“That’s it”: how Miles Davis inspired Alan Vega’s entire career
You might not realise it at first, but jazz is present in virtually all forms of modern music. Rock music, in particular, is endlessly indebted to the defiant inventiveness of the jazz movement, which emerged from New Orleans in the late 19th century. Many rock stars have been quick to turn their nose up at jazz, but not Alan Vega. Throughout his diverse discography, the Suicide songwriter explored a countless array of genres and musical themes, but jazz always remained incredibly close to his heart.
Vega emerged from the underground scene of New York during the 1970s as one-half of the genre-defying outfit Suicide. Although the band were always incredibly diverse in their musical output, their attitude and DIY ethos seemed to reflect the emerging scene of punk rock. Indeed, during their early years, the band would often perform at legendary punk venues like CGBG’s or Max’s Kansas City. In terms of sound, however, Suicide had very little in common with the likes of The Ramones or Richard Hell; they truly were in a league of their own.
That individualistic, independent outlook on music aligned Vega and his partner in crime, Martin Rev, with the jazz stars of the past. After all, no truly great jazz musician adhered to trends or attempted to emulate others; it is a genre driven by inventiveness and originality, much like Suicide. It should come as no real surprise that jazz was a colossal influence on the music and attitude of Alan Vega.
Miles Davis, in particular, was a great love of both Vega and Rev. “I was fooling around with Marty, doing a lot of rehearsals. He loved Miles Davis,” Vega told Bomb Magazine in 2008. Davis’ playing style, however, remained a mystery to the pair. “There was a trumpet laying around. Maybe somebody left it and never came back for it,” he recalled. “Marty said to me one day, ‘I bet if you blow through it, you aren’t going to get a sound at all.’ All right Marty, sure Marty, yeah Marty. I blew through it, and whoosh! Nothing. I was so pissed off.”
Even if Vega did have a natural knack for the trumpet, nobody could play quite like Miles Davis. The Illinois-born jazz icon completely reinvented perceptions of the instrument and always remained steadfast in his ability to experiment with its parameters. Inspired by Davis, Vega chose to continue trying to play the trumpet and his grappling with the instrument often featured in early performances by Suicide.
“It was the best thing to learn how to play that thing,” the songwriter said of his experience attempting to master the trumpet. Furthermore, he claimed that those experiences guided his vocal abilities, too. “People ask me how I learned to sing and protect my voice,” he shared, “I tell them by blowing a brass instrument. It’s the same mechanism.”
Eventually, Vega achieved his trumpet goal. “One day, I got that high note I was striving for,” he said, “Miles got that very high thing that nobody ever achieved, and I did too one day. I almost passed out. And I said, ‘That’s it!’”
Few people know about Alan Vega as a trumpeter; his work with Suicide on seminal tracks like ‘Ghost Rider’ and ‘Frankie Teardrop’ remains his defining work. Nevertheless, his deep-rooted appreciation for jazz stars like Miles Davis and his desire to be able to play the trumpet was key in the musical experience and development of the New York songwriter. Without the enduring influence and attitude of musicians like Davis, Suicide might have sounded very different indeed.
