Is Chick Corea Miles Davis' greatest alumnus?

[Chazro]

Just saw that Chick just won 2 more Grammy awards today (for 2 separate recordings!) and the thought occurred to me, he's got to be the most successful (I know this doesn't automatically translate into 'greatest') pianist Miles ever employed. As I thought about it some more, I'm thinking, forget pianist, how about the greatest musician to graduate from the Miles Davis Academy? Of course, when you think about the amazingly historic roster that's gone to that particular learning institution, it's difficult, if not impossible to single out just one. Kelly, Evans, Hancock, Jarrett, Zawinul....whew, quite a few heavyweights but....I know this much; I own so much music by so many of the MD alumni and Chick's MY personal favorite. I like to think of myself as the same type of music lover that Corea is as a musician. An older cat that still likes to play, often in places other people think I should've outgrown;). He's adventurous, brilliant, fearless, and shows his heart in whatever he does.

Congrats to Chick Corea! Certainly one of the 'greatest', definitely the most successful of all of Miles' children!!

[stonemonkts]

I'd choose John Coltrane over Corea, but that's just me.

[moldyfigg]

They all came from Pops and Bird.

[bluenoter]

I'd choose John Coltrane over Corea, but that's just me.

It's me too. Then Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock (who, like Corea, aren't living-challenged).

[Tom Storer]

Well, "greatest," who knows... Corea is certainly a great, great player. The trio album with Christian McBride and Brian Blade that won a Grammy is wonderful.

So many of the major players of the 50's and 60's came through Miles. Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, Hancock, Corea, Jarrett, Zawinul... Percy Heath, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Dave Holland... Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Tony Williams, Al Foster... Coltrane, Cannonball, George Coleman, Shorter... and that barely gets us to 1970. Gary Bartz, Steve Grossman, Dave Liebman, Sonny Fortune, Michael Henderson, John McLaughlin, Pete Cosey...

[Chazro]

I just read that Corea's one of the top 5 most nominated (61!) artists in Grammy history!

[moldyfigg]

Corea is a fine player but Bill Evans influenced a helluva lot more players than Chick.

Miles wasn't even Bird's greatest alumnus.

[jwaggs]

Yea, but Miles was Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis's greatest alum.

[Ron Thorne]

While I think that Chazro was thinking about pianists when he created this thread, my mind went to other instruments and those who played them in one of the many incarnations of a Miles Davis group. First, even before thinking of Coltrane, I thought of Wayne Shorter.

Then, the difficult task of figuring out which musicians deserved the honor and distinction of being considered to be among Miles' greatest alumnus sets in. Tom Storer set the stage for what I'm alluding to here in post #5. It's extraordinarily difficult and totally subjective.

[Gentle Giant]

It certainly is primarily a tribute to Miles' taste - and not just taste, but insistence on getting the very best players who were capable of pushing forward on their instruments and with the form itself. I don't think he ever concerned himself with the idea that any of his sidemen might be considered the more impressive musician.