Arguably the greatest jazz musician of all time, Miles Davis' genius when it comes to the trumpet and jazz as a whole is not never ends. Although often overlooked due to subsequent success, his album, Milestones, perfectly exemplifies the talent Davis possesses. Together with John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley on alto saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers strumming double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, Miles Davis formed a sextet of musicians at the beginning of their prime and they displayed their talent for the world to see. This album deserves its praise as it is an important aspect in the development of each musician's career and jazz as a whole. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Born on May 26, 1926, Miles Dewey Davis III would become one of the most influential and talented jazz musicians of all time. Born in Alton, Illinois, Davis was fortunate to be born into a relatively wealthy family. His father was a dentist with a steady income, and in 1927 they moved to East St. Louis where they owned a large ranch. As a child, Miles' mother, who was an accomplished blues pianist, wanted him to learn to play the violin; however, at the age of thirteen, his father gave him a brand new trumpet and began arranging lessons for him with a local trumpeter named Elwood Buchanan. Unlike many musicians of the time, Buchanan insisted that Miles play without vibrato, which ended up accompanying Miles throughout his career as he continually played with his characteristic clear tone. Interestingly, every time he played using heavy vibrato, Buchanan would slap him on the knuckles with a ruler. By the time he was sixteen, Miles was already a member of the musicians' union and was working professionally when he wasn't attending classes during high school. He was persuaded to join bands, but remained in high school in order to complete his education at his mother's request. In 1944, Miles was tapped as third trumpet for a short time with the Billy Eckstine Band, a band that included Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, two titans of the industry; However, despite all of this newfound success and notoriety, Miles' parents were still keen for him to finish his academic studies. That same year, Davis moved to New York City, earning a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music. He immediately stopped his academic work and went in search of Charlie Parker. With an already distinctive style, he became a member of Parker's quintet in 1945. In 1948, Davis sought to escape the shadow and become a leading figure in jazz as his recording career began to flourish. Aside from a nonet, Davis signed with Capitol Records in 1949 and also attended the Paris Jazz Festival that same year. During the first half of the 1950s, Davis recorded with Prestige Records and Blue Note Records with a series of smaller groups and a plethora of musicians. It was around this time that he developed a serious addiction to heroin. After going "cold" on drugs in 1954, Davis began incorporating the Harmon mute into his music to soften and darken the sound of his trumpet. This sound will be associated with him throughout his career. All of this led to Davis becoming a god and takes us straight to the late 1950s and his Milestones album. Miles Davis recorded this album with the help of some very talented musicians who gained popularity and notoriety by performing alongside Miles. The biggest name besides Miles presentin the sextet it was John Coltrane. Also known as "Trane", he specialized in bebop and hard bop early in his career and was a perfect fit alongside Miles on the album. Coltrane was a freelancer in Philadelphia at the time when Miles called him to join him in the quintet. Similar to Miles, he also struggled mightily with heroin addiction. The quintet's recordings during the mid-1950s truly demonstrated his growing ability. Trane briefly left the group before returning for Milestones. Joining Davis and Trane in the quintet was pianist Red Garland. Oddly enough, due to his boxing fandom, Miles brought Garland because he was impressed that he had boxed earlier in his life; However, Garland did not disappoint as he infused his signature chords with the light and smooth style of one of Davis' influencers, Ahmad Jamal. Next in the quintet was Paul Chambers, a double bass player known for impeccable timing, intonation and his incredible improvisations. He was also known for his solos throughout his career. Chambers' work with the quintet had been regarded as one of the most rhythmically and harmonic supporting bassists in the history of jazz. The final member of the quintet was Philly Joe Jones. Miles Davis openly stated that Jones was his favorite drummer and that when he looked for other drummers, he always listened to Jones in them. These five men formed the “great” Miles Davis Quintet and together they recorded and released some of the best music of the mid-1950s; however, in 1958, when Milestones was recorded, another musician was added to the group. Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was a talented alto saxophonist who played with Ray Charles in the early 1940s before moving to New York City in 1955. He joined the group in 1957 a few months before Trane returned to the group. Miles brought him into the group thanks to his blues-style alto saxophone sound. In 1958 Milestones was released and each member of the group made their own personal decisions for their own betterment. Trane went ahead and released his first album with Atlantic Records containing all of his compositions, capitalizing on the recognition and success he received from being introduced by Miles and would become one of the most successful jazz musicians before he died in 1967.Red Garland formed his trio following the album's production and achieved moderate success, leading dozens of recording sessions for multiple labels. Davis and Garland had a strained relationship in 1958, leading Garland to actually walk out of one of the Milestones sessions and Davis firing him. Philly Joe Jones continued to work as a sideman for a plethora of other musicians for the remainder of his career. Bill Evans openly stated that Jones was his favorite drummer of all time. Chambers stayed with Miles for a few more years before moving on and working with Wynton Kelly's trio for a handful of years. Similar to Coltrane, Chambers died in early 1969 while battling alcohol and heroin addiction; however, he is still known today as one of the most distinctive and influential bass players. Adderley formed his own quintet after working with Miles and achieved much more success than he had earlier in his career when he attempted the same thing. The Milestones album showcased all these men and their supreme talent. It was undeniably much better for them to have worked with Miles because it allowed them to have time in the spotlight and show the world how talented they were. This group was one of the most talented in the history of jazz. Having assembled a truly formidable group, Davis proceeded to record Milestones in two different segments.