Miles Davis started learning the trumpet at 13, and three years later he was playing professional gigs at a local music society, although his mother refused to let him officially join a band until he had finished high-school. Davis was from a wealthy ranch-owning southern family from Illinois, and his father was a dental surgeon. Although she was a music teacher, his mother is said to have hated the sound of the trumpet.
Davis attended the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1944 but dropped out after his first year. He left Juilliard with an impeccable playing technique and knowledge of music theory that would prove indispensable in developing pioneering jazz styles later in his career.
Davis' musical style went through many transformations in his long career (spanning half a century) in an attempt to always remain at the avant-garde of new musical currents. Throughout his career, only his accessible lyricism remained intact, defined by a clear and mesmerizing vocal quality, the intimacy of which was intensified through the often use of a Harmon mute. In essence, Davis wanted to stay as true to the human voice as was possible.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.