SMOKE Jazz Club presents the Miles Davis Celebration Festival, from May 28 through June 8.
Over these two weeks, two remarkable bands pay tribute to the music and legacy of the late trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis, a towering figure in jazz who influence continues to shape the music.
Coinciding with his May 26th birthday and on the cusp of his centennial year in 2026, these groups reflect the depth and evolution of Miles Davis’ impact through repertoire associated with him and original works shaped by his influence.
Legendary trumpeter and educator Dr. Eddie Henderson and pianist and composer George Cables, who will be part of the first week of performances, joined WBGO's Doug Doyle to talk about the special event. Both jazz giants were born in New York City and were deeply impacted by the music of Miles Davis.
Henderson met Miles when he was 17.
"I had heard of Miles Davis' name, but in terms of his music, I was really too young at that time for it to really register in my soul. When I was a junior in high school, my step-father was Miles' doctor and also the doctor to many famous jazz musicians like Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and on and on. So when I came home from either basketball practice or my trumpet lesson in 1957-58, Miles was staying at the house for two weeks for that engagement at the famous Black Hawk Club. So when I walked in the door, there was Miles Davis. I had heard his records and would practice them by ear but I really didn't know about chord changes at that time, but I could play the trumpet. That night he took me in his car to see the band. In his band was John Coltrane, "Cannonball" Adderley, Philly Joe Jones, Wyton Kelly and Paul Chambers. Bang! The light went on in my head and I thought to myself that's want I do for the rest of my life."
Dr. Henderson says he tells his college students there is one thing that separates the greats from other performers.
"The most important thing I bring up to students is that if you study the history of music, all the people that have stood out like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole, it's their sound that stands out from the crowd. It's not about how many notes they can play or how high they can play, that's the thing that touches people. It's their unique sound and that becomes the signature of who they are. I tell my students to listen to themselves because you don't want to be a clone musician."
Meanwhile, pianist and composer George Cables first heard the iconic trumpeter play on the Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet recording.
"What was probably the most impactful recording in my formative years was the My Funny Valentine: Miles Davis in Concert at Philharmonic Hall (George Coleman - (tenor sax) Herbie Hancock - (piano) Ron Carter - (bass) Tony Williams - (drums). The way things were held together on that recording was just like magic. That's one thing about Miles. He allowed people who worked with him to be themselves. He was basically the captain of the ship."
Cables is looking forward to the Miles Davis Celebration Festival.
"I love playing at SMOKE. I really enjoy playing with Eddie (Henderson). We go back quite a ways. I also love the music that Miles Davis played."
The first week of the Miles Davis Celebration Festival at SMOKE Jazz Club in NYC features a powerhouse acoustic quintet with Henderson, Cables along with tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, bassist Peter Washington and drummers Billy Hart (Wednesday and Thursday) and Bill Stewart (Friday through Sunday).
The second week of the Miles Davis Celebration Festival will be a bold, forward-leaning sextet with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, vibraphonist Joel Ross, guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Vincente Archer and drummer Marcus Gilmore.
