As the nation marks what would have been Miles Davis’ 100th birthday, new music releases, nationwide commemorations, and a planned film are rolling out—while the estate and longtime collaborators keep pushing the legacy beyond a single celebration day.
Miles Davis would have turned 100 this year. For fans, musicians, and the people tasked with protecting his catalog, the milestone is arriving like a release schedule—something tangible that keeps coming, long after the calendar flips.
Davis, who died in 1991, helped define “cool” for modern jazz. His breakthrough came with 1957’s “The Birth of the Cool,” a sound the trumpeter embodied throughout a career that stretched across decades and intersected with some of jazz’s biggest names.
Born May 26. 1926. in Alton. Illinois. Davis later played with Dizzy Gillespie. Charlie Parker. Charlie Mingus. and John Coltrane before. as the story goes. eclipsing them to become the genre’s biggest star. He was known as a sharp dresser and for a raspy voice that he earned after a throat operation—one reason he carried the nickname “Prince of Darkness.”.
Off stage, the legacy is more complicated. His wives have said he was abusive, and Davis battled addiction throughout his life. Yet on stage, Trombone Shorty described him as “a real rock star,” saying, “He was just the coolest; when they say cool, Miles Davis has to be next to that word.”
The centennial is also being treated as business—an ongoing wave of releases timed to the anniversary, plus live programming and new media. New editions of his music and his autobiography are already out, with more planned, and several Davis birthday commemorative events are set across the U.S.
The estate’s leadership is leaning into the scale of the celebration. Vince Wilburn. Jr. the nephew of Davis and the co-executor of the Miles Davis Estate. said. “He’s a brand. and every day should be a celebration of Miles and his music and his legacy.” Wilburn. Jr. a drummer who played and recorded with Davis in the 1980s. also keeps the music legacy moving with MEB (Miles Electric Band). which is on tour beginning June 19 in British Columbia.
Wilburn, Jr. described the flood of attention around the milestone: “Pretty much every day since he passed, people reach out to the family about things,” he said. “And with his 100th birthday, the skies parted.”
Several Davis centennial events and projects are scheduled, including a photo exhibition, multiple discussions, listening parties, and screenings. They begin in Los Angeles with “Miles Davis: A Century of Cool,” which runs through June 13 at the Musichead gallery.
From June 14. “Birth of The Cool: 100 Years of Miles Davis” is scheduled to appear in photo exhibitions at Morrison Hotel Galleries in both New York and Los Angeles. running from June 14. On Tuesday. May 26. “The Voice of Miles: A Symphonic Celebration” pairs Davis’ original trumpet recordings with orchestral arrangements and includes a screening of the documentary “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool” at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
On Wednesday, May 27, a discussion at the New York Public Library is planned around Davis and the new centennial edition of “Miles: The Autobiography,” featuring music historian Ashley Kahn, Miles’ son Erin Davis, and Wilburn Jr.
More events follow on Friday. May 29. including a “Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux” listening event and Q&A session at Rough Trade Below in Manhattan tied to the Montreux Jazz Festival. That same day. the Apollo Theater in New York is hosting a screening of “Electric Miles: A Different Kind of Blue. ” along with a panel discussion including Wilburn Jr.
Later in the year, Aug. 21 brings “The Voice of Miles Davis: A Symphonic Celebration” back to New York City as part of Summerstage at Marcus Garvey Park, with a free performance.
While performances fill the calendar, the recorded-music side is moving quickly too. Rhino has released two vinyl LPs—“Doo-Bop” and “Miles & Quincy: Live in Montreux”—on April 10. “Doo-Bop,” recorded in early 1991 with hip-hop producer Easy Mo Bee, was the first posthumous Davis release in 1992. “Live in Montreux. ” recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1991. just two months before Davis died. is receiving its first official U.S. release.
Simon & Schuster published “Miles: The Autobiography” Centennial Edition on April 22. The updated edition is written with Quincy Troupe and includes a new cover and a foreword by Nas.
Blue Note Records released “Birth of the Cool” on May 22 as a Tone Poet Vinyl Edition, mastered from the original analog phono reel master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl.
Craft Recordings is scheduled to release “Miles ’56: The Prestige Recordings” on June 19. The limited-edition collection is offered as a 4-LP box set, 3-CD set, and a Hi-Res digital download. It includes music from albums such as “Cookin’. ” “Relaxin’. ” “Workin’. ” and “Steamin’. ” with musicians including John Coltrane. Sonny Rollins (who died on May 25). Red Garland. Art Taylor. Paul Chambers. Tommy Flanagan. and Philly Joe Jones.
Craft Recordings also released “The Best Of Miles Davis,” a limited-edition vinyl LP in March. The new compilation covers 1956 to 1961. Target has a special Aqua Blue vinyl version that includes a 5-by-7-inch artist photo of Davis.
Not all of the centennial output is strictly musical. There is also a new film. “Miles & Juliette. ” in the works about Davis and an affair he began at age 22 with French singer Juliette Gréco. And there’s even a limited-edition THC-infused drink called “Miles Davis Bitches Brew. ” inspired by the 1970 album. from the company Dad Grass.
The catalog itself remains a centerpiece for how the anniversary is being sold to new listeners. “Birth of the Cool. ” released in 1957 though recorded in 1949 and 1950. is described as the point where Davis moved beyond bebop toward “something cooler.” Music writer Grayson Haver Currin suggests in Mojo that “They were the start of Davis becoming synonymous with jazz. its godhead.”.
“Kind of Blue. ” the 1959 release featuring pianist Bill Evans and saxophonists John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley. is called the “bestselling. and arguably most beloved jazz album of all time.” James Kaplan writes in the book “3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis. John Coltrane. Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool. ” released in 2024. that “The quiet and enigmatic majesty of the resulting record both epitomizes jazz and transcends the genre.”.
“Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965. ” first partially released in 1980 and later in 1995 as “The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel. ” recently received new box set editions of 8 CDs and 10 vinyl LPs. The story says drummer Tony Williams and the other members of Mile’s Second Great Quintet—Wayne Shorter. Herbie Hancock. and Ron Carter—decided on “anti-music” and didn’t play what was comfortable. Nate Chinen writes in Mojo that across more than seven hours of music. “you can hear the players straining against their instincts. contesting all presumptions.”.
For listeners drawn to Davis’ risk-taking, “Bitches Brew” is being framed as a turning point. In this 1970 release, Davis embraced mainstream funk and rock and worked with guitarist John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea. Ted Gioia wrote in The History of Jazz that the “rock-oriented approach” of the album was “lamented by many of Davis’ older fans. ” but also drew a younger audience and earned the trumpeter his first gold record.
“Milestones” is also in the recommended stack, described as a document of Davis’ First Great Quintet with Coltrane and Adderley. Ashley Kahn. in a passage shared on Jazzwise. wrote that “The two masterful studio albums from this period – ‘Milestones’ and ‘Kind of Blue’ are list-topping must-haves for any jazz enthusiast. any student of 20th century music. any music lover. Anyone with ears,” adding emphasis on the catalog’s staying power.
Guitarist Carlos Santana—who is described as a longtime friend of Miles Davis—offered guidance on where to start. He told The Los Angeles Times in a story titled “Miles Davis at 100: Musicians explain why he is the GOAT” that “I recommend that people who never heard of Miles Davis. I’ll say start with ‘Kind of Blue. ’ then move on to ‘Bitches Brew.’” Santana added: “In one note. Miles can play absoluteness. One note for Miles … that’s enough to understand all the whys and all the reasons why it’s sacred to be alive.”.
All of it—stage events. reissues. and the promise of a new film—arrives tied to one stubborn fact: Davis is still a business reality. a cultural reference point. and a living marketplace for new editions. The centennial isn’t acting like a single weekend celebration. It’s functioning like a yearlong reminder that his sound, and the stories around it, still draw attention every day.
Miles Davis centennial Miles Davis 100 jazz reissues Blue Note Records Rhino Simon & Schuster Craft Recordings MEB Miles Electric Band National Sawdust Apollo Theater Miles & Quincy