Marcus Brigstocke: “Miles Davis changed the course of music at least 3 times”

by

May 26th marks the 100th birthday of Miles Davis, and celebrations are planned across multiple platforms to honor this incredibly influential musician. You can find special programming not just on Jazz FM, but also on BBC Radio 3, Radio 4, and the One Jazz online station. Comedian Marcus Brigstocke will even explore Davis’s far-reaching impact on music with a dedicated episode of his “Jazz Family Trees” show on Jazz FM.

As a total jazz head, I’ve always been blown away by Miles Davis. People call him the ‘Picasso of Jazz,’ and for good reason! From the ’40s until he passed away in ’91, he was constantly pushing boundaries – basically inventing styles like bebop and ‘cool’ jazz, then moving into hard bop and even jazz-rock fusion. And the musicians he played with? Seriously incredible – Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock… even surprising collaborations with artists like Scritti Politti and Prince. He really did it all.

Brigstocke, who initially discovered Miles Davis through hip-hop, explains, “He fundamentally reshaped music on at least three occasions.” He recalls a friend giving him Davis’s album Doo-Bop, a collaboration with producer Easy Mo Bee made near the end of Davis’s life. “I was immediately impressed,” Brigstocke says. “I already knew jazz influenced a lot of hip-hop sampling, but that album really helped me understand the connection.” He jokingly admits, “It took me a while to fully appreciate jazz – I’d tell people I loved it for about ten years, even though I wasn’t actually listening to it myself!”

These days, jazz is the main music played at home, according to Brigstocke. He explains that as he gets older, he appreciates music you can really lose yourself in – much like his other passion, judging cheese internationally. He loves being able to fully explore the world of cheese, and jazz offers that same immersive experience. He especially enjoyed the detailed liner notes on classic 1950s and 60s albums – the essays about the artists and the reasoning behind the track selections. He finds that kind of in-depth information really appealing.

Davis considers his definitive track to be his rendition of the classic show tune “It Never Entered My Mind,” describing it as utterly captivating. His favorite album is Miles Davis’s 1959 album, Kind of Blue. While some jazz experts might overlook it, he believes its broad appeal and enduring popularity – selling millions of copies across genres – prove its perfection. He says he’s never listened to it without finding something new to appreciate.

Miles Davis was a complex and troubled man. He struggled with substance abuse and was known to be physically abusive towards women. Like many other talented jazz musicians, he also faced significant racial discrimination throughout his life. One particularly disturbing incident, recalled by Brigstocke, involved Davis being brutally attacked by a racist police officer outside the Birdland club in New York in 1959, leaving him unconscious. While a difficult story, this event sheds light on the source of his anger and the struggles faced by many musicians of his generation.

Miles Davis is widely considered the most important jazz musician ever, and his impact is still felt today, both within jazz and beyond. According to Brigstocke, Davis created a lasting model for the genre, particularly regarding mentorship – something groups like Ezra Collective now embrace. He was also a relentless innovator, always challenging himself and refusing to simply give audiences what they expected. Brigstocke believes this approach, later seen in artists like David Bowie, originated with Davis’s artistic philosophy.

According to Brigstocke, Miles Davis’s influence extended beyond music to areas like fashion – he was known for his striking appearance – and even inspired at least one British comedian. Davis famously said, or at least this is how it’s often remembered: it’s not about playing a ‘wrong’ note, but about how you respond to it.

I apply that mindset to my comedy writing. I believe you can try anything, and it’s all about refining your work until it connects with the audience. That approach really comes from Miles.

Authors

Graeme Thompson

Read More

2026-05-18 19:46