Last week, the Jazz Legacy Project (JLP) musicians brought to life the music and times of legendary jazz performer Miles Davis at Festival Hall.
Drummer and narrator Justin Varnes was once again joined by pianist Nic Rosen, saxophonist John Sandfort, and bassist Kenneth Smith, with special guest star Mark Rapp on trumpet.
Born May 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois, Miles Dewey Davis III became one of the most influential musicians of the jazz era and music of the 20th Century. He began his professional career in the mid-1940s after dropping out of The Juilliard School in New York to become a professional saxophone player as a member of Charlie Parker’s bebop quintet. In addition to his signature trumpet and sax, Davis became skilled on the flugelhorn, cornet, piano, and electric organ.
Throughout more than four decades as a professional musician, Davis received 32 Grammy nominations, winning eight Grammy Awards. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was inducted in 2006 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a key figure in the history of jazz, and is considered one of the most influential and innovative musicians of all time.
Davis died in 1991 from the effects of a stroke, pneumonia, and respiratory failure.
The next Jazz Legacy Project performance is scheduled for Aug. 14, again at Festival Hall, featuring the music and times of Ray Charles.
Each JLP presentation does not attempt to recreate the featured musician’s songs as a tribute band, but to interpret them and tell the story of the performer and what went into the writing and making of his or her music.
For tickets or more information, visit festivalhallga.com.