Jazzheads were punks before punk was punk. The hyperkinetic sax manipulation of John Coltrane, the downhome stomp of Charles Mingus, and the psychedelic mind-benders of Sun Ra broke from the pack as punkish “piss offs” to the musical establishment. Then there was Miles Davis, the otherworldly trumpeter and band leader whose musical experiments would turn into entire genres. From the chill sound of the Birth of the Cool era, to his far-out fusion efforts of the 1970s, Miles was on the edge. He was a prime mover of creativity, developing new means of expression like how Mondrian abandoned landscapes for squares or Radiohead created a chasm between Pablo Honey and Kid A.

Tonight, the Hollywood Bowl presents Miles Davis / Gil Evans: Still Ahead, a look back at Davis' collaboration with arranger Gil Evans, with whom he created (among others) Miles Ahead (1957) and Sketches of Spain (1960). The phenomenal players include Jimmy Cobb, who played on Davis and Evans's records, the virtuoso bassist Christian McBride, and Gil Evan's son, Miles, as musical director.

Since it will be a great night of listening, we recommend the $1 seats, and a picnic of proscuitto-wrapped figs, a bottle of Chimay, and some Funyans. Enjoy the ghost of Miles Davis.

Here are some artists who sampled Miles Davis:

From Bitches Brew:

From “Night in Tunisia:”

From “Back Satin:”

From “Bess, You is My Woman Now”

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