Miles Davis-All BluesMiles Davis ‘All Blues’

Miles Davis

• Born in 1926, Illinois, America.

• Died 1991

• Trumpet player, band leader & composer.

Miles Davis changed jazz

• He created modal jazz (jazz based on musical modes instead of chord progressions).

• His music would be improvised using a tuneful melody rather than lots of crazy runs.

• He played lyrically as though singing.

• His improvisations would be based on scales and an overall key signature.

• He would make the trumpet sound natural & pure (not forced & high pitched).

• Miles often stayed in the lower register of the trumpet.

‘All Blues’ Instrumentation

• Trumpet Miles Davis• Alto sax Julian Adderley• Tenor sax John Coltrane• Piano Bill Evans• Bass Paul Chambers• Drum kit Jimmy Cobb

‘All Blues’ Structure

• 12-bar blues chord pattern used.

• Chords are played underneath all the solos &

main melody (or head).

• The chords are a bit more complex than the

traditional 12-bar blues chords

• There is a 4-bar link between each section.

‘All Blues’ Intro

• Bass plays a riff which it then repeats

throughout the whole piece

• Piano trills help create an interesting texture

• Saxophones play a second riff (mainly in 3rds)

• Bars 5-8 of the intro are later used as a link

between each section.

‘All Blues’ 12-Bar Chords

All blues uses a more complex progression than a traditional 12-bar blues.

Bars 9 and 10 make use of altered/extended chords which give a very ‘jazzy’ feel to the harmony.

BAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Trad.Blueschords

I I I I IV IV I I V IV I I

‘All Blues’Chords

I7 I7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 I7 I7 V7#9 VI7#9

V7#9

I7 I7

All Blues• Pitch (instruments stick to middle/lower

range)

• Duration (11 & a half minutes long)

• Dynamics (mostly mf with a few louder trumpet bits)

• Tempo (moderate pace)

• Time signature (6/4)

• Melody (tunes are often modal)

• Timbre (very mellow, trumpet sometimes uses a mute, ghost notes & rests)

• Texture (simple, saxes play in 3rds & 4ths, piano & double bass play a simple riff & chords, drum keeps a steady beat).

• Piano ‘comping’ during the instrumental solos

• Structure (12 bar blues chord pattern in G which gets repeated throughout the piece. Pattern played underneath solos & main melody. Chords are a bit fancier than traditional 12 bar blues).

Listen to the following piece of jazz.

Try to answer the questions in front of you.