The career of trumpeter Miles Davis was one of the most astonishingly

Question

The career of trumpeter Miles Davis was one of the most astonishingly productive that jazz music has ever seen. Yet his genius has never received its due. The impatience and artistic restlessness that characterized his work spawned one stylistic turn after another and made Davis anathema to many critics, who deplored his abandonment first of bebop and then of cool acoustic jazz for ever more innovative sounds.

Having begun his career studying bebop, Davis pulled the first of many stylistic surprises when, in 1948, he became a member of an impromptu musical think tank that gathered in a New York City apartment. The work of this group not only slowed down tempos and featured ensemble playing as much as or even more than solos-in direct reaction to bebop-it also became the seedbed for the West Coast cool jazz style.

In what would become a characteristic zigzag, Davis didn’t follow up on these innovations himself. Instead, in the late 1950s he formed a new band that broke free from jazz’s restrictive pattern of chord changes. Soloists could determine the shapes of their melodies without referring back to the same unvarying repetition of chords. In this period, Davis attempted to join jazz phrasings, harmonies, and tonal qualities with a unified and integrated sound similar to that of a classical orchestral piece: in his recordings the rhythms, no matter how jazz like, are always understated, and the instrumental voicings seem muted.

Davis’s recordings from the late 1960s signal that, once again, his direction was changing. On Filles de Kilimanjaro, Davis’s request that keyboardist Herbie Hancock play electric rather than acoustic piano caused consternation among jazz purists of the time . Other albums featured rock-style beats, heavily electronic instrumentation, a loose improvisational attack and a growing use of studio editing to create jagged soundscapes. By 1969 Davis’s typical studio procedure was to have musicians improvise from a base script of material and then to build finished pieces out of tape, like a movie director. Rock groups had pioneered the process; to jazz lovers, raised on the ideal of live improvisation, that approach was a violation of the premise that recordings should simply document the musicians’ thought processes in real time. Davis again became the target of fierce polemics by purist jazz critics, who have continued to belittle his contributions to jazz.

What probably underlies the intensity of the reactions against Davis is fear of the broadening of possibilities that he exemplified. Ironically, he was simply doing what jazz explorers have always done: reaching for something new that was his own. But because his career endured, because he didn’t die young or record only sporadically, and because he refused to dwell in whatever niche he had previously carved out , critics find it difficult to definitively rank Davis in the aesthetic hierarchy to which they cling.   1 
 1. Which one of the following best states the main point the passage?

(A) Because the career of Miles Davis was characterized by frequent shifts in styles, he never fulfilled his musical potential.
(B) Because the career of Miles Davis does not fit neatly into their preconceptions about the life and music of jazz musicians, jazz critics have not accorded him the appreciation he deserves.
(C) Because the career of Miles Davis was unusually long and productive, he never received the popular acclaim generally reserved for artists with more tragic life histories.
(D) The long and productive career of Miles Davis spawned most of the major stylistic changes affecting twentieth-century jazz.
(E) Miles Davis’ versatility and openness have inspired the admiration of most jazz critics.

2 
 2. According to the passage, which one of the following true of the West Coast cool jazz style?

(A) It was popularized by Miles Davis.
(B) It was characterized by a unified and integrated sound.
(C) It was played primarily by large ensembles.
(D) It introduced a wide variety of chord change patterns.
(E) It grew out of innovations developed in New York City.

3 
 3. The passage suggests which one of the following about the kind of jazz played by Miles Davis prior to 1948?

(A) It was characterized by rapid tempos and an emphasis on solo playing.
(B) It equally balanced ensemble and solo playing.
(C) It was a reaction against more restrictive jazz styles.
(D) It is regarded by purist jazz critics as the only authentic jazz style.
(E) It was played primarily in New York City jazz clubs.

4 
 4. Which one of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward Miles Davis’ music?

(A) uneasy ambivalence
(B) cautious neutrality
(C) grudging respect
(D) moderate commendation
(E) appreciative advocacy

5 
 5. Which one of the following creative processes is most similar to Miles Davis’ typical studio procedure of the late 1960s, as described in the fourth paragraph of the passage?

(A) The producer of a television comedy show suggests a setting and general topic for a comedy sketch and then lets the comedians write their own script.
(B) An actor digresses from the written script and improvises during a monologue in order to introduce a feeling of spontaneity to the performance.
(C) A conductor rehearses each section of the orchestra separately before assembling them to rehearse the entire piece together.
(D) An artist has several photographers take pictures pertaining to a certain assigned theme and then assembles them into a pictorial collage.
(E) A teacher has each student in a writing class write an essay on an assigned topic and then submits the best essays to be considered for publication in a journal.

6 
 6. Which one of the following, if true, would most undermine the author’s explanation for the way Miles Davis is regarded by jazz critics?

(A) Many jazz musicians who specialize in improvisational playing are greatly admired by jazz critics.
(B) Many jazz musicians whose careers have been characterized by several radical changes in style are greatly admired by jazz critics.
(C) Several jazz musicians who perform exclusively on electronic instruments are very highly regarded by jazz critics.
(D) The jazz innovators who are held in the highest regard by jazz critics had brief yet brilliant careers.
(E) Jazz critics are known to have a higher regard for musicality than for mere technical virtuosity.

PaterD · Answer

GMATNinja  Could you please provide son insight to the 6th question, I'm confused because in the 1st paragraph: 
 
Then again in the last one 
Both phrases makes me eliminate answer B almost immediately, yet is the correct answer.
My answer was D, because of first quoted statement. I would much appreciate your perspective regarding this question.
Best Regards!

sananoor · Answer

Let see the 5 options given
(A) Many jazz musicians who specialize in improvisational playing are greatly admired by jazz critics.--->  specialize in improvisational playing? nothing is mentioned about spontaneous playing so this option is irreverent--Wrong  
(B) Many jazz musicians whose careers have been characterized by several radical changes in style are greatly admired by jazz critics. y es this can be the answer...just look at this sentence from first para   *The impatience and artistic restlessness that characterized his work spawned one stylistic turn after another and made Davis anathema to many critics*  
(C) Several jazz musicians who perform exclusively on electronic instruments are very highly regarded by jazz critics.  *the passage is about radical change in Davis styles not about electronic instrument* irrelevant  
(D) The jazz innovators who are held in the highest regard by jazz critics had brief yet brilliant careers.  *its irrelevant though the last para do talk about this but nowhere it is mentioned that critics regard brief but brilliant careers of others. its just one part that may be if he die young critics might have said something good but dont u think option D is too extreme? the whole passage is about how Davis changes his styles. 
(E) Jazz critics are known to have a higher regard for musicality than for mere technical virtuosity.  irrelevant

B it is

suramya26 · Answer

Can someone please explain the Q5 to me??

I think answer should be B

rajat6693 · Answer

The career of trumpeter Miles Davis was one of the most astonishingly productive that jazz music has ever seen. Yet his genius has never received its due. The impatience and artistic restlessness that characterized his work spawned one stylistic turn after another and made Davis anathema to many critics, who deplored his abandonment first of bebop and then of cool acoustic jazz for ever more innovative sounds. (author introduce the topic that davis work is not characterized by critics because of innovation in conventional jazz music )

Having begun his career studying bebop, Davis pulled the first of many stylistic surprises when, in 1948, he became a member of an impromptu musical think tank that gathered in a New York City apartment. The work of this group not only slowed down tempos and featured ensemble playing as much as or even more than solos-in direct reaction to bebop-it also became the seedbed for the West Coast cool jazz style. (brief introduction of davis journey(1940s) started with working with group in new york that led stepping stone for west coast cool jazz style )

In what would become a characteristic zigzag, Davis didn’t follow up on these innovations himself. Instead, in the late 1950s he formed a new band that broke free from jazz’s restrictive pattern of chord changes. Soloists could determine the shapes of their melodies without referring back to the same unvarying repetition of chords. In this period, Davis attempted to join jazz phrasings, harmonies, and tonal qualities with a unified and integrated sound similar to that of a classical orchestral piece: in his recordings the rhythms, no matter how jazz like, are always understated, and the instrumental voicings seem muted. (continuing the davis journey(1950s) now author talk about how he led the innovations in jazz music )

Davis’s recordings from the late 1960s signal that, once again, his direction was changing. On Filles de Kilimanjaro, Davis’s request that keyboardist Herbie Hancock play electric rather than acoustic piano caused consternation among jazz purists of the time . Other albums featured rock-style beats, heavily electronic instrumentation, a loose improvisational attack and a growing use of studio editing to create jagged soundscapes. By 1969 Davis’s typical studio procedure was to have musicians improvise from a base script of material and then to build finished pieces out of tape, like a movie director. Rock groups had pioneered the process; to jazz lovers, raised on the ideal of live improvisation, that approach was a violation of the premise that recordings should simply document the musicians’ thought processes in real time. Davis again became the target of fierce polemics by purist jazz critics, who have continued to belittle his contributions to jazz. (in 1960 davis have introduce the studio procedure that made him target of the critics anger)

What probably underlies the intensity of the reactions against Davis is fear of the broadening of possibilities that he exemplified. Ironically, he was simply doing what jazz explorers have always done: reaching for something new that was his own. But because his career endured, because he didn’t die young or record only sporadically, and because he refused to dwell in whatever niche he had previously carved out , critics find it difficult to definitively rank Davis in the aesthetic hierarchy to which they cling.( conclusion author advocating davis and also tell us reason why davis didnt get its due )

rajat6693 · Answer

5. Which one of the following creative processes is most similar to Miles Davis’ typical studio procedure of the late 1960s, as described in the fourth paragraph of the passage?
(A) The producer of a television comedy show suggests a setting and general topic for a comedy sketch and then lets the comedians write their own script.
(B) An actor digresses from the written script and improvises during a monologue in order to introduce a feeling of spontaneity to the performance.
(C) A conductor rehearses each section of the orchestra separately before assembling them to rehearse the entire piece together.
(D) An artist has several photographers take pictures pertaining to a certain assigned theme and then assembles them into a pictorial collage.
(E) A teacher has each student in a writing class write an essay on an assigned topic and then submits the best essays to be considered for publication in a journal.

By 1969 Davis’s typical studio procedure was to have musicians improvise from a base script of material and then to build finished pieces out of tape, like a movie director. Rock groups had pioneered the process; to jazz lovers, raised on the ideal of live improvisation, that approach was a violation of the premise that recordings should simply document the musicians’ thought processes in real time

according to the creative process of davis there is a basic topic on which improvisation is made and then final pieces are out

so 
a) has only half of the procedure 
b)it implies that an actor leaves the main subject temporarily while improvisation doesn't meaning leaving the main subject.
c)way out the context
d)correct answer
e)out the context 
e)

sherlockholmes21 · Answer

Hey expert, Can you help me this whole passage? Please send me the explanation of each and every question. https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-career-o ... l#p1945140 Regards sherlockholmes21

bM22 · Answer

Hi  sherlockholmes21 ,

Please tell me the questions you want help with, as the passage has been explained and the questions have also been answered. If you tell which question/questions and what about those questions is troubling you, I will be able to help you out better.

Thanks.

shuklaji · Answer

Why ans for question 2 is E I marked it as C and please explain Q5? Thank you

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Question #2

Why E is correct?

If you made a roadmap of the passage, you would have gone directly to  Paragraph 2 , which discusses  “West Coast cool”  jazz.   (Lines: The work of this group not only slowed down tempos and featured ensemble playing as much as or even more than solos in direct reaction to bebop—it also became the seedbed for the “West Coast cool” jazz style.)   reveal that this style of jazz was pioneered in New York City by Davis and his collaborators.

What's wrong with C?

The passage never provides information about ensemble  size  as it pertains to Davis’s music.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Which one of the following creative processes is most similar to Miles Davis’ typical studio procedure of the late 1960s, as described in the fourth paragraph of the passage?

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

The studio procedure in question is discussed in  lines 38-41   (By 1969 Davis’s typical studio procedure was to have musicians improvise from a base script of material and then to build finished pieces out of tape, like a movie director) . The essence of this procedure involved constructing a new whole (a finished piece of music) from different parts (various taped segments of music).

Choice (D)  reflects the same exact relationship: a new whole (the collage) is constructed out of different parts (individual photographs).

(A), (B), (C), (E)  None of these choices reflects this fundamental relationship.  Choice (C) , which is tricky, violates the relationship in the sense that nothing new is created. The orchestra and the piece of music it plays already exist.

Answer: D

VirFortis · Answer

I am not  GMATNinja  by any shot, but let me try to explain this.

Take this as a CR question.
 ....because his career endured, because he didn’t die young or record only sporadically, and because he refused to dwell in whatever niche he had previously carved out , critics find it difficult to definitively rank Davis in the aesthetic hierarchy to which they cling. 
Conclusion : Jazz Critics didn't put the respect to MD because he often changed the style of jaaz.
Premises : as explained by examples to his radical change of style and always changing the way jaaz was played.

Now, we have to weaken the argument (conclusion reached by author here), so we have to attack his premise.
Pre-think : What if critics liked some other jaaz player who did the same thing as MD. SO that attacks author's reasoning behind the conclusion.

The quoted excerpts, that you have provided, states the premises the author is using to form his argument. So, we attack that.

Now, let's go through the options :

(A) Many jazz musicians who specialize in improvisational playing are greatly admired by jazz critics. -  live improvisational play was appreciated by critics, is very specific and doesn't attack the premise as a whole - as MD did improvisation and many other innovations in the way jaaz is played. Eliminate. 
(B) Many jazz musicians whose careers have been characterized by several radical changes in style are greatly admired by jazz critics. -  critics appreciating some other jaaz artist who had a similar career to MD - attacks the premise set by the author. Looks correct. Keep this for now. Let's check the next option. 
(C) Several jazz musicians who perform exclusively on electronic instruments are very highly regarded by jazz critics. -  electronic inst - trap - doesn't attack the whole premise used by author - A little better than A, but still too narrow. Eliminate. 
(D) The jazz innovators who are held in the highest regard by jazz critics had brief yet brilliant careers. -  Innovators - what innovations - does that relate to change in jaaz style of music? Eliminate. 
(E) Jazz critics are known to have a higher regard for musicality than for mere technical virtuosity. -  Not relevant. Eliminate.
 
So, we have option B, left as the answer.

You have read the correct passage, but it seems you had difficulty in understanding the question.

Hope this helped.

Knightwing1 · Answer

Can anyone please explain Q3?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. The passage suggests which one of the following about the kind of jazz played by Miles Davis prior to 1948?

Explanation:   700

Explanation

Since you’re asked about Davis’s jazz before 1948,  Para 2 —which discusses the changes he improvised in 1948—is crucial to this question.  Lines 13-15 :  "The work of this group not only slowed down tempos and featured ensemble playing as much as or even more than solos"  state that Davis invented a new form of jazz in 1948—one that contained slower tempos and more ensemble playing. Thus, it’s logical to infer that the jazz played by Davis before 1948 featured quicker tempos and more solo playing.

(B)  The fact that the jazz style improvised by Davis in 1948 featured ensemble playing at least  “as much as” (line 13-14)  solo playing indicates that the pre-1948 jazz played by Davis must have favored solo playing over ensemble playing.

(C)  According to the passage, Davis has improvised new forms of jazz since 1948 in order to expand this music’s boundaries. But there’s nothing in the passage to support the contention that the pre-1948 jazz that he played was a reaction to even more restrictive jazz styles.

(D)  Purist jazz critics, according to lines 45-48, have attacked Davis’s musical innovations. However, based on this fact alone we can’t conclude that they believe that the pre-1948 jazz that he played is the only authentic form of jazz. For instance, jazz purists might regard some post-1948 jazz styles developed by musicians other than Davis as equally authentic.

(E)  While we’re told in line 12 that Davis improvised a new form of jazz in New York City in 1948, we aren’t told anything about where the pre-1948 jazz that he played was performed. It might have been primarily in New York City jazz clubs, but the passage doesn’t say so.

Answer: A

napolean92728 · Answer

Q3.  The passage suggests which one of the following about the kind of jazz played by Miles Davis prior to 1948?

Correct Answer: (A) It was characterized by rapid tempos and an emphasis on solo playing. 
Reasoning:
The question asks  what kind of jazz Miles Davis played  prior to 1948  . The key part of the passage that helps is:
 
This tells us:
 
 Davis began with  bebop . 
 Bebop was characterized by  fast tempos  and  solo-oriented playing —since the new group reacted by  slowing tempos  and increasing  ensemble  emphasis. 
 Therefore,  before 1948 , Davis's jazz style (bebop) emphasized  rapid tempos and solo playing .  
So,  Option (A)  is correct.

Eliminations: 
 (B) It equally balanced ensemble and solo playing. 
❌ Incorrect — This describes the  cool jazz  style that developed  after  1948, not Davis’s pre-1948 style.

(C) It was a reaction against more restrictive jazz styles. 
❌ Incorrect — This describes  post-1948  innovations. Bebop itself was an earlier, more complex form, not a reaction to something even more restrictive mentioned here.

(D) It is regarded by purist jazz critics as the only authentic jazz style. 
❌ Incorrect — While critics later criticized Davis for leaving bebop and acoustic jazz, the passage doesn’t say they regarded bebop as the  only  authentic style. It only says they disliked his later innovations.

(E) It was played primarily in New York City jazz clubs. 
❌ Incorrect — Although bebop did develop in New York, the passage doesn’t mention  where  Davis played it before 1948, only that his later innovation started in a New York apartment.

Rahul25j · Answer

Couldn't understand Q4. How can we say author is advocating MD's music?

The career of trumpeter Miles Davis was one of the most astonishingly

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The career of trumpeter Miles Davis was one of the most astonishingly

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