Davis, Miles Dewey, III 1926-91
US jazz trumpeter and bandleader

Born into a wealthy middle-class black family in Alton, Illinois, and brought up in St Louis, he began playing the trumpet at the age of 13 and, while receiving private tuition and playing in his high school band, he was performing with a local rhythm-and-blues group. In 1944 he began studies at the Juilliard School of Music, New York, but left to perform in the 52nd Street clubs where the new bebop style was emerging. At 19 he became a member of the foremost of these groups, the Charlie Parker Quintet. Although not then the most technically accomplished of jazz trumpeters, Davis played in an understated style that became highly influential, and he continued to be at the forefront of new stylistic departures. In 1948, working with pianist-arranger Gil Evans, he led a nonet that inspired the 'cool jazz' school. In the late 1950s, his quartet featuring saxophonist John Coltrane introduced a 'modal' approach which broke away from the harmonic principles previously accepted in jazz. Ten years later, his bands were featuring electronic instruments and synthesizers as well as rock-style rhythms. He became known for his expressive lyricism (eg 'Round About Midnight', 1955), new modal structures (eg 'Milestones', 1958), solos in elegant orchestrations (eg 'Porgy and Bess', 1958), and fusion of jazz harmonies with rock instrumentation and rhythms (eg 'In a Silent Way', 1969). Davis retired from performing from 1975 to 1980, but he returned thereafter, further developing the use of electronics but using a commercial approach that did not find favour with all of his previous followers.