Who Was Miles Davis in 1987?

In 1987, Mix talks about Miles Davis while perusing a box of older albums. At this time, Mix is a sophomore in Schuyler High in North New Jersey. Miles Davis isn’t someone that Mix and his friends would normally know or play. Mix likes music so he had more knowledge of different styles and artists. 

What would Mix know about Miles Davis at that time?

Miles Davis was more known for his live performances before he finally entered a recording studio. There is little available prior to the 1950s from Miles Davis.

Miles Davis played the Newport Jazz Festival in 1955 with John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins in his band. Obviously he was a hit. Both Coltrane and Rollins would go on to be jazz legends. 

In 1959, Miles Davis released “Kind of Blue.” It changed jazz from loud horns and wild drumming or the big band sound. Jazz became cool and modal. It got quiet and smoky. The music had west coast swing and it could be played low on the stereo. Jazz became that soundtrack for movie or novels scenes where harried writers have a cigarette and a typewriter. Their coffee is cold. It's dark outside and he has a deadline that he can't meet. The pulp novel is due but he’s out of ideas. Yeah, it's that kind of jazz.

I have this album. It starts with "So What" You can hear the horns say so what as it plays. Freddy the Freeloader is another memorable song. 

Having changed or revolutionized jazz once, Miles changed things again. In 1970, he released “Bitches Brew.” This was a big seller and it showcased jazz fusion He had a hard rock band and his horn. Jazz fusion was already a thing in the late 60s, but Davis was a legend that embraced the changes. 

In between these albums are other albums to check out. “Sketches of Spain” “Miles Smiles” “Nefertiti”

In 1985, Davis did a cameo on the popular show “Miami Vice.” The show is largely forgotten today, but it normally had rock star cameos. Miles Davis was out of the ordinary for the show. His horn is featured in the Little Steven charity single, “Sun City.” At this time with all this notice again, he released the album “You’re Under Arrest,” featuring jazz versions of current (at that time) pop songs, “Time After Time” and “Human Nature.” 

In 1986, he released Tutu which features a song I always loved called “Perfect Way.” 

This information came from wikipedia, the Miles Davis website, www.milesdavis.com  and the Don Cheedle movie Miles Ahead.