Was Miles Davis really that rude?
The journey to perfection is never easy. It demands strict diets, rigid schedules, and, according to some, an equally strict attitude. Few embodied this notion more than the legendary jazz musician Miles Davis—renowned not only for his groundbreaking artistry but also for being one of the music industry’s rudest figures.
Despite the constant negative reviews and speculations about his attitude, one thing about Davis is that he was never afraid to bite back. “I don’t pay no attention to what critics say about me, the good or the bad. The toughest critic I got is myself…and I’m too vain to play anything I think is bad,” he said.
Fuelled by the power of rhythm and blues, Davis has come to be one of jazz music’s most influential trumpeters in the game. Over the years, he has collaborated with some of the biggest names in jazz, including John Coltrane and Gil Evans.
Even with artist features under his belt, this didn’t stop the industry from speculating on his ‘rude’ and unworkable attitude. Due to his high demand and high expectations, Davis had been a highlight in jazz music throughout his career. Not the modest type; it’s with his slightly superior complex attitude that the trumpeter has experienced negative reviews about his ‘rude’ nature.
“In high school, I was best in music class on the trumpet, but the prizes went to the boys with blue eyes. I made up my mind to outdo anybody white on my horn,” he said boastfully in a 1962 interview with Playboy.
That being said, in a world of jazz and blues, many of the greats have been cited as ‘rude’ and ‘ill-tempered’. Famously, James Brown, despite being labelled as one of the hardest-working people in show business, was also criticised for his cutthroat attitude about his rules on stage. It was said that band members were often threatened to have portions chopped off their pay if they dared miss a beat or played the wrong parts.
Many of the greats have been relentlessly questioned and penalised for their ‘rudeness’, but it’s hard to know for certain if this was ever the case. In Davis’ situation, he appeared to be a headstrong, classically trained musician with a clear vision of how he wanted to sound and how he wanted to be conveyed. Mistakes weren’t his friend, nor were many people. Working mostly as a loner, Davis’ cutthroat honesty often came as a target to the people he encountered. His bluntness felt hurtful, even if he was just being his true authentic self.
Addressing the rumours with Playboy, Davis cuts to the chase: “Why is it that people just have to have so much to say about me? It bugs me because I’m not that important. Some critic that didn’t have nothing else to do started this crap about I don’t announce numbers, I don’t look at the audience, I don’t bow or talk to people, I walk off the stage, and all that. Look, man, all I am is a trumpet player. I only can do one thing — play my horn — and that’s what’s at the bottom of the whole mess. I ain’t no entertainer and ain’t trying to be one. I am one thing: a musician. Most of what’s said about me is lies in the first place. Everything I do, I got a reason.”
A passionate trumpeter with an ear for the exceptional, Davis was a one-off talent. Much like most jazz artists at the time, having an ‘attitude’ was somewhat a part of the package you needed if you wanted to be seen as one of the greats.
Is it rude to not care about a critic’s voice? Is it rude to stand up for the music you love? Or is it rude to be particular about the music you’re creating? Unlike any other genre, jazz has quite a particular audience, and it’s with artists like Davis that the words ‘good’ and ‘great’ don’t quite suffice for a jazz performance. Listed as one of the five geniuses in American music, is it fair to say that Davis was ‘rude’ or was he just another exceptional jazz musician that the music industry couldn’t handle?
