A Curation of Miles Davis

           Born in 1926, Miles Davis was a much respected and often idolized jazz musician whose ever-changing style helped to shape jazz music into what it is today.  Thanks to the advancement of technology and digital media, Davis’s work continues to influence generations even after his death.  The following is a curation of some of Davis’s more prominent works along with several descriptions of their respective unique qualities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cg4m7nJnBg

            This first piece is a track called “The Blue Room” from Davis’s first album, The Blue Period.  As its name suggests, the song seems, quite plainly, very blue.  This track is slow and soulful in its entirety.  It may strike one as the ‘typical’ jazz song – a trumpet playing a lonely-sounding tune with little to no accompaniment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB669XXjnUg

            This link contains Davis’s 1959 album, Kind of Blue in its entirety.  Right away, one notices a difference in the overall tone of this album and the previous “Blue Room”.  The opening track of Kind of Blue seems more upbeat, while still retaining the soulful quality of Davis’s previous work.  It’s a song that one finds themselves both identifying with and tapping their foot to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJk69zvgBhU

This third link contains a selection from Davis’s 1970 album, Bitches Brew.  Bitches Brew was unique for Davis in that it marked a movement towards more electronic instruments.  Right away, one notices a new style not present in Davis’s earlier work.  This piece seems to have less structure, and an overall more unique sound.  Unlike the slow, soulful tracks of before, Davis seems to now be experimenting with a completely new sound – a difference that would continue to progress and lead to more innovation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ1k_BrA8CI

            The fourth and final link contains “The Doo-Bop Song” from Davis’s final album, Doo-Bop, released in 1992.  This track, more than any of the previously mentioned works, marks a stark change in Davis’s style.  It is extremely modernized, emulating the hip-hop sound of the early 90s.  Proving his staying power and flexibility, Davis manages to retain his original jazz sound while still widening his fan base to more modern music lovers.