Miles Davis: the greatest prog artist of all-time?

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   I voted for both Maybe.* and *His music certainly pushed boundaries that led to prog. Both true in a sense. But Miles can't be reduced to a label like prog. As both a once in a generation* kind of genius and a unsympathetic douche, he is supposed to have said while as a guest at the white house:  

"Few of the guests appeared to know who he was. During dinner, Nancy Reagan turned to him and asked what he'd done with his life to merit an invitation. Well, I've changed the course of music five or six times. What have you done except f**k the president?"

*except that in his generation of artists there were many

Poll Question: Is Miles Davis the greatest prog artist of all-time?
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Yes, of course.	1	[2.00%]
Maybe.*	3	[6.00%]
Not as great as Mikael Åkerfeldt.	0	[0.00%]
No. There are other prog artists better.	1	[2.00%]
Not as great as Tim Smith.	0	[0.00%]
No. He's not even prog.	25	[50.00%]
Not as great as Mark Hollis.	1	[2.00%]
*His music certainly pushed boundaries that led to prog.	6	[12.00%]
Go away, Drew. Let it die.	1	[2.00%]
Not as great as Allan Holdsworth.	1	[2.00%]
Boring! Don't care! Stop bothering me!	1	[2.00%]
No. Miles was a tool, a conduit, and a thief.	0	[0.00%]
Not as great as Steven Wilson.	0	[0.00%]
Dylan was never prog!	1	[2.00%]
Only on Saturday nights, with his back to the audience.	1	[2.00%]
Not as great as Neal Peart.	2	[4.00%]
Only in New York City and France.	2	[4.00%]
Not as great as Jimi.	0	[0.00%]
Only on Kind of Blue.	0	[0.00%]
Not as great as _______________.	4	[8.00%]
You can not vote in this poll

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Saperlipopette! Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: December 20 2010 Location: Tomorrowland Status: Offline Points: 11621	Post Options Post Reply Quote Saperlipopette! Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 24 2024 at 01:18
	I voted for both Maybe.* and His music certainly pushed boundaries that led to prog. Both true in a sense. But Miles can't be reduced to a label like prog. As both a once in a generation kind of genius and a unsympathetic douche, he is supposed to have said while as a guest at the white house: "Few of the guests appeared to know who he was. During dinner, Nancy Reagan turned to him and asked what he'd done with his life to merit an invitation. Well, I've changed the course of music five or six times. What have you done except fk the president?" *except that in his generation of artists there were many

richardh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28029	Post Options Post Reply Quote richardh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 24 2024 at 21:22
	Not a prog artist and not as great as Keith Emerson!

chopper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 13 2005 Location: Essex, UK Status: Offline Points: 20030	Post Options Post Reply Quote chopper Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 04:02
	A legend of music but clearly a jazz musician. Certainly progressive in his field but not prog - there's a difference.

Disconnect Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 02 2007 Location: Syracuse, NY Status: Offline Points: 280	Post Options Post Reply Quote Disconnect Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 06:14
	Influential? Check. Ability to consistently surround himself with the finest players? Check. Great songwriter/arranger? Highly debatable. It's well-documented he would take compositions by his band members and literally change one or two chord movements....then claim it was entirely his work. Greatest artist of all time? Um....how could someone who was never among the best trumpet/cornet players (his own instrument) be in the running for greatest artist of all time? I could name at least a dozen trumpet/cornet players who were/are far superior to him in terms of technique. He had his own style, for sure. He was more known for NOT playing notes than playing notes when compared to contemporaries. Overrated? No. Despite my above comments, I do love Miles' work. But I'm able to regard him objectively because I happen to carry around a huge amount of useless knowledge relating to the history and evolution of jazz in my head.

Grumpyprogfan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: July 09 2019 Location: Kansas City Status: Offline Points: 11609	Post Options Post Reply Quote Grumpyprogfan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 07:06
	^Most excellent post.

mellotronwave Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 30 2021 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 10019	Post Options Post Reply Quote mellotronwave Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 08:19
	Definitely not indeed ! Nevertheless being a prog fan does not prevent you (me, us) from appreciating all or part of the his huge work (because that’s what it comes back to) by Miles Davis!

Floydoid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: April 02 2007 Location: Planet Prog Status: Offline Points: 1524	Post Options Post Reply Quote Floydoid Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 09:38
	Nope, not prog rock by any stretch of the imagination.
	'We're going to need a bigger swear jar.'

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Status: Online Points: 35810	Post Options Post Reply Quote Logan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 10:13
	Really love various Miles Davis albums, a personal fave, and while I support his "electric Miles" period albums in Prog Archives JR/F category, I do not consider him to be "Prog". Recognising this is for fun, I don't know which poll options would come closest. Lots of albums I love, but I don't think he's the genius some do (and he could be very full of himself) and it was those he collaborated that did bring so much as mentioned. I was in youth orchestra as a trumpeter, and while I do not seem as some kind of virtuoso, his style works for the music. Since Keith Emerson was mentioned as greater, who I think does get overrated by some too, to me he would be better compared to Davis collaborator Gil Evans I think, and I do think that Gil Evans is greater than Emerson in music generally.
	Duos for fave acts

Moonshake Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 16 2022 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 890	Post Options Post Reply Quote Moonshake Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 15:37
	No. He's not even prog.

Lewian Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: August 09 2015 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14728	Post Options Post Reply Quote Lewian Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 25 2024 at 15:56
	Miles is great enough that I wouldn't say anyone is clearly greater than him (even though mostly not prog), but I do like that Tim Smith and Mark Hollis are named in this poll. As a compromise I voted for New York City and France. Also he is in fact not as great as ____________, but who is?! Edited by Lewian - November 25 2024 at 15:57

Steve Wyzard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 30 2017 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 2583	Post Options Post Reply Quote Steve Wyzard Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 3 hours 48 minutes ago at 11:04
	I personally do not consider Miles Davis (or jazz fusion, for that matter) to be prog. I'm one of those folks who thinks fusion belongs only on Jazz Music Archives, but I do understand that there is crossover between the two genres because of people like Allan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin. As far as my feelings about the music of Miles Davis, this list of my 10 favorite Miles albums (taking into account that I haven't heard anywhere close to everything he ever recorded, nor does it all interest me) will tell you everything you need to know: 1. In a Silent Way (1969) 2. Filles de Kilimanjaro (1969) 3. Nefertiti (1968) 4. Miles in the Sky (1968) 5. Miles Smiles (1967) 6. Live in Europe, 1967 (2011) 7. Aura (1989) 8. Miles in Tokyo (1969) 9. Jazz at the Plaza (1973) 10. Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (2007)

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Status: Online Points: 35810	Post Options Post Reply Quote Logan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 2 hours 12 minutes ago at 12:40
	My top 10 could be something like: 1. Big Fun (1974) 2. Get Up With It (1974) 3. In a Silent Way (1969) 4. Circle in the Round (archival compilation) 5. Sketches of Spain (1960) 6. Bitches Brew (1970) 7. Dark Magus (1977) 8. Agharta and Pangea (1975) 9, Live Evil (1971) 10. Filles de Kilimanjaro (1969) ----------------- While I would not consider Miles Davis to be Prog, I was happy to see his "electric Miles" period be considered for PA (especially 1969 to 1974). I do support having JR/F in PA, and there is much overlap with Progressive Rock and Jazz-Rock, Jazz Fusion (and of course with Canterbury Scene acts like Soft Machine, various Krautrock etc.) Basically I would think that JRF "was made" for some like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and Weather Report. Embryo is a favourite band of mine in JRF here. I would rather see more progressive music and styles be embraced than less. It's partially thanks to having ones like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock being discussed for PA inclusion and added that I really fell for them. I was especially obsessed with Hancock's Mwandishi trilogy and related albums at one time.
	Duos for fave acts

Catcher10 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: December 23 2009 Location: Emerald City Status: Offline Points: 17847	Post Options Post Reply Quote Catcher10 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 1 hour 10 minutes ago at 13:42
	The dude was legit and created so much influence in almost all other genres of music. He's not the "greatest", I don't even know what that means. But I'm a hard Maybe* (what's the * for?). And yes Dylan was never prog, that's ridiculous!