1944-1948 B) The Birth of the Cool (Nonet) 1949-1950 C) Hard Bop Period 1950-1954 D) The First Great Quintet 1955-1958 E) The Sextet 1957-1958 F) Collaboration with Gil Evans 1957-1963 G) Modal (Kind of Blue) 1959-1964 H) The Second Great Quintet 1964-1968 I) 1969 onwards.... 6 / 51
Bebop (early 40s to late 50s)
Key Bebop Musicians Dizzy Gillespie (tr) Charlie Parker (as) Thelonious Monk (p) Bud Powell (p) Kenny Clark (dr) Max Roach (dr) Miles Davis (tr) Dexter Gordon (ts) Ray Brown (b) Sonny Stitt (ts) J.J. Johnson (tb) Fats Navaro (tr) 8 / 51
Modern Jazz starts with a Severe Reaction by Bebop to Big Band Music A rise of late night Jam Sessions for small Combos: Speeded up tempos Unusual keys Changed improvisation schemes A rise in cutting contests encouraging virtuoso playing A rise in small dynamic bands / soloists without contracts Bebop musicians saw their music as Art Music NOT a Functional Music or Music for Dancing as in Big Bands in large halls, studios or events (army?) 9 / 51
They Saw a Major Need to Change the Musical Format No more writing for instrumental sections Songs consisted of a single head (statement of melody) + an unspecified number of choruses assigned to one or more artists Each chorus is an improvisation over the harmonic structure of the head Sometimes, the head would also appear at the end (Compare with Classical Sonata Allegro Form!!) Often, the end would be through unresolved chords 10 / 51
More Musical Variance from Big Bands Soloists introduced fluid vs discontinuous playing influenced by: Lester Young (tenor) and Charlie Christian (guitar) Competent musicians used advanced harmonic structures: New chords and unusual harmonies Flattened 5th, whole tone scales, 9th, 11th, 13th Tritones, Augmented and Diminished chords 11 / 51
And... Instrument Roles Changed Bass maintained walking but was promoted to to a soloist s role (Thanks to Jimmy Blanton (Duke Ellington bassist) and Oscar Pettiford) Pianists started comping (or providing rhythmic accompaniment) This elevated the guitar to a soloist s role Emphasis on speed and virtuosic playing Vocalists were not common anymore: melodic lines were changed from lyrical/melodic to more angular/fast 12 / 51
Rhythmic Changes? Advanced rhythms away from 2/4, 4/4 Also away from standard accents: 1-2-3-4 or 1-2-3-4 Kenny Clarke built on Basie s enhanced drummers role Bass drum was not fast enough to provide flexible beats Moved beat from bass drum to the ride cymbal Bass drum freed to provide dropping bombs Often called KLOOK-MOP after Kenny s nickname: Klook Clarke s polyrhythms affected later drummers: Max Roach and Art Blakey 13 / 51
Charlie Parker (Bird) (1920-1955) Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993)
Parker? Considered as the most influential Jazz Musician ever Maybe Armstrong can sit with him Grew up without musical training but with a love for Jazz He taught himself music theory His virtuosity was legendary: melodic, harmonic and rhythmic Died as a burnout at 37 15 / 51
Gillespie Started life with large bands: Eckstine.. Big Band music was always under his skin With Parker, they were two of the most important creators of Bebop He was Parker s other half of his heartbeat but only for 3-4 years Gillespie went back to Big Bands and changed a lot in the way they worked He was behind introduction of Latin American modes While most of his colleagues chose to be Black Moslems, he chose to be a Bahai 16 / 51
Miles Davis 1944-1948: The New York Bebop Years 1944: he was 18 and on his way to Julliard in New York Really, he was searching for Charlie Parker He dropped out of Julliard As a young genius trumpeter he played around beboppers 1947: Gillespie left Parker because of Parker s drug abuse Miles Davis replaced Gillespie (at 21 years of age) 1948: end of 3 years of great Bebop experience. BUT speed and complexity did not suit his style He left Parker and started on his own Trumpet Influences: Bebop Fats Navarro and Dizzy Gillespie Influenced greatly by Ahmad Jamal 17 / 51
A) The New York Bebop Years 1944-1948 1) Hothouse: Parker and Gillespie With Parker + Max Roach (dr), Bud Powell (p), or John Lewis (p) 2) Blue Bird (1947) 3) Donna Lee 4) You re my Everything 18 / 51
Cool Jazz (Late 40s to early 50s) 19 / 51
Key Cool Jazz Musicians Miles Davis Ahmad Jamal Modern Jazz Quartet Dave Brubeck (p, qrt, oct) Paul Desmond (as) Bill Evans (p / (composer/arranger) Gerry Mulligan (bs) Chet Baker (tr) Gil Evans (composer/arr) Jimmy Giuffre (ts) Stan Gets (ts) Claude Thornhill (cool big band) Woody Herman (cool big band) Stan Kenton (cool big band) Lennie Tristano (p) Art Pepper (as) George Shearing Bob Brookmeyer 20 / 51
Characteristics of Cool Jazz A reaction to the hard driving, harmonically complex Bebop Relaxed tempos (often slow) Lighter melodies, lots of space Re-emergence of arrangement (regressive!) Closeness to European Classical Music Tonal colors can be compared to pastel And... 21 / 51
Cool Jazz? Why and Where? (With considerable Overlap) Group 1: Musicians who preferred soft variants of Bebop (evolutionary) Group 2: Musicians who dropped Bebop in favor of Advanced Swing (oppositional) Moreover: the above were often reclassified as East Coast and West Coast Jazz Stylistically the difference was not significant 22 / 51
Group 1: Soft Variants of Bebop Miles Davis Birth of the Cool LP (1949-1950) John Lewis and Gerry Mulligan were part of the Nonet Lewis and Gil Evans key arrangers The Modern Jazz Quartet MJQ (1952) John Lewis and Milt Jackson (MJ?) Gerry Mulligan (when with Chet Baker and Bob Brookmeyer) Stan Kenton's sidemen (late 40s thru 50s) George Shearing Stan Getz (when with Woody Herman) 23 / 51
Group 2: Dropped Bebop for Advanced Swing Lennie Tristano (p) Art Pepper (as) and Lee Konitz (as) Both major influences on Paul Desmond Dave Brubeck (p) and Paul Desmond (as) Woody Herman s Herds (First and Second) Four Brothers: Gets, Sims, Steward, Chaloff (by Giuffre) Jimmy Giuffre (ts) Lester Young's small group music Even later Gillespie who had his own Big Bands 24 / 51
1949-1950: The Birth of the Cool (The Nonet) 1948: Miles Davis starts collaborating with 3 musicians all of them great instrumentalists, arrangers, composers: Gil Evans: extensive experience with Claude Thornhill (late big band) (Not to be confused with Bill Evans, a later collaborator) John Lewis: pianist, later with Modern Jazz Quartet Gerry Mulligan: baritone saxophone Later with Chet Baker (trump) / Bob Brookmeyer (tromb): the Piano-less Quartet This led to the first Davis Band: The Nonet With Max Roach (drums), Lee Konitz (tenor), Kai Winding (tromb), etc. Also had French Horn and Tuba 25 / 51
"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."
More on the Cool.... 1949-1950: The Nonet records many single 78 rpm records 1956: all 78 rpm tracks released as a single LP: The Birth of the Cool Later on, Konitz, Mulligan and Lewis going their own way with their own brand of Cool Mysteriously, one year earlier, Dave Brubeck had started an Octet in LA: very similar style 27 / 51
B) The Birth of the Cool (Nonet) 1949-1950 5) Move 6) Jeru 7) Venus de Milo 8) Boplicity 9) As a counter sample: Dave Brubeck s Octet: Love Walked In (Gershwin) 28 / 51
1950-1954: Hard Bop Period 1949: Long tour in Paris Returns to New York worried about his throne Compares great treatment by the French vs US Racialism Turns to heroin and weakens his performance 1954: spends 3 months locked up in a room in his father s farm: Cold Turkey / Self Rehabilitation Collaboration with great Jazz artists without a specific Band: Sonny Rollins, Monk, Coltrane, etc. Starts using the Harmon Mute Many landmark LPs were recorded 29 / 51
Key Hard Bop Musicians Cannonball Adderley (tenor) Sonny Rollins (tenor) Horace Silver (piano/composer) Art Blakey (drums) Charles Mingus (bass) Tadd Dameron (piano/composer) Yusuf Lateef (tenor) 30 / 51
C) Hard Bop Period 1950-1954 10) Walkin from Walkin (1954) JJ Johnson (tb) / Lucky Thompson (ts) / Kenny Clarke (dr), Percy Heath (b) and Horace Silver (p) 11) When the Lights are Low from Blue Haze (1954) John Lewis (p), Percy Heath (b) and Max Roach (dr) 12) Miles Ahead from Blue Haze (1954) John Lewis (p), Percy Heath (b) and Max Roach (dr) 31 / 51
1955-1958: The 1st Great Quintet and Sextet 1955: performs in the Newport Jazz Festival (Great Solos) Forms the First Great Quintet: John Coltrane (ts), Red Garland (p), Paul Chambers (b) and Philly Joe Jones (dr) Landmark LPs: Round about Midnight, Relaxin, Steamin, Workin' and Cookin' 1958: disbands quintet due to members involved with drugs (He fired Coltrane!) 32 / 51
1958: Reforms the First Great Quintet into a Sextet Reforms the band as a Sextet Rehires Coltrane (tenor) Hires Cannonball Adderley (alto) Fires Red Garland and Jones Hires Bill Evans (p) and Jimmy Cobb (dr) Records 1958, Milestones 33 / 51
D) The First Great Quintet 1955-1958 From Round about Midnight (1957) Coltrane, Garland, Chambers, Philly Joe Jones 13) Ah Leu Cha This is a Parker contrafact Honeysuckle Rose and I Got Rhythm 14) Bye Bye Blackbird From Someday My Prince Will Come (1961) Coltrane, Kelly, Chambers, Cobb 15) Someday my Prince will Come 16) Pfrancing (1961) (same) 34 / 51
E) The Sextet 1957-1958 From Milestones (1958) Coltrane, Garland, Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Cannonball Adderley 17) Straight No Chaser (Monk) 18) Milestones 35 / 51
1957-63: The Collaboration with Gil Evans 1957: records Miles Ahead (including The Duke by Brubeck) 1958: with a reshuffled sextet, records Porgy and Bess 1960+: records Sketches of Spain Quiet Nights (set of bossa nova titles) Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (includes Rodriguez s Aranjuez Concerto) 36 / 51
F) Collaboration with Gil Evans 1957-63 From Miles Ahead (1957) 19) The Duke (by Dave Brubeck) 20) New Rhumba (by Ahmad Jamal) From Porgy and Bess by Gershwin (1958) 21) Bess You is My Woman Now 37 / 51
1959-64: The Modal Years Kind of Blue A reformed sextet recorded Miles Davis Iconic LP This is the top selling Jazz LP, ever! It sold 4 million copies and is still a best seller 5 tracks: some in strict 12 bar form BUT using Modal Harmony Other LPs were released in this period (mixed styles): Someday My Prince Will Come, Seven Steps to Heaven, Four and More, etc. 38 / 51
Characteristics of Modal Jazz The term comes from the use of the pitches of particular modes (or scales) in the creation of solos, modal jazz compositions or accompaniments may only or additionally make use of the following techniques: Slow-moving harmonic rhythm, where single chords may last four to sixteen or more measures Pedal points and drones Absent or suppressed standard functional chord progressions Quartal harmonies or melodies 39 / 51
Melody Chords = Harmony 40 / 51
Modal Improvisation Melody = Notes from a Scale 41 / 51
Stretch the piano sideways: C major scale is only 7 white notes C D E F G A B C# Eb F# Ab Bb C D E F G A B C T T 1/2 T T T 1/2 42 / 51
Greek Modes: Pythagorean Numbers The Greeks used 7 notes in their music. Greek Modes are made up by starting on a white note and playing the next 6. Each note vibrated a whole fraction higher than the previous note: 5/4, 3/2, etc. The notes in Greek scales were not equally spaced. Therefore, each of the 7 modes would sound different Later on in Europe, they inserted 5 black notes so that the 12 notes were equally spaced. 43 / 51
Greek Modes and Jazz Table shows the white notes and their: T (whole step or a jump of 2 notes, black or white) and S (semi-step or a jump of a single note, black or white) Ionian/ Aeolian are the only ones with us today Mode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ionian C D E F G A B C T T S T T T S Dorian D E F G A B C D T S T T T S T Phrygian E F G A B C D E S T T T S T T Lydian F G A B C D E F T T T S T T S Mixolydian G A B C D E F G T T S T T S T Aeolian A B C D E F G A T S T T S T T Locrian B C D E F G A B S T T S T T T
Miles Davis and Greece? So What is played into two Greek Modes Most of the song is played in G Dorian. This is a Dorian scale (using the Dorian intervals) starting on G (it would have black notes) In the B section, the group switches to A minor (By coincidence, this is the Aeolian Mode). Other songs on Kind of Blue are also in Greek Mode All Blue is in G Mixolydian 45 / 51
G) Modal (Kind of Blue) 1959-64 Started a little before Kind of Blue (Miles Ahead) Coltrane (tenor), Adderley (alto), Bill Evans (p), Wynton Kelly (p), James Cobb (dr), Paul Chambers (dr) 22) So What 23) All Blues 24) Freddie Freeloader 46 / 51
1964-68: The Second Great Quintet Coltrane and Jones restart on drugs Bill Evans burns out 1965: Miles Davis starts a new quintet: Wayne Shorter (ts / ss) or Steve Coleman (ts), Herbie Hancock (p), Ron Carter (b) and Tony Williams (dr) Two percussions groups: 1 in the east and 1 in the west Records: ESP, My Funny Valentine, Miles Smiles, etc. This would be his last acoustic band 47 / 51
A Major Change in his Playing Stopped recording Jazz standards and focused on music composed by band members: Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock He still used modal writing He started experimenting with Free Jazz, a style he had rejected earlier Trumpet: harder edge, plays in higher register Shorter / Hancock compositions introduced new ways of improvising on harmonies --- no more traditional variation 48 / 51
H) The Second Great Quintet 1964-1968 Wayne Shorter (ts / ss) or Steve Coleman (ts), Herbie Hancock (p), Ron Carter (b) and Tony Williams (dr) From Seven Steps to Heaven (1963) 24) Ancient Footprints (Wayne Shorter) 25) Seven Steps to Heaven 26) So Near, So Far (same) 49 / 51
I) 1969 onwards.... Tries everything... Mostly Electric Plays with everyone: McLaughlin, Zawinul, Pastoris, Jazz Rock Fusion (Bitches Brew) Free Jazz (Ornette Coleman) (Miles Smiles) We will try Bitches Brew for luck... Gary Bartz (soprano / alto), Chick Corea (electric piano), Keith Jarrett (organ, electric piano), Dave Holland (electric and acoustic bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Airto Moriera (percussion) 50 / 51
Now You Has Jazz 51 / 51