But the saxophonist surprised him. What Miles heard was a sound that, though still developing, was singular and unheard. Almost all tenor players at that point blew under the spell of one of two, massively influential pioneers: the brash, highly rhythmic Coleman Hawkins or the breathy, understated Lester Young.
Even the much-heralded, innovative playing of Dexter Gordon — an early stylistic model for Coltrane — vacillated between those two stylistic poles. But Coltrane was searching for something original, and that search was part of his sound. He repeated phrases as if he was wringing every possibility out of note combinations. He was determined never to play predictable melodic lines; instead, unusual flourishes and rhythmic fanfares cut through the structure of the tune. Many writers would puzzle over — some actively denounce — this new, 'exposed' style.
They were familiar with polish, not process. Was he practising or performing? Was that harsh rasp intentional, or just a loose mouthpiece? Why were his solos so long? As Davis proved time and again through his career, he had an uncanny ability to detect greatness in the bud. Miles recognised it at that first rehearsal, but kept his excitement hidden.
Coltrane, unaware of his reaction and used to a sideman role, requested direction. Davis responded curtly and discourteously, unnerved that a self-professed jazz player required spoken instruction. Meeting an unexpectedly cold draft, Coltrane packed his horn and returned home disgruntled, ready to rejoin Jimmy Smith.
It was a lesson in nuance Coltrane later exploited with great consequence in his own groups. But at that point, whether or not the saxophonist was hip or original enough was suddenly less important than Miles' immediate need. And beyond differences in temperament, their backgrounds predicted discord. Coltrane was the scion of a middle-class, religious family — both his grandfathers were ministers — and came from a small country hamlet in central North Carolina.
A series of deaths left him the sole male figure in his family at the age of 13, causing him hardship both financial and emotional. Turning inward, he relied on music for solace and spiritual strength; outwardly he remained quiet and serious, with an air of innocence about him.
Miles II, a college-educated dentist and landowner, bankrolled his son's musical education and errant, drug-filled years. By , he was recording under his own name and topping jazz critic polls. But to the two intrepid jazz men, it was the music that mattered above all else, set them on parallel paths and ultimately brought them together. Both Coltrane and Davis were charter members of a determined jazz brotherhood who saw themselves as serious artists rather than entertainers, and their music as deserving the same respect and regard as other high-brow forms of culture.
Both matured from the big band era of the s, fell under the spell of bebop, and spearheaded jazz through its small-group heyday of the 50s and well into the 60s. Both were junkies who traded heroin for harmony, going cold turkey for the sake of their music. Predictably, as their music developed, and as Coltrane's confidence grew, so the bonds of that union were tested and retested. Like so many fertile musical unions, they loved and respected, suffered and fought with each other.
Subsequently, when Marsalis attempted to join Davis onstage without invitation at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in , Davis requested that he leave the stage, using strong language. To this day, the quarrel between the musicians has been credited with making the International Jazz Festival famous. Davis reinvented himself yet again in with the release of Tutu. Incorporating synthesizers, drum loops and samples, the album was well-received and garnered Davis another Grammy Award.
This was followed by the release of Aura , an album that Davis had created in as a tribute to the Miles Davis "aura," but wasn't released until Davis won yet another Grammy for this project.
The two performed a retrospective of Davis's early work, some of which he had not played in public for more than 20 years. Later that same year, on September 28, , Davis succumbed to pneumonia and respiratory failure, dying at the age of Fittingly, his recording with Jones would bring Davis his final Grammy, awarded posthumously in The honor was just another testament to the musician's profound and lasting influence on jazz.
We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. John Coltrane was an acclaimed American saxophonist, bandleader and composer, becoming an iconic figure of jazz in the 20th century with albums like 'Giant Steps,' 'My Favorite Things' and 'A Love Supreme. An originator of big-band jazz, Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader who composed thousands of scores over his year career.
In the s, Dizzy Gillespie was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including Davis, who replaced him in the quintet. According to Davis "By the age of 12, music had become the most important thing in my life. The following month, Davis recorded another live show, as he and his band were joined by an orchestra led by Gil Evans at Carnegie Hall in May.
Davis and Evans teamed up again in for what became their final collaboration, Quiet Nights. Quiet Nights was preceded into the marketplace by Davis ' next band effort, Seven Steps to Heaven , recorded in the spring of with an entirely new lineup consisting of saxophonist George Coleman , pianist Victor Feldman , bassist Ron Carter , and drummer Frank Butler. The album found Davis making a transition to his next great group, of which Carter , Hancock , and Williams would be members.
The quintet followed with two live albums, Miles Davis in Europe , recorded in July , which made the pop charts and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by a Small Group or Soloist with Small Group, and My Funny Valentine , recorded in February and released in , when it reached the pop charts.
By September , the final member of the classic Miles Davis Quintet of the '60s was in place with the addition of saxophonist Wayne Shorter to the team of Davis , Carter , Hancock , and Williams.
While continuing to play standards in concert, this unit embarked on a series of albums of original compositions contributed by the bandmembers themselves, starting in January with E. By the time of Miles in the Sky , the group had begun to turn to electric instruments, presaging Davis ' next stylistic turn.
But Hancock , along with pianist Joe Zawinul and guitarist John McLaughlin , participated on Davis ' next album, In a Silent Way , which returned the trumpeter to the pop charts for the first time in four years and earned him another small-group jazz performance Grammy nomination.
With his next album, Bitches Brew , Davis turned more overtly to a jazz-rock style. Though certainly not conventional rock music, Davis ' electrified sound attracted a young, non-jazz audience while putting off traditional jazz fans.
Bitches Brew , released in March , reached the pop Top 40 and became Davis ' first album to be certified gold. It also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement and won the Grammy for large-group jazz performance.
Starting in October , when he broke his ankles in a car accident, Davis became less active in the early '70s, and in he gave up recording entirely due to illness, undergoing surgery for hip replacement later in the year. Five years passed before he returned to action by recording The Man with the Horn in and going back to touring in By now, he was an elder statesman of jazz, and his innovations had been incorporated into the music, at least by those who supported his eclectic approach.
He was also a celebrity whose appeal extended far beyond the basic jazz audience. In , after 30 years with Columbia, he switched to Warner Bros. Aura , an album he had recorded in , was released by Columbia in and brought him his fifth Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Soloist on a Jazz Recording. Davis surprised jazz fans when, on July 8, , he joined an orchestra led by Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival to perform some of the arrangements written for him in the late '50s by Gil Evans ; he had never previously looked back at an aspect of his career.
He died of pneumonia, respiratory failure, and a stroke within months.
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