Ode to Miles Davis
My first true encounter with Miles Davis came vividly to life during college. As a student member at SF JAZZ, I found myself drawn to a concert where their in-house band performed In a Silent Way and Sly and the Family Stone’s Stand!—and had no idea I was about to embark on a spiritual journey. Sitting in the box theater on Halloween night, I quickly noticed that my friend and I were the youngest by at least thirty years. “What the hell am I doing here?” I remember thinking.
But as soon as the band began their rendition of Miles’s album, all my doubt faded. In a Silent Way pulled me in, speaking directly to the part of me that rejects conformity. Each musician added to the intricate tapestry of Miles’s work, creating a glimpse into a precise yet chaotic machine. The performance felt liberating, exhilarating, and profoundly beautiful—a high I can only describe as spiritual. After the show, my friend and I sat there, still awestruck by the beauty we’d experienced.
Miles’s music grants me a sense of freedom, even without lyrics. This transcendent approach to sound was entirely new to me, despite my lifelong obsession with all genres and early jazz training. That night, my relationship with authenticity and art transformed. Miles’s music—the way it embraces complexity and defies conformity—made me feel seen. Witnessing an artist express themselves purely permits others to embrace their unique expression.
With this playlist, “Electric Miles,” I honor his electric, psychedelic era and the influences that helped transform him during this period. It’s a tribute to the energy of Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way, and On the Corner, and a nod to the muse behind much of his work at the time, Betty Davis (the OG baddest bitch in my book!). As well as nods to Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, pioneers of sound and you can hear their influence in the electric period. These tracks capture the innovation, experimentation, and liberation of Davis’s transformative period. Artists like Miles, who push boundaries and refuse to be boxed in, give us all permission to do the same. I hope you enjoy this musical journey as much as I have.
Xoxo,
Kel
