5 WEEKS FOR MILES - Week 5: "Doo-bop" - Had He Lived…

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 5 concert closes off the Series with Brownman imagining what might have happened if Miles' had continued to explore hip-hop.

"Doo-bop" - Had he lived...
Towards the end of Miles' life he began an exploration of another sub-component of modern popular music - hip-hop. The "Doo-bop" recording (Warner, '92) would feature rappers & loops and would have marked the beginning of Miles' exploration of this artform. It is often harshly referred to by critics as his "worst" documented recording and as a "forgettable" era of his life, but it still stands strongly as a prime example of the Milesian ethic - his ability to recognize "what's next" and creatively move within and extend that artform. Brownman states, "I believe it is extremely probable that Miles would have worked closely with the likes of Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Rakim, Guru, Big Daddy Kane, junglists, DJs, rappers, beat-makers alike... had he lived. Tonight will be a salute to what MIGHT have been."

:: Brownman - electric trumpet (Guru's Jazzmatazz / Jay-z / Missy Elliot)
:: N.I.Gel - rapper (Pocket Dwellers)
:: Erik Laar - turntables (Off Centre DJ School founder)
:: Sean Dennis - 6-string electric bass (Brownman Electryc Trio)
:: Adam Mansfield - drums (Brownman Electryc Trio)

Saturday May 30, 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 [ TIX ]
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… 
----
All-Shows Pass (see all 5 shows for one low price!) [ PASS ]
----
www.Miles.Brownman.com for detailed show info.
----

"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".