The goal of great creators is to formulate something that makes the viewer think. If the creator can be interesting enough to spark a thought, then your goal as an artist has been achieved. Ben Alsup argues that the formula for being interesting begins with the aspiration to make the listener create questions. A theory that perfectly explains why Miles Davis' music was significant during the cool era. When Davis says "I'll play it now and then I'll tell you what it is" it leaves you wondering if you understood the whole song before its last note. But the truth is that he most likely didn't care if you understood him or not, it was just a move to keep you focused on the music. This is fantastic. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As a farm boy, Miles dreamed of a big city. And like many other interesting figures, he went to the right place to make a name for himself at the time, New York City. This is significant because the circumstances, time and place in which his work was made influenced his style. Davis' mother insisted that he enroll in the prestigious Juilliard School of Music. But in his autobiography he argues that Juilliard focused too much on European and “white” repertoire. Which gives off the stigma that maybe cool tries hard not to be white. Although he credited the school with improving his technique and his understanding of music theory. The white vibe has become a repetitive theme in his musical career. In his autobiography he also mentions that the presence of white musicians in his group angered some black jazz musicians, but he rejected their criticisms. But why? I took a closer look at why this might have been the case. However, interestingly enough, all of his known influences were African-American. These influences consisted of the infamous Charlie Parker, Max Roach the drummer, Freddie Webster and Dizzy Gillespie who parted ways with Parker's quintet at a time which left room for Davis to replace him. So while he wasn't bothered by white jazz members, he wasn't exactly inspired by them either. So the extent to which jazz is considered cool could be attributed to the idea that jazz isn't very white. However, Miles studied classical music by day and gained experience in the new "bebop" jazz movement with the movement's leaders at night. I chose this image because it exemplifies every quality we have discussed in class that contributes to "cool." The dark clothes fit the handsome description and explain his nickname “The Prince of Darkness”. His facial and body expression exudes a mysterious atmosphere. And mystery is essential to being cool, because you don't want to show any mastery until you're on stage and it's time to show your talent. Looking ordinary adds new characters, and multiple characters increase the realm of beautiful. But what was it about Davis that made him so significant and so influential? According to no better judge than Bob Dylan, Miles was the master of the beautiful. Ashley Kahn, author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, explains that Miles earned his title as the master of cool by “getting noticed in jazz clubs, already dark, already late at night, wearing sunglasses, on the stage, playing three notes of his solo and leaving the stage... That economy of movement, that minimal gesture, this was Miles Davis. Notice how similar Kahn's description is to our class's definition of cool. It's almost identical. The minimal effort shown during difficult actions fits perfectly with our idea of cool. Like any other "cool" musician or artist, Davis.
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