Miles Davis Footprints Essay

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“Footprints” is a Jazz standard, greatly popularized by the Miles Davis Quintet. Originally composed by Wayne Shorter and released on an album of his own in 1966, the composition was quickly arranged by Miles Davis for his own group in the same year. Though still featuring Shorter on tenor sax and Herbie Hancock on piano, Miles’ quintet of two years brings a new light to the song, featuring a faster tempo with the switch to Ron Carter on bass, Tony Williams on drums, and the addition of a trumpet part played by Miles himself.
The performance demonstrates the variety of the flexible-but-not-quite-free post-bop genre with an intensity on modal jazz- something that had pioneered by Miles and was a staple of the 50s and 60s. Each player displays strong influences of modal jazz, avant-garde, and free jazz without completely submitting to any solid genre. The forms and tempos are much more free and open than more common jazz …show more content…

Both songs begin similar in style and tone, but “Resolution” begins with an extensive tenor sax solo by Coltrane himself, and “Footprints” enters with a 30 second duet by Miles and Shorter. Only then does Miles begin his own solo. This trend continues, with “Resolution” bearing multiple lengthy solos only tied together near the end, and “Footprints” featuring group performances followed by short solos. Unlike “Footprints,” “Resolution” also features a steady time signature.
There can be no doubt of the historical impact of the Miles Davis Quintet and this piece. “Footprints” introduced an extraordinary amount of new, revolutionary ideas and techniques to the jazz scene, and with the quintet’s performance it helped popularize a growing genre that would later inspire one of the most popular genres- jazz fusion. The song itself has become a Jazz standard and thus widely recognized and played by many to this

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