1. Miles Davis-All Blues Miles Davis ‘All Blues’

2. Miles Davis Born in 1926, Illinois, America. Died 1991 Trumpet player, band leader & composer.

3. 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.

4. ‘All Blues’ Instrumentation Trumpet Miles Davis Alto saxJulian Adderley Tenor saxJohn Coltrane PianoBill Evans BassPaul Chambers Drum kitJimmy Cobb

5. ‘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.

6. ‘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.

7. ‘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. BAR12345678910111212 Trad. Blues chords IIIIIV IIV II ‘All Blues’ Chords I7I7 I7I7 I7I7 I7I7 IV 7 I7I7 I7I7 V 7#9  VI 7#9 V 7#9 I7I7 I7I7

8. 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).

9. Listen to the following piece of jazz. Try to answer the questions in front of you.