Miles
Davis and the Jazz Mentality
The
Miles Davis Autobiography documents the life of an extraordinary individual
revered not only for his development of jazz in some of the most innovative
styles but also for his presence as a preeminent black artist and member of the
black community. Therefore the ideas he touches on throughout his work
reverberate further than musical and historiographical significance, they
provide a basis from which to process and imbue the idea of black voice and
tradition in the creation of a crucial aspect of American culture. One of the important themes emphasized by
Miles Davis then in his autobiography is his perception and his experience with
the issues of race surrounding jazz and the black music community. His views
pertaining to the effects of race on jazz music and musicians offer an in-depth
perspective that I myself have not had previously in my experience with jazz
music, and therefore embodies for me an education in an increased exposure to a
more sophisticated dialogue about jazz music and black culture.
Throughout
my life I have been interested and exposed to jazz music, from the time of when
I was a child and my mother played John Coltrane and Miles Davis jazz in the
house during the evenings, to when I began playing jazz in a small middle
school combo, and up until now as I have continued playing jazz and become more
versed in the vernacular of the jazz idiom and style. However, I had not yet
had any experience or exposure to the racial themes that are strongly
interwoven into the jazz story. While I had some historical knowledge of the
musical styles and performers, I lacked the racial and cultural perspective
from which to observe it. My preconceived notions on jazz were somewhat
comprised of naiveté, as I had assumed that jazz was an art and a process free
from racial prejudices and tension, while still maintaining a rich racial
heritage. Therefore the education I have received from this class, epitomized
in Miles’ thoughts on race, allowed me to overcome this line of thought and
realize the integral nature race and race identity play in jazz, and understand
the cultural weight and beauty jazz truly carries.
In
his work, Miles references race relations and conceptions of jazz several
times. One of these is his experience at the Juilliard school, where he went to
study music while trying to embark upon the jazz scene with Charlie Parker and
Dizzy Gillespie. His experience at Juilliard reinforced his desires to pursue
black music with “Bird” and “Diz” rather than the white music at Juilliard, “At
Juilliard, after it was all over, all I was going to know was a bunch of white
styles; nothing new. And I was just getting mad and embarrassed with their
prejudice and shit” (Miles, 59). Miles makes a clear distinction between white
and black music as non-homogenous styles, and also clearly realizes the
uninformed prejudice that made up the white world of music. However this
distinction he makes is not completely true, as he himself even criticizes the
dogma of separation later on, “It's like a ghetto mentality telling people that
they aren't supposed to do certain things, that those things are only reserved
for white people. When I would tell other musicians about all this, they would
just kind of shine me on” (Miles, 61). The
two sides of this argument expressed by one person exemplifies the unclear and
complicated nature of race in jazz, and overall induced me to reassess how I
understand the music, the culture, and community.
Commented On: Alex
Fuessel