Unlimited Miles

Gimme 5

Five questions with John Beasley about the Unlimited Miles Sextet

Don Lukoff: Prior to beginning your solo career, you played with Miles Davis. What years wereyou in his band, and what was your biggest takeaway from that experience?

John Beasley: I joined Miles Davis’s final touring band (1988–1991) and played two European tours in 1989. The band featured Kenny Garrett on sax, Foley on piccolo bass, Munyungo Jackson on percussion, Benny Rietveld on bass, Ricky Wellman on drums, and Kei Akagi and me on keyboards.

That life-changing opportunity started when Miles’s nephew and drummer, Vince Wilburn Jr., came to hear my Los Angeles-based electric band, Audio Mind (with Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Willis, and Steve Tavaglione). Vince asked me to make a cassette for his uncle. Months later, while I was on tour, I got a call from a raspy voice saying, “This is Miles Davis.” I thought someone was pranking me!

Miles’s impact still unfolds for me, even 35 years later. In my late 20s, I’d never been around someone so focused on art — he lived and breathed it 24/7. On tour, he often skipped the plane and rode the bus with us. He’d listen back to every show, give notes, and adjust details for each venue. His hotel rooms were filled with canvases, sketches, and his trumpet — he was always creating.

One moment that’s etched in my memory: Before a concert, he told me, “If you can’t comp like Ahmad Jamal, then don’t play.” That line still teaches me today. At the time, I had only heard Ahmad Jamal comp for a bass player, but I came to understand Miles wanted more space — for the music to breathe and he wanted me to orchestrate my ideas with intention and then get out of the way.

DL: You’ve paid tribute to Miles over the years — from the Electric Miles Band to Miles in India. For the upcoming Unlimited Miles tour, you’re featuring trumpeters Sean Jones and Marquis Hill. Since Marquis will be with you in Denver, what will he bring to the project?

JB: I’ve been part of two post-Miles ensembles — Miles Electric Band and Miles in India — alongside alumni like Darryl Jones, Robert Irving III, Munyungo Jackson, Ndugu Chancler, Dave Liebman, Pete Cozy, Badal Roy, Lennie White, and alongside prominent musicians featuring Sean Jones, Nicholas Payton, Wallace Roney, Antoine Roney, and Keyon Harrold.

Unlimited Miles rotates two trumpet players: Sean Jones and Marquis Hill.

Sean Jones is one of those rare trumpeters who can play anything with authenticity. When he stepped in, it felt seamless — like a glove. He also worked with another Miles alum, Marcus Miller playing the music of TuTu, at just 22, so he’s got Miles in his DNA.

We’ll be featuring Marquis Hill at the Denver Jazz Fest. He’s an explorer — very much in the spirit of Miles. I first met him while serving on a panel for the 18th Street Arts Center, selecting creative music fellows. Marquis stood out immediately as a fearless and forward-thinking artist.

DL: You conceived the Unlimited Miles Sextet — tell us about your vision and your role within the group.

JB: In 2024, as I started thinking ahead to Miles’s centennial in 2026, the word that came to mind was infinity — because Miles always created with that sense of limitless possibility. That inspired the name Unlimited Miles Sextet.

The idea isn’t to recreate Miles’s music, but to reshape, renew, and move it ever forward — to play as if Miles were leading the band right now.

The lineup is powerhouse: Marquis Hill (trumpet), Marcus Strickland (tenor sax), Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar), Ben Williams (bass), Terreon Gully (drums), and myself on piano and as music director. Like Miles used to do, I brought together musicians who each have a strong personal voice. Together, those six voices form a dynamic, unified sound.

By the time we hit Denver Jazz Fest — our tenth concert of the spring tour — the music will have evolved, deepened, and caught fire. Expect something alive and unpredictable.

DL: What kind of material can audiences expect from the Unlimited Miles performances?

JB:We’ll trace Miles’s musical evolution — from Birth of the Cool to the first great quintet (with Coltrane, Cannonball, Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, and Philly Joe Jones), through Kind of Blue and the Gil Evans collaborations, into the second great quintet (Shorter, Hancock, Carter, Williams), and finally to the electric and fusion eras of the late ’60s through Amandla, his final studio album.

But this won’t be a retrospective — it’s about preserving his spirit of risk, innovation, and constant evolution.

DL: You’ll also be recording around the time of the New York concerts — can you share anything about that?

JB: Miles released around 39 live albums, and I was featured on one of his last — Live Around the World (1996), a compilation of performances from 1988–1991.

So it feels right to capture Unlimited Miles Sextet live as well. We’ll be recording the band for Mack Avenue Records — keeping that Miles tradition of live, in-the-moment energy.