Miles Davis Features

Friday, May 26, 2006 was Miles Davis's 80th birthday anniversary, and KJazz aired a retrospective of the trumpeter's career with musical highlights across each of his musical periods. Several other jazz musicians offered their insights on the impact of Miles. Artists interviewed include trumpeters Eddie Henderson, Dave Douglas and Jeremy Pelt, guitarist Mike Stern, composer/bandleader Maria Schneider and pianist Herbie Hancock.

Miles in four movements:

Part I: Miles Davis and Gil Evans: the Birth of the Cool; Evans's orchestral M.O.; modal ideas.

Part II: The First Quintet: from Prestige to Columbia Records; Miles's stamp on straight-ahead; basic Trane-ing; Kind of Blue (of course).

Part III: The Second Quintet: the E.S.P. of the Hancock-Carter-Williams triumvirate; Miles Smiles; new ideas and new sounds.

Part IV: Bitches Brew and Beyond: Hendrix; electronic instruments; the Brew; On the Corner and turning the corner; the Man With the Horn returns; looking back.