MILES DAVIS

Biography

·       May 28, 1926 – Born in Alton, Illinois

·       1927 – Moves to East St. Louis, Illinois

·       1935 – Receives his first trumpet from family friend Dr. John Eubanks

·       Begins taking lessons from Elwood Buchanan

·       Buchanan introduces Miles to local trumpeter Clark Terry

·       Summer 1944 – The Billy Eckstine Band, featuring Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, come to St. Louis missing a trumpeter.  Miles sits in with the band for two weeks

·       September 1944 – Miles arrives in New York, ostensibly to study at the prestigious Juilliard school

·       He frequently skips classes

·       Spends his nights on 52^nd Street listening and hanging out with the beboppers, like Parker, Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Bud Powell

·       Fall 1945 – Miles joins Parker's group

·       Miles soon drops out of Juilliard

·       1947 – Miles meets composer/arranger Gil Evans

·       1948 – Miles leaves Parker's group

·       Summer 1948 – Miles and Evans lead a nine-piece group at the Royal Roost club.  The group features saxophonists Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz.  It becomes known as his “Birth of the Cool” band

·       1951 – Miles begins recording for Prestige Records

·       1952-1953 – Miles career takes a slump due to heroin addiction.  He spends this time traveling around country with drummer Philly Joe Jones playing with pick-up groups

·       1953 – Miles kicks heroin by locking himself in his father's guest house for twelve days

·       1955 – Miles forms his first “classic quintet,” consisting of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones

·       1956 – Miles records four albums to fulfill his contract with Prestige: Workin', Steamin', Cookin', and Relaxin'

·       Miles records Round About Midnight for Columbia Records

·       May 1957 – Using the bigger budget that Columbia had to offer, Miles again collaborates with Gil Evans.  The resulting album, Miles Ahead, features a group of over twenty musicians

·       1958 – Miles adds alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley to the group

·       The new sextet records Milestones – Miles first experiment with modal music

·       April 1959 – Miles records his masterpiece Kind of Blue with the sextet

·       The group soon breaks up

·       1963 – After a long search, Miles finally gets a new steady group together.  It features tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and seventeen year-old drummer Tony Williams.   They become known as his second “classic quintet”

·       January 1965 – Miles finally records with the new quintet.  The album is called E.S.P.

·       October 1966 – Miles records Miles Smiles with the quintet

·       August 1969 – Miles moves his music in a radical new direction.  He brings electronic instruments into the studio and begins recording largely improvised jams.  The resulting album is the revolutionary Bitches Brew

·       Summer 1975 – Miles performs in New York's Central Park.  It will be his last public performance for six years

·       1981 – Miles ends his hiatus by releasing the album The Man With the Horn

·       September 29, 1991 – Miles dies of a stroke