Write a 2-page essay summarizing the importance of this recording and its impact on jazz and American music history. What were the musical innovations?

Jazz and American music history

Paper details Write a 2-page essay summarizing the importance of this recording and its impact on jazz and American music history. What were the musical innovations? What were Miles Davis’ specific ideas about the music? What inspired Miles Davis? How were the songs developed? What was the reception of this music? What is the lasting impact of Miles Davis’ recording?   At the end of the 1960’s and into the 1970’s, Miles Davis was one of a few, if not the only, jazz musician who saw the potential for jazz to intersect with the sounds of rock and funk which was being taken seriously by music critics for the first time.

Jazz and American music history

It was a gamble and many traditionalists in jazz felt it was a bad move. Jazz has always been a music that drew upon popular music sources in different ways, but since the 1950’s, rock and roll and rhtyhm and blues were considered the antithesis of jazz. Music for young people without much musical merit. Regardless, Miles Davis utilized electric instruments and free-form improvisation set to hard driving rock and funk rhythms (not swing) for the first time. This opened the door to a whole new universe for musicians.

Jazz and American music history

One of the more recent offshoots of this is the genre known a smooth jazz which lightens the mood and timbre without much improvisation which was perfect for non-jazz fans. In this assignment, listen to last year’s short podcast celebrating the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’ first extended exploration (record) Bitches Brew (1969). https://youtu.be/Ta7aWOKP7aw

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