Unlimited Miles, genius unbound 

When the crowd refused to sit down after the encore, one thought rose above the applause: “Unlimited Miles is exactly right.”

Because what unfolded at The Sheldon Concert Hall was a masterclass in how Miles Davis continues to bend the arc of American music long after his horn fell silent. The sextet assembled for this 14-city international tour revealed just how deeply his innovations still pulse through hip-hop, neo-soul, jazz fusion, funk and every genre that has dared to chase the future.

As a son of East St. Louis, it was only fitting that St. Louis was among the select stops. On March 28, a packed house gathered as part of The Sheldon’s six-week Milestones series leading up to Davis’ May 26 birthday. Unlimited Miles: Miles Davis at 100 is directed by Grammy-winning piano architect John Beasley — himself a former member of Davis’ band — and features a rotating roster of heavyweights. For St. Louis, that meant Sean Jones on trumpet, Mark Turner on saxophone, Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Ben Williams on bass, and fellow East St. Louis native Terrion Gully on drums.

Together, they expanded the audience’s understanding of just how thoroughly Davis’ creative DNA is woven into the fabric of contemporary sound.

The name Unlimited Miles might suggest a predictable run of “So What,” “Blue in Green,” “Bitches Brew,” “Seven Steps to Heaven,” “Round Midnight,” “Milestones,” “Concierto de Aranjuez,” and maybe “Boplicity” for good measure.

But from the downbeat of the opening number, it was clear the band had no intention of playing it safe.

“Seven Steps to Heaven” arrived with a time-signature shake-up and rhythmic liberties bold enough to make even seasoned jazz heads lean forward. Had it not been for Jones’ unmistakable staccato phrasing — crisp, centered, and technically pristine — the tune might have been unrecognizable.

It was a reminder that Davis never wanted musicians to replicate him. He wanted them to risk something. Their reimagining of “So What” pushed the modal classic into new harmonic terrain. And then came “Catémbe.”

Before launching into the tune, Jones shared a story that is a microcosm of Davis’ influence. 

“This next tune I’m going to play for you is actually the first jazz song I ever heard,” Jones told the crowd. “I was in fifth grade. My band teacher noticed that I was moving ahead faster than her other students. They were on ‘Hot Cross Buns.’ I was on the chromatic scales.”

She took him to lunch and slid two CDS across the table.

“One of them was Miles Davis’ ‘Amandla.’ The other one was Miles Davis’ ‘Tutu,’” Jones said. “I put ‘Amandla’ on first because I couldn’t understand the cover.”

The white cover with an abstract image of Davis intrigued the pre-teen Jones. “Catémbe” transformed him.

“I put the record on, and this tune came on–and it changed my life,” Jones said. “Later on I would be in Marcus Miller’s band – the composer of this tune. And later I had a chance to play it for that teacher.” 

Their interpretation of “Catémbe” was a kinetic blend of funk, Afrobeats, and rock-inflected edge. Gully’s drum work locked in with Williams’ bass lines like a heartbeat, while Jones soared into the upper register with a velocity and clarity that felt almost supernatural.

Davis’ influence on contemporary music is often referenced but rarely demonstrated with this level of intention. His approach to space, phrasing, and harmonic risk-taking laid the groundwork for everything from J Dilla’s swing to Erykah Badu’s phrasing to the atmospheric layering of modern jazz fusion.

In 75 minutes, Miles Unlimited covered five decades of Davis’ evolution. They captured it all — from the acoustic to the electric, from the modal to the experimental, from the cool to the cosmic.

“Thank you, Miles,” Jones said before the band’s final bow, “for spreading joy throughout generations.”

Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.

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