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The Australian Art Orchestra, led by Paul Grabowsky, is performing 'Prince of Darkness - A Tribute to Miles Davis'. The performance is on Thursday March 15 at the Adelaide Town Hall.

Taking inspiration from the legendary man, the night is filled with his seminal works, including a performance of the original Gil Evans arrangement of Sketches of Spain (Concierto de Aranjuez), featuring Phil Slater.  The second half is a work commissioned from Anthony Pateras looking at how Miles may have been composing were he still alive today.

This show involves the entire 20 piece Australian Art Orchestra. 

If you're in Adelaide in March and would like a double pass to this performance, take a listen to our interview with Paul Grabowsky (above). When he describes the second half of the show he poses the question "How has Miles influenced the music of our time."  In a short paragraph, tell us how you think Miles has influenced modern jazz. 

The most creative five entries as judged by ABC Jazz win the double passes.

This competition has now closed.

For more information on the performance, go to the Official Adelaide Festival site.

The winners are:

Kym Gallman  
Miles Davis has influenced modern jazz in a way that encourages musicians and composers alike, to open their minds up to stepping outside the traditional progression of a piece of jazz music, and taking the song in a completely unpredictable direction, which catches the audience by surprise and therefore creates an element of excitement to hear what will come next.

Tom Morris  
He opened the door to a new corridor of musical forms, spread the contents of those forms before us and dared us to keep searching, innovating and trusting our emotions.

Peter Johnson 
Amazing virtuosity early on, an then came the seminal Bitches Brew . an amazing departure from then current jazz. I still have, and play my vinyl LP from so long ago, and it's still fresh and exciting, and unnerving. He showed others there are few boundaries, without losing sight of the sense of  "jazz".

John Beedham 
To quote others Miles is the Piscasso of modern music. Miles turned things upside down, Miles borrowed, reinvented and was influenced by his mentors, to produce a jazz sound that was distinctive, was beautiful, was harsh and that used space and silence as no other. The sounds that he created grabbed your attention, could not be ignored and was emulated by so many. Almost every great jazz master of today started as a young person in one of Miles' bands. His influence on and  through these musicians snowballed until he became one of the greatest influences on the music of our time in any genre. Look where he started - with Bird, New York, 52nd st, mid 1940's - I dream of being there everytime I hear the beautiful sound of Miles' trumpet. He is the Man.

Michael Findlay 
Miles influenced modern jazz by innovating in a wide range of styles from Beebop to West Coast acid rock. In doing this he kept his music alive and unique. He played with many other musicians, carrying them with him in moving from sparseness of style to more textured later works and then indulging in rhythmic freedoms and electronic sound.

Feature Type: 

• Competition

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• Miles Davis
• Australian Art Orchestra
• Paul Grabowsky

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