Miles Davis and John Coltrane

Miles Davis and John Coltrane are both legends in the world of Jazz. The former was the mentor of the latter. They both have a scattered sound and use dissonance in their composition. The music sounds jumbled together in nonsense, yet it all works and is actually enjoyable. A good example would be Miles Davis’s Spanish Key on Bitches Brew. A horn instrument is normally always the main instrument in both Davis and Coltrane’s music. Many of their songs are similar as well. For example, I think Coltrane’s “Equinox” is also very similar to Davis’s “Flamenco Sketches (Alternative Take)”. Also, John Coltrane’s performance of “Afro-Blue” in 1963 sounds very similar to Davis’s “Freddie Freeloader” on Kind of Blue. Both songs have a competing feel to it, almost as if all the instruments are competing against one another to have their voice heard. However, in Coltrane’s “The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit”, the music is so disjointed it is annoying and I have to skip through it. At some points in the song, seven minutes in for instance, it sounds as though a donkey is dying. The end of the song is the death of the donkey. I prefer softer ballads, such as Coltrane’s collaboration with Duke Ellington in “In a Sentimental Mood”, just lovely.  Although Miles Davis accomplished more than John Coltrane did in volume and extent of his work, I believe Coltrane would have been just a big of musical force that Davis was, if he had not passes away so early.