Here's one for Miles

No there's no cartoon for Miles Davis. After the horrible one for Woody Allen... which by all rights I should remove but don't want to because of sheer laziness... I don't want to insult anymore of my mentors.

Anyway, as some people might be aware, especially my Chilean friend (Hola Luis!) (I think they say Hola... i have no idea.) who told me about it, today is Miles Davis' Fifteenth Death Anniversary.

I just wanted to say how much I'm grateful that this man lived. He'll never know the impact he's left on my life and countless other lives since his death but this just needs to be noted. Miles Davis helped me to discover jazz and opened my eyes to a new form of music and a whole new way to look at the world.

My earliest introduction to jazz came at the late age of 16. I was watching The Talented Mr. Ripley. The first jazz song that blew my mind was actually Matt Damon's version of Chet Baker's version of My Funny Valentine. The music of that film just gave me new possibilities in music that I hadn't even considered. Before this the only exposure I had to jazz was the soundtracks of old movies from the 40s or Indian Cinema from the 1960s which ripped-off that music off the soundtracks of old movies from the 40s.

A few months later I was seeing some movie at a mall somewhere and to kill time I went to a record shop and started a'browsin. After perusing through the countless metal bands I somehow drifted over to the jazz section where I came across a tape aptly named Miles Davis' Greatest Hits. Now everyone's heard OF Miles Davis. I doubt there's anyone who listens to American Music who hasn't heard OF Miles Davis. And sure enough I'd heard of the cat. I knew there had to be something about the guy to warrant him having such a reputation, so i bought the album along with two other tapes from guy's who at the time I'd never even heard of. Two guys named George Benson and Al Dimeola. I'd learn more about these guys later on.

As soon as I got into my car I dropped the tape into my cassette player. The first song to play in that compilation was Seven Steps to Heaven. And it was.

The next track was All Blues. This was just amazing. It's getting dark on the roads of Delhi and this song plays. This is one of my favourite aspects of jazz. It's just fits in with your life so easily. It's synonymous with the night and creates a sense of electricity in the air. With jazz playing at night while driving the entire world seems open to you. I get transported to a world with vintage cars, men wearing coats and fedora hats, headlights on a rain soaked highway, the earthy smell of fresh rain, the taste of that first sip of beer after a long dry spell, it's pure electricity pulsating through my body.

Track after track Miles Davis took me on an amazing journey through a world of music I'd never explored before. People say that jazz is a genre of music that's really hard to get into. I never really got that. Sure it's a vast genre with literally hundreds of thousands of great musicians who most people will never really hear but there's a reason why some people like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie and so many others are regarded as masters. Start with these people and work your way into this genre and your life will be enriched by some of the most dazzling music ever created. It's not that hard, all you have to do is take that first step. Then it's like taking a walk around the park with the greats of the genre guiding you to seek out more great musicians to listen to.

For Miles Davis' Fifteenth Year Anniversary I wanted to say Thank you. Thank you Mr. Davis for enriching my life with your beautiful music. Thank you for guiding me to discover a wonderful genre that has shaped me into becoming the person I am today.

Thank you.