jmc's classics
This is the birthday of Miles Davis(1926-1991) who was a Jazz Musician. He was one of the most influential figures in Jazz. He mainly played the trumpet and flugelhorn. He was born in Alton IL. His father was a dentist and his mother was a violinist and music teacher. He was married three times. The third was to actress Cicely Tyson. Some biographies put his birthday as on May 25 and some on May 26.
He was influenced by other jazz artists of the time. He was in his high school marching band. He got trumpet lessons form Joseph Gustat who was the principal trumpetist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. At that time the SLSO was big but not as important as the Big Five Orchestras. This eventually got Davis in to the Julliard school in New York, which is the most prestigious music conservatory in America. However, he skipped classes and eventually dropped out. He spent his time looking for his idol Charlie Parker. The Big Five orchestras were New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago. Alton Il is part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. There is still a lot of classical influence in jazz. Unfortunately, his music career ended early du to illness and creative burnout. He went in to retirement for a while. He made a comeback in the early 1980's. He left a good body of work which is still popular. His music is still popular today and is regarded as one of the most important jazz musicians.
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