How would you describe Miles Davis trumpet sound?

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Some adjectives/descriptions I can come up with: detached, clear, cold, into the heart of things, vulnerable, direct, honest, immediate, like shooting heroine (just an idea i have no experience in this).

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

"trumpet-y"

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

the tickle between your teeth and upper lip... no wait, that's my experience trying to play trumpet.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

small

― Sean M (Sean M), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I think no matter if he's playing soft, loud, muted or not, I would describe his tone as:

knowing, cool, burdened, proud

― dleone (dleone), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Bright, tainted, ferocious, sharp, cutting, (yet other times) pillowy, engulfing.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Simultaneously angellic and demonic.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I would also say "piquant".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

With a hint of lime.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

deliberate, vocal, confident/vulnerable, and human

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

bent

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:40 (twenty-one years ago)

horny

― pet from the street, Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Provides thrumming feeling of seduction, yet as cool as ice.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

jordan otm

― Sean M (Sean M), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:43 (twenty-one years ago)

curt

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 22:00 (twenty-one years ago)

penetrating and dry

― strhrh, Tuesday, 25 November 2003 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

the soft sound of disdain

― bahtology, Tuesday, 25 November 2003 23:34 (twenty-one years ago)

On about 80% of his recordings, "muted" (literally).

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

crunk

― Aaron A., Wednesday, 26 November 2003 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

twee!!

― jones (actual), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 00:28 (twenty-one years ago)

"Pinched" w/ the mute.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Thin, muted, suspicious/wary/observant, precise, occasionally buzzy

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 01:03 (twenty-one years ago)

coke-addled, but in a good way

― Christian Rawk (Christian Rawk), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 01:40 (twenty-one years ago)

shit-hot

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 01:44 (twenty-one years ago)

alternately: cool as fuck.

either way, I think an expletive is in order.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

in that, case, THE SHIT

― fgxjih, Wednesday, 26 November 2003 02:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Doo-de-doo-de-doo-de-doo

― Sasha (sgh), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

corky

― Speedy Gonzalas (Speedy Gonzalas), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 07:41 (twenty-one years ago)

historic

― Dock Miles (Dock Miles), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 07:45 (twenty-one years ago)

alternately punctuated and languid.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 10:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Distant.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Succulent. Surreal. More real than real. Animalistic. Alien. Heavy like a brick truck.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Like tapping the ash off a half-smoked cigarette.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 26 November 2003 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

No no no, Marcello - like allowing the ash to grow so long that gravity wins and drags it earthwards.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Miles would be too busy playing to tap ash.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 14:45 (twenty-one years ago)

"Imagine playin' in space. Man, that would be somethin'. There ain't no gravity up there. You couldn't have no downbeat" (Miles, 1985).

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 26 November 2003 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Fucking wicked!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Trousers

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

What about his organ playing? On certain tracks of "Get Up With It", it's truly sublime and right at the centre: "He Loved Him Madly" and the second track particularly. Can't think that I could adequately describe how it sounds... his trumpet, that interjects some way into "HLHM" IIRC is at its most cutting yet floating. It pierces the strange, grief-stricken ambience of the track and yet seems simultaneous to be one with the tense calm of the track... I really haven't got to the bottom of how he uses it yet; will take many more listens.

― Tom May (Tom May), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

the "roar" of a lion kitten exposed on the moon.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

five years pass...

foggy, misty, out of the blue, a beacon of light in the distance, the sound of a supernova exploding into space

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 25 May 2009 12:20 (sixteen years ago)

damn, that guy sure knows how to mute a trumpet

― messiahwannabe, Monday, 25 May 2009 12:41 (sixteen years ago)

warmly cool

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Monday, 25 May 2009 14:08 (sixteen years ago)

late-night phone call from an ex

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Monday, 25 May 2009 14:10 (sixteen years ago)

a glass of brunello

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Monday, 25 May 2009 14:14 (sixteen years ago)

so glad i'm not the only person who immediately thought "trumpet-y" when seeing the thread title

― da croupier, Monday, 25 May 2009 14:17 (sixteen years ago)

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