Talk about fertile. The famed jazz trumpeter's contribution to American music is so immense that his career can be broken down in several stages. Miles perpetually changed his groups, which in turn amended his sound, too. From his early work with bebop genius Charlie Parker to his profound jazz-rock experiments, Davis created what some consider jazz's greatest body of work. In honor of Black History Month, here are 10 titles no home should be without.

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  1. Birth of the Cool (1949)

Rehearsing in a New York apartment, the still-somewhat-unknown trumpeter connected with arranger Gil Evans and like-minded pals, making music that brought a debonair feel to bebop's fierce jitters. The nine-piece ensemble left room for solos, but its ultimate contribution was a keenly influential group sound.

 

2. Workin' With the Miles Davis Quintet (1956)

This record from the mid-50s finds Miles playing jazz jazz, meaning a five-person group applies a blues-laced lingo to romantic standards, bop chestnuts, and smart originals. Working together, some of the era's best musicians made the jazz world turn its head. But perhaps the real star is the Harmon mute that gave the trumpeter's horn such a bittersweet sound.

 

3. Sketches of Spain (1957)

His recent Porgy and Bess collaboration with old pal Gil Evans was so well received that Miles went back for more. Though never the most technically gifted trumpeter on the scene, he had an extraordinary expressionistic sense, and as he applies his horn to the arranger's gorgeous flamenco moods, he shows just how deeply emotional jazz can be.

 

4. Milestones (1958)

What Miles lacked in traditional chops he made up for with emotional eloquence. Here's where both worlds united. He blasts through "Dr Jackyl" and "Two Bass Hit," crackling with enough authority to silence those who said his playing lacked technical command. And his lines on "Milestones" let you know he could blow kisses any time he wanted to.

 

  5. Kind of Blue (1959)

At first it seems to be a dream. The best-selling jazz disc of all time has a fanciful vibe, moving from piece to piece on whispery grooves and cracked-note poignancy that explain the bittersweet side of romance and the gentle side of the blues. Though mildly ethereal, it explains itself by banking on focus and craft. One of jazz's most literally marvelous albums.

   

6. Live at the Plugged Nickel (1965)

Davis led two "classic quintets"; the first with John Coltrane and Philly Joe Jones in the in the '50s and the second with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams in the '60s. The later made a string of terrific studio discs, but their on-stage work was simply incredible. Much of the telepathic magic is captured on this six-disc set recorded in a tiny Chicago bar.  

 

7. In A Silent Way (1969)

Inventing a modern way to express what was once deemed a ballad vibe, Miles has his crew -- including keyboardists Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, and Herbie Hancock -- peck and drone in a gently tumbling forward motion. He decorates the action with a little heartbreaking filigree, and as two extended (though studio-edited) jams drift by, one of jazz's most actively pastoral records proclaims itself.

 

8. Bitches Brew (1969)

Searching for a pop audience and knocked out by the rhythms he heard in mainstream R&B, Davis went searching for a sound that could accommodate the intellect of jazz improvisation with the grooves of African-American music. He came up with jazz-rock cornerstone that's moody, intimidating, clever, colorful, and groundbreaking.

 

9. On the Corner (1972)

All broken glass and turned-over trash cans, the thick funk that defined this 1972 rhythmic masterwork squeezed African drum choirs and strip-club bump 'n' grind for their essence. Both perpetually challenging and instantly delightful, it's wildly textural: expect freak-out guitar, wah-wah trumpet, and some very nasty bass lines define the turf.

 

10. Pangaea (1975)

Like its twin Agharta, it's a double CD recorded live in Japan right before Davis began his five-year hiatus from performing. And like Agharta, it's a holy terror of inverted funk, space rock, and groove jams. There are no tunes, per se -- just the fiercely vital interaction of a guitar-heavy crew that scared away many of the trumpeter's older fans while enticing newcomers from the rock community. Submit to its powers and it will be on your CD player forever.

Watch Miles Davis videos in our "List of Legends" video playlist!