Miles Davis

During the 40 years that composed Miles Davis' recording career, he altered the musical landscape so radically that it's impossible to envision contemporary jazz existing without him. He was so far ahead of the curve that it took his record company more than six years to realize what they had, and release Birth of the Cool as a complete album. (You can hear both "Boplicity" and "Jeru" from that classic album here.)

As is typical of a musical genius, Miles had a wide-ranging taste, and he was as likely to take a shot at covering Broadway hits by Gershwin ("It Ain't Necessarily So") or Rodgers & Hammerstein ("The Surrey With the Fringe On Top") as he was to take on compositions by contemporaries, like Dizzy Gillespie ("A Night in Tunisia") or Charlie Parker ("Ah-Leu-Cha").

As you explore Miles' catalog, you begin to understand the breadth of his influences. Though not usually associated with the Brazilian craze that swept the jazz world in the early '60s, Miles put his imprint on A.C. Jobim's oft-recorded "Corcovado." And late in his life, he not only laid down an exquisite version of the Cyndi Lauper hit "Time After Time"; he also took his best shot at entering the hip-hop world with "The Doo Bop Song."

Trying to chronicle Miles Davis' impact on jazz is a little like attempting to document Machiavelli's influence on politics. In both cases, one can hardly look around the contemporary landscape without seeing the master's footprints. He gave birth to the cool and set up the fusion reactor . . . musically speaking. From bebop to hip-hop, Miles has passed on an extensive musical inheritance spanning more than 40 years of recordings. Not only is his shadow cast over every trumpeter in his wake, but also everyone who plays this music called jazz. It's not much of an overstatement to say that listening to the music contained in this playlist is like taking a crash course in modern jazz. Pencils down, earbuds in.