How Did Miles Davis Influence Society

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Miles Davis is one of the pillars of Jazz music, and was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was either responsible for or played a significant part in every significant Jazz movement since the 1940s. He also has the best selling jazz album in history, Kind of Blue, which was certified Platinum 4 times and sold over 4,000,000 copies. In addition to his influence within Jazz, he also significantly influenced popular music throughout the 20th century, especially Rock and Pop. Davis was a social activist and had a profound impact on all facets of American culture. Miles Davis was born May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. His family was fairly affluent, and from an early age Davis was encouraged to pursue music. He studied trumpet, and early on was taught to play without vibrato. By the age of 15 he was performing professionally. His parents were adamant that he finished his…show more content…
However, from that time on, the name stuck with me, and always with an aura of a sort of mysterious “cool”. I distinctly remember finding my Dad’s copy of Kind of Blue during my freshman year of high school. Listening to it, even without any knowledge of music theory or jazz, I could tell it was something great and I felt sophisticated instantly. To this day, I still listen to his music while doing work. Though I know the music is inherently complex, to me it sounds very smooth, and Davis’ trumpet sounds clear and relaxed. It is extremely relaxing, and I always look forward to Davis’ trumpet improvisations. Though I don’t particularly enjoy his later work as much, I can certainly appreciate it. In 2009, the US House of Representatives to commemorate Kind of Blue and Miles Davis on the album’s fiftieth anniversary. The measure passed unanimously, and I think that is a fair testament to his importance as an American
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