Early milestones of in the career of Miles Davis (1945-1950)
So much has been written about Miles Davis, especially from the 1950s onward. But what of Davis’s early years?
In 1945, after he dropped out of Juilliard, he replaced Dizzy Gillespie in Charlie Parker’s band. Davis began to get notice in the press, with which he would have a famously fraught relationship.
"52 St. Jumps as Top Jazz Names Return Home," Down Beat, Vol. 12 no. 21 (1 November 1945): 3.
In a stint in California, Davis played again with Parker presumably after Parker returned from hospitalization. Davis’s playing began to receive increasing attention, often by comparison with Dizzy Gillespie.
"Parker Exciting L.A. with Bebop," The Capitol: News from Hollywood Vol. 4 no. 4 (April 1946): 10.
Barry Ulanov provides the first substantial portrait of Miles, alongside Leo Parker, in the jazz press. Ulanov quotes both as students of the school of Charlie Parker.
Barry Ulanov, "Miles and Leo," Metronome, Vol. 63 no. 7 (July 1947): 19.
Metronome and Ulanov continue their support, with Davis selected in the All Stars Band in a section with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. Pictured here is the rehearsal before recording Pete Rugalo’s “Overtime.”
Metronome, Vol. 65 no. 3 (March 1949): 14.
In Paris, Davis’s eyes were opened to new possibilities, and French listeners and critics took note of Davis. Here, Boris Vian is intrigued by Davis, especially his relaxed soloing and “astonishing phrasing, sinuous phrasing” (un phrasé ahurissant, un phrasé sinueux). “A Dominican sound: a guy who remains in the century, but who observes it with serenity.” (Une sonorité de dominicain: un gars qui reste dans le siècle, mais qui regarde ça avec sérénité.) Vian even references the famous romance with Juliette Gréco.
Boris Vian, “Quelques notes sur Miles Davis,” Jazz News: Blue Star Revue, Vol. 1 no. 5 (May 1949): 9
Back in the US again, and with fresh perspectives from his time in Paris, Davis wades into the “moldy fig” debates, discussing Sidney Bechet and what the interviewer Pat Harris describes as a “universality of jazz.” Miles also shows a desire to control his own story, a theme which would grow over his career.
Pat Harris. “Nothing but Bop? 'Stupid,' says Miles,” Down Beat, Vol. 17 no. 2 (27 January 1950): 18.