Jean-Pierre

Album: We Want Miles (1981)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • George Cole, author of The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis, 1980-1991, considers this a standout track from Davis' last decade (he died in 1991). Writes Cole: "'Jean-Pierre' has a child-like melody and became Miles's signature tune. The funny thing is, no one agrees on the origin of the tune! Whatever, it was a tune Miles would close almost every show with for years." (For more on Miles Davis,read our interview with George Cole.)

Comments: 2

  • Perry from L.a.Jean-Pierre Durand was the son of Frances Taylor Davis (who Miles mentioned as his favorite wife). Best educated guess is that he named the theme after him... but there's no way to confirm this.
  • Dave from Scottsdale, AzMiles appeared on SNL around 1981 and performed this song. It was listed in TV Guide as "Miles Davis performs 'Untitled'."
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Steven Tyler of AerosmithSongwriter Interviews

Tyler talks about his true love: songwriting. How he identifies the beauty in a melody and turns sorrow into art.

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.