Black History Month Music: Miles Davis

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Another lousy day of service at this restaurant…oh, wait, I’m home. I woke up, rolled over, went back to sleep, and the next thing I knew it was 11:30. Yes, it is nice. So let’s get to it with another musician in celebration of Black History Month. Miles Davis For a music that is decidedly American, jazz isn’t very well-known in its homeland. Miles Davis is one of those exceptions. His 1958 album, Kind of Blue, is the best-selling jazz album of all time in the US. An indication: Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade sold two and a half million copies. Kind of Blue has sold double that. And, unlike Beyoncé, if you’ve heard of Miles Davis, it’s only in passing. That’s mostly true of me. I’m not generally a jazz fan. Having said that, I hear a little of “Freddie Freeloader” tribute in Donald Fagen’s “New Frontier” song. Miles Davis was a trumpet player and a half. You can argue amongst yourselves about this, but there are many people who rank him as the best ever, ahead of people like Louis Armstrong. Granted, Armstrong had more of a “pop” feel while Davis was definitely jazz. Apples and oranges: they were both great at what they did. I said this a few years ago when Pogues front man Shane MacGowan died: a lot of people were amazed that he managed to live to the age of 65. The same applies for Davis. He had a nasty heroin addiction that affected his personal life and his professional career (people were arrested for possession of heroin back then, so clubs wouldn’t hire someone with a known habit). Somehow he managed to make it to 65, dying of a stroke and related complications instead of the heroin killing him. And yes, his death was front-page news in 1991. And wow, what a musical discography he performed in spite of all of that. He was, and remains, one of the most influential people of jazz. Miles Davis Born Miles Dewey Davis III, May 26, 1926, Alton, Illinois Died September 28, 1991, Santa Monica, California (stroke/pneumonia) (age 65) HALLS OF FAME: Rock and Roll, 2006; Down Beat Jazz, 1962 One of Davis’ best-known songs, “Freddie Freeloader”: