Festival tribute to famed jazz musician who burst onto Glasgow stage like 'a sexagenarian Michael Jackson'

Now, the 100th birthday of Miles Davis is to be honoured at the 40th edition of the Glasgow Jazz Festival - performed by award-winning Scottish trumpeter and composer Colin Steele.

Mr Steele, who played the first ever edition of the festival, will perform a selection of Davis’ greatest works, including Milestones, So What and Flamenco Sketches, at the City Hall’s Recital Rooms.

Trumpeter Mr Steele said: “I’m really looking forward to performing at the 40th Glasgow Jazz Festival. It feels especially meaningful to be part of this year’s event, having had the honour of playing one of my very first gigs at the inaugural festival all those years ago. This time, I’ll be bringing my quintet to celebrate the music of Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.”

He added: "I always think of Miles’ band as the quintessential modern jazz group, all his tunes have such a strong identity and simply have a beautiful sound, always so much fun to improvise over. You never know what journey the music will take you on."

When Davis, born on May 26 1926 in Illinois, played at the SEC in 1990, a year before his death, critics were falling over their words to describe the presence of the musician, often referred to as the Prince of Darkness, or sometimes The Sorcerer.

A review by Anthony Troon of The Scotsman, published on 5 July 1990, said Davis’ Glasgow Jazz Festival performance two days earlier had “proved to his Scottish followers” that he had “left the dance floor and burst his way back into a jazz bag”.

His review claimed Davis’ previous album, Tutu, had gone “straight into the discotheques”, where it competed with the “sugar pop world” - but said his Glasgow performance had “displayed a definite withdrawal from that cul-de-sac.”

“He came onstage like a sexagenarian Michael Jackson, a Peter Pan of the trumpet,” said Troon.

As Glasgow Jazz Festival marks four decades, the citywide celebration of jazz music, legacy and new talent is to welcome more than 175 musicians over five days. Founded in 1987, the event quickly attracted some of the greatest jazz names of all time, including Sarah Vaughan, as well as Davis.

At the city’s Fruitmarket Gallery, which was turned into as performance space for the festival in the early 1990s, a Homegrown Showcase will be performed, featuring some of the most exciting new acts in Scottish jazz, including SAY Award Winners Kai Ressu, nu-jazz vocalist Gaïa, Glasgow artist Pippa Blundell and contemporary jazz group Sekoya.

Meanwhile, the venue will also host the New Jazzwegians project, part of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Festival and including jazz collective Azamiah, Ghanaian-born musician Nathan Somevi Trio, Japanese-Scottish producer, pianist and bandleader Sonedo, and singer-songwriter Unoma Okudo.

More legends will be honoured across the week as acclaimed vocalist Marianne McGregor takes on the iconic Amy Winehouse Songbook, while violinist Seonaid Aitken and pianist Ben Shankland team up on Rhapsody in Blue - An Evening of Gershwin, applauding the music of the American composer and pianist.

Jill Rodger, director of Glasgow Jazz Festival, said: “From transforming the Old Fruitmarket into a much-loved venue, and growing into a city-wide celebration and hotbed for new talent, Glasgow Jazz Festival has always been about connection, discovery and the shared thrill of live music.

“Forty years on, the festival continues to evolve, bringing together global icons, leading Scottish artists and the next generation of jazz artists. This year’s programme reflects that journey: celebrating some of the music that we’ve shared for four decades, the moments that have defined the festival, and the future of Scottish jazz. It will be a joy to return to our spiritual home for this landmark 40th edition and welcome faces both new and old.”

The 40th edition of Glasgow Jazz Festival takes place from 10 to 14 June. Tickets are on sale here.