| Few
musicians have managed to change the course of music--Miles Davis
did it several times. An early disciple of Charlie Parker, Davis
created an austere, understated approach that became the model for
cool. His superb albums in the 1950s made him a star, and in the
following decade, he brought small-group jazz to the limit before
he unapologetically (and, for some, unforgivably) took on
jazz-rock. After a break, he re-emerged in the '80s with a mixture
of pop and dense, bristling funk. All the while, his refusal to
follow anyone but his own muse made him both a hero and a
villain--either way, he was one of the most magnetic, influential
figures in American music. |
