5 WEEKS FOR MILES - Week 2: "Birth Of The Cool" - Post-Bop Miles

100 years after Miles Davis was born -- in 2026, there are 5 Saturdays in May. Every Saturday multi-award winning jazz trumpet iconoclast BROWNMAN ALI will lead 5 different all-star ensembles through 5 historic eras of jazz which Miles Davis catalyzed & immortalized with his presence. This WEEK 2 concert dives into Miles' "cool" period when John Coltrane was at his side.

"Birth Of The Cool" - Post-Bop Miles
The term "cool" came to particular prominence in the 1950s to describe a more cerebral, less impassioned way of playing jazz. It's generally supposed that these sessions were part of the inspiration for the 'cool school' of jazz which flourished, particularly on the West Coast, in the 50s. Miles would confound the public's expectations by departing the bop world of Charlie Parker and embracing this new order of jazz as heard on "Birth Of The Cool" (Capitol Records, '49). This 'cooler' form of expression would gradually over the next 10 years lead to the modal approaches of "Kind Of Blue" (Columbia, '59) free of fixed harmony and the now legendary collaboration with the then rising tenor saxophone icon John Coltrane.

:: Brownman Ali - trumpet (10x Global Music Award winner)
:: James Griffith - tenor sax (Shuffle Demons, 24 years old!)
:: Josh Smiley - piano (We Three)
:: Bennett Young - upright bass (JUNO nominee):
: Frank Botos - drums (JUNO nominee)

Saturday May 9, 2026
6:00pm - doors
7:00pm - showtime each Saturday

Dinner reservations at CONTXT are encouraged -- reservations: info@contxtbytrane.com
CONTXT features some of the finest Pan/Caribbean cuisine in Toronto. See MENU HERE.
Table seating will be given preference to those with dinner reservations on a first come first serve basis.
Ticket holders should arrive before 6pm to ensure optimal seating (band is soundchecking until 6pm)

FIVE WEEK FOR MILES -- every Sat in May
5 Saturdays... 5 Quintets... 5 Eras of Miles...
Week 1 - May 02 - "Young Miles" - The Bird Years [ TIX ]
Week 2 - May 09 - "Birth Of The Cool" - Post-Bop Miles 
Week 3 - May 16 - "Plugged Nickel" - The Shorter Years [ TIX ]
Week 4 - May 23 - "Bitches Brew to Tutu" - Electric Miles [ TIX ]
Week 5 - May 30 - "Doo-bop" - Had He Lived… [ TIX ]
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All-Shows Pass (see all 5 shows for one low price!) [ PASS ]
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www.Miles.Brownman.com for detailed show info.
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"Miles Davis, like water, is elemental. His musical output is foundational. Essential. So much of what he's done is in the DNA of jazz today, and so much of what he did required the kind of risk-filled courage and bold irreverence only an artist of deep expressionistic convictions could manifest. There's a reason he occupies a uniquely sacred space in the hearts and minds of jazz evolutionists and improvisers who deliver personal narratives in each solo. And that's the reason I feel it's so deeply important work to trace the depth of his impact on jazz history's timeline with this series."
-- Brownman Ali, March 2026

"Brownman Ali ... one of the greatest interpreters of Miles Davis' work in Canada."
-- Graham Rockingham, Hamilton Spectator

ABOUT BROWNMAN ALI | www.Brownman.com
An internationally acclaimed jazz iconoclast deeply influenced by Miles Davis' output, Brownman Ali is a 2x National Jazz Award winner; 10x Global Music Award winner; 7x Toronto Independent Music Award winner; GRAMMY long-lister; JUNO nominee; and is heralded by the NY Village Voice as "Canada's preeminent jazz trumpet player". He is best known as the last trumpet soloist for legendary jazz-hip-hop outfit Guru's Jazzmatazz (replacing Donald Byrd in this iconic group), now splitting his time between Toronto, ON & Brooklyn, NY, when this Trinidadian-born artist is not leading 8 groups of his own (including the National Jazz Award winning BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO & Montreal Jazz Fest's "Grand Prix du Jazz" winners CRUZAO). He is also a highly in-demand studio session musician having appeared on over 300 recordings to date, and is the CEO of the acclaimed Brooklyn-based record label BROWNTASAURAS RECORDS. His bombastically narrative style as an improviser, often reminiscent of 60's Miles Davis, has made him one of the most sought after soloists today and widely regarded as "a vanguard for the evolution of jazz in Canada".