May 26th is the birthday of Miles Davis, the "King of Jazz."

May 26, 2013

Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis was born on May 26, 1926, in Illinois, USA. He grew up in a wealthy family and is said to have been inspired to pursue a career in music after receiving a trumpet as a gift on his 13th birthday. He began performing in jazz clubs at age 15. At age 18, he performed with renowned alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, also known as the "Father of Modern Jazz." He later enrolled in the prestigious Juilliard School in New York but dropped out. Around 1945, he began working as a sideman for Parker. In 1955, he formed the First Quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. They debuted with the album "Round About Midnight." He continued to develop new jazz styles, adapting to each era, including modern jazz, cool jazz, hard bop, fusion, and electric jazz. For his achievements, he has been praised as the "Emperor of Jazz," the "Emperor of Modern Jazz," and the "Picasso of Jazz."
He retired from live performances in 1976, but returned to the music world in 1980, forming a new band with young fusion musicians such as Bill Evans, Mike Stern, and Marcus Miller.
He performed in Japan frequently in 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. In the late 1970s, pianist Masaaki Kikuchi joined him in sessions. From 1989, pianist Kei Akagi became a regular member for two years. He also favored clothing from Arrston Volaju, designed by designer Takanobu Sato, and used it for his stage costumes. The packaging design for "1969 Miles," a posthumous album released in 1993 featuring a 1969 live performance, was also by Sato.

Miles once again led the jazz world as a charismatic figure, but he passed away in September 1991 at the age of 65. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the Sex Pistols and others.

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