Miles Davis at 100

Jazz visionary Miles Davis would have turned 100 today, with musicians, critics, and admirers across the world gathering to celebrate the occasion through concerts, listening sessions, and late-night tributes dedicated to the trumpeter whose restless imagination transformed modern music time and again. From the cool restraint of Kind of Blue to the electric fusion of Bitches Brew, Davis reshaped the language of jazz across five extraordinary decades, influencing generations of artists to come.

To celebrate this centenary, we spoke to two contemporary trumpet players, Laura Jurd and Ibrahim Maalouf, both of whom have found their own artistic paths illuminated by his fearless spirit, and who were kind enough to share their thoughts with us on the profound impact the man and his music have had on their lives. We also spoke with our very own Duncan Fairweather, the shop’s piano specialist, who offered his perspective on the trumpet legend, shaped by a lifelong love of jazz…

What was your introduction to Miles Davis?

LJ: As a young, 12 year old trumpet player, getting deeper into playing jazz, I had heard the name Miles Davis mentioned in a youth band I was in. I could sense the reverence in the way people mentioned the name “Miles” - that alone felt exciting. I picked up a copy of Kind Of Blue at a local record shop with some pocket money. At that time, hearing people play the blues like this felt so brand new to me. It was my first jazz record I’d ever heard, yet I sensed it was something special. The individuality of the solos, the unique atmosphere of it etc. Over time I realised just how special that record is.

DF: For me, it was Kind Of Blue. I think every jazz and hi-fi fanatic has to have that album, because it's just incredible. Being a Bill Evans fan, I think that was one of the first albums they did where you're getting his beautiful harmonies. Saying that, I do like Seven Steps to Heaven because one of my favourite pianists is Victor Feldman. You can really sit and hear how the band is listening to each other in that album, and that's so important. If you're a good musician, that's what you should always do, and that's what's so brilliant about him.

IM: My introduction to Miles Davis came very early, through my father. I grew up in a house where music was not entertainment, it was almost a philosophy of life. Of course, as a trumpet player, Miles was impossible to ignore. But what struck me wasn’t only his sound. It was his courage. His ability to reinvent himself constantly, to disappoint expectations on purpose, to refuse comfort.

Later in my life, I had the privilege of working for seven years with Quincy Jones, who had known Miles personally. Quincy taught me a lot about artistic freedom. He used to speak about Miles almost like a force of nature. Through Quincy, I understood that Miles wasn’t just a trumpet player or a jazz musician. He was an attitude. A way of looking at art and life.

What is your favourite Davis album?

LJ: An impossible question. From the 1950s, Kind Of Blue & Miles Ahead (with Gil Evans), during the 60s Miles Smiles, in the 70s  A Tribute To Jack Johnson, and from the 80s, Amandla, which is a more recent discovery for me. That’ll do for now. 

DF: Well, of course Kind Of Blue. But being a sort of 70s lad, I enjoyed In A Silent Way when he started to become a bit more fusion-sounding. And then later into his 80s era, with Tutu, Marcus Miller, and George Duke – who is probably one of my all-time favourite keyboard players. 

I do like Someday My Prince Will Come, where they were doing the standards. What he was doing in the 50s was very in advance of everybody else. Certainly very different to the Coltrane sort of thing, which was a bit more out there I suppose, whereas he was still very melodic, which is what I love.

IM: Without hesitation, I would say Ascenseur pour l’échafaud. That record had a huge impact on me because it feels suspended between jazz and cinema, between improvisation and silence. It’s deeply emotional without ever becoming demonstrative. There’s something incredibly modern about it even today.

As someone who also composes for film, I was fascinated by the way Miles could create tension, mystery, intimacy, almost like a painter working with shadows and light. That album taught me that atmosphere can sometimes say more than virtuosity.

How does Miles Davis inspire you in your music today?

LJ: Miles inspires me hugely in a number of ways. I think about his playing multiple times, every day. He was always on the search for newness - never interested in sitting still stylistically. The main thing though, has to be the way in which he places a note in space and time. Wow - it knocks me out every time. Not to mention his amazing sound. Assurance, rhythmic placement, commitment to the cause - it’s as good as it gets. 

The trumpet feels like the perfect vehicle for a spirit like Miles. The only other instrument that I feel has a similar relationship to space and time to this, is the drums. He was also a master when it came to putting extremely powerful and distinctive personalities on the same stage and letting it happen. In jazz and improvised music, trust in your fellow musicians can enable an unspoken collective magic to occur that celebrates our similarities and differences in equal measure. The humanity in that sentiment is deeply moving to me, and Miles was a master at creating these conditions.

DF: Mainly through his attitude to musicians. He just gave them an idea and asked them to experiment. I love the story where I think Herbie Hancock said he played a wrong chord in a song, and Miles Davis replied that there's never a wrong chord. I was thinking about the recent reissue of the Unplugged Nickel boxset, where the guys were going to the gig, and I think it was Tony Williams who said ‘don't tell Miles, but we're going to play all of the tunes differently’. Miles just let the guys do that. So just his openness to give them the space to do that is incredible. 

Being a hi-fi lover of jazz, as well as a jazz pianist, I think you have to listen to all of his albums. It’s a part of learning about jazz and its history, which is so important. And because he used probably the best musicians in the world, once you listen to one album, it makes you go and listen to all of the other players. I'd buy Wayne Shorter, or Herbie Hancock (as I say, I'm probably more into the sort of more fusiony stuff from the '70s) – but when we do the jazz gigs here at Presto, we're very much doing a jazz trio of that sort of 1950s, 60s ilk. Everyone says he was just so cool, even down to his dress sense. We’re so lucky to have all of that beautiful music that we can listen to.

IM: Mostly through freedom. I’ve made twenty-one albums now, and one thing I learned over the years is that an artist has to keep moving emotionally and creatively. Miles never allowed himself to become predictable. Every period of his career was a risk. Sometimes people loved it immediately, sometimes they didn’t understand it until years later. But he always stayed honest with his instinct.

As an artist coming from classical music, Arabic music, jazz, improvisation, film music, and many collaborations outside the jazz world, I’ve always been inspired by the fact that Miles refused categories. He followed curiosity more than labels. As a trumpet player, he also taught us something essential: your sound is your identity. Technique is important, of course, but emotion and personality matter even more. Sometimes a single vulnerable note can say more than a thousand complex phrases.

What I admire most about Miles is that he stayed dangerous artistically until the end. He never became a museum version of himself. For younger musicians today, I think that’s the real lesson: don’t become a prisoner of your own success. Keep searching. Keep risking. Keep listening to the world around you. That’s how music stays alive.

See below for a selection from the discography of Miles Davis