Topics in Recorded Music: Miles Davis

Catalog description

Miles Davis—legendary trumpeter and bandleader, pioneer of multiple musical pathways, and enduring icon of all that is hip—stands as one of the most influential and revered musicians of the 20th Century. His career figures as an historical roadmap of modern improvised music: with an unerring ear, he drew freely from jazz, classical, R&B, rock, funk, hip hop, electronic and other sources, creating singular sonic fusions, effectively changing the course of an entire musical community seven times. Every aspiring performer, producer, songwriter, composer and creative entrepreneur searching for success in today’s popular music industry can learn from the genius of Miles. Some of the greatest pop musicians of the last 50 years, from Joni Mitchell to Fela Kuti to D’Angelo, have enriched their music by engaging with the profound musical innovations that Miles helped bring to the fore. Offered to students in what would have been Miles’s 90th year, each class in this ambitious seven-class course is divided into two components: the first half of each session focuses on historical-critical studies. While completing focused readings, and undertaking listening and viewing assignments, students investigate the social, cultural, musical and business aspects of Miles’s monumental accomplishments. The second half focuses on musicianship, performance, composition and production. Listening closely to Davis’ music and completing in-class and out-of-class assignments under careful mentorship, students deconstruct Miles’s compositional and studio choices, and work collaboratively to create, refine and produce their own original musical works.