- published: 21 Jul 2008
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Darryl Jones (born December 11, 1961), also known as "The Munch", is an American bass guitarist. Jones began his notable career as a session musician, where he gained the experience and confidence to play with some of the most highly regarded recording artists, in jazz, blues, and rock music. Most recently, he has been best known in his role as primary bassist for The Rolling Stones since Bill Wyman's departure in 1993.
Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a youth, his father, a drummer, supported his musical interests and initially taught his son to play the guitar. A neighbor who was a bassist convinced Darryl to switch to playing the bass instead. Jones attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. One musician that Jones first played with in his studio sessions was the nephew of noted jazz musician Miles Davis, Vince Wilburn Jr. He told Jones that Davis was looking for a new bass player, and vouched for him. Jones called Davis, who gave him his first touring gig, and for some years he was mentored by Davis, having joined his band in 1983. As a young protege, Jones played bass guitar on the Miles Davis albums Decoy (1984) and You're Under Arrest (1985). Jones has worked with jazz recording artists who include Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, Mike Stern, John Scofield, and Steps Ahead, as well as touring pop and rock artists Cher, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading.
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, and jazz fusion.
Miles Dewey Davis was born on May 26, 1926, to an affluent African American family in Alton, Illinois. His father, Dr. Miles Henry Davis, was a dentist. In 1927 the family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois. They also owned a substantial ranch in northern Arkansas, where Davis learned to ride horses as a boy.
Davis' mother, Cleota Mae (Henry) Davis, wanted her son to learn the piano; she was a capable blues pianist but kept this fact hidden from her son. His musical studies began at 13, when his father gave him a trumpet and arranged lessons with local musician Elwood Buchanan. Davis later suggested that his father's instrument choice was made largely to irk his wife, who disliked the trumpet's sound. Against the fashion of the time, Buchanan stressed the importance of playing without vibrato; he was reported to have slapped Davis' knuckles every time he started using heavy vibrato. Davis would carry his clear signature tone throughout his career. He once remarked on its importance to him, saying, "I prefer a round sound with no attitude in it, like a round voice with not too much tremolo and not too much bass. Just right in the middle. If I can’t get that sound I can’t play anything."Clark Terry was another important early influence.[citation needed]
Bob Berg (April 7, 1951 – December 5, 2002) was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen. Bob Berg was a Juilliard graduate influenced heavily by the late 1964–67 period of John Coltrane's music. He was known for his extremely expressive playing and tone.
A student from the hard bop school, he played from 1973 to 1976 with Horace Silver and from 1977 to 1983 with Cedar Walton. Berg became more widely known through his short period in the Miles Davis band. He left Davis's band in 1987 after recording only one album with them.
After leaving Davis's band, Berg released a series of solo albums and also performed and recorded frequently in a group co-led with guitarist Mike Stern. On these albums he played a more accessible style of music, mixing funk, jazz and even country music with many other diverse compositional elements to produce albums that were always musical. He often played at the 7th Ave South NYC club. He worked with Chick Corea, Steve Gadd and Eddie Gomez in a great quartet. His tenor saxophone sound was a synthesis of rhythm and blues players like Junior Walker and Arnett Cobb with the lyricism, intellectual freedom and soul of Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane.