How do you pay tribute to a musician who spent his entire life refusing to repeat himself? Perhaps the best way is to create something new.
That’s exactly what American keyboardist and producer Jason Miles has done with 100 Miles for Miles Davis, a project coming to Sofia on November 16. Taking place at Hall 3 of the National Palace of Culture (Sofia, Bulgaria), the concert is part of an international tour celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of jazz’s most influential figures.
For Jason Miles, this story is deeply personal. In the 1980s, he worked with Miles Davis on the albums Tutu, Music from Siesta, and Amandla, helping shape their distinctive sound through synthesizers and electronic elements. Their creative collaboration gradually grew into a friendship that lasted until the legendary trumpeter’s death in 1991.
Rather than revisiting Davis’s best-known compositions, Jason Miles chose to tell their shared stories through new music. The result is 100 Miles for Miles Davis, an album released in May 2026. Each track carries a different memory. The Girl With The Purple Hair, for example, was inspired by an evening when Miles Davis introduced Jason to Prince, while Controlled Chaos recreates the unusual atmosphere of Davis’s apartment, where televisions, a radio, and a drum machine would all be playing at once.
The music moves between jazz, funk, Brazilian rhythms, and electronic textures. Joining Jason Miles (keyboards) on stage in Sofia will be legendary Randy Brecker (trumpet), Ada Rovatti (saxophone), Federico Malaman (bass) and Gene Lake (drums).
100 Miles for Miles Davis is more than a look back at Davis’s musical legacy. It’s an exploration of how his restless, innovative spirit continues to find its place in today’s jazz, through musicians who are still experimenting, pushing boundaries and discovering new sounds.
November 16, 2026 | 8:00 PM | Hall 3, National Palace of Culture, Sofia | Get tickets – Ticketstation
text: Sofia Hussein for Dinya
