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The Music of Miles Davis

The May 11 Jazz Unlimited will be “The Music of Miles Davis.” Born in Alton, Il., and raised in East St. Louis, trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991) was a restless soul, changing the music of the 20th century four times.  Miles played with Charlie Parker early in his career and went on to found the “cool jazz” style around 1949.  By 1959, Miles was the first bandleader to use modes (scales) instead of chords as a basis for improvisation.  In 1964, he founded a style known as “Free Bop” or as some called it, “time, no changes.”  He led the music into jazz-rock with his recordings “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew.”  His last years were spent playing electronic music. 

This show will feature Miles with Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Lucky Thompson, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, the Gil Evans Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams.  Miles’ compositions will be sung and played by Anita O’Day, Kurt Elling, Ray Bryant, Bill Evans, and Hal Galper.

There are no photos in the slide show for this show.

This Archive of the show will be available until the morning of May 19, 2014.

Here is a video from "Robert Herridge Theater" in 1959.  Miles Davis (tp) John Coltrane (ts) Wynton Kelly (p) Paul Chambers (b) and Jimmy Cobb drums playing "So What" with members of the Gil Evans Orchestra.

Dennis Owsley has broadcast a weekly jazz show for St. Louis Public Radio since April 1983. He holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and is a retired Monsanto Senior Science Fellow and college teacher. His show, Jazz Unlimited, airs every Sunday from 9:00 p.m. to midnight. The show has the largest jazz audience in St. Louis and was named Best Jazz Radio Show in St. Louis for the years 2005-2007 and 2009 by the Riverfront Times. In celebration of his 25 years on the air, January 24, 2008 was proclaimed Dennis Owsley Day" in the City of St. Louis. He is the 2010 winner of the St. Louis Public Radio Millard S. Cohen Lifetime Achievement Award. Dennis is also a noted photographer, and his exhibit, In the Moment: Photographs of Jazz Musicians, ran from September 23, 2005 to January 21, 2006 at the Sheldon Art Gallery. He is a lifetime student of jazz history and teaches short courses on the subject. Dennis is the author of the award-winning book City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis 1985-1973, published in 2006.