When jazz legend Miles Davis returned to the music scene after a five-year absence, the first bassist he called was Felton Crews. It’s easy to see why, because few can match Felton’s ability to create imaginative, free, open and melodic bass lines. Felton grew up in Chicago, a city steeped in musical history, and which exposed the bassist to many forms of musical genres including, blues, jazz, pop, rock, R&B, funk and soul. The result is a highly versatile musician, with the ability to provide the right bass line for whatever music he’s playing, whether it’s a furious funk groove or a slow blues riffs.

In 1986, Felton was invited to join Miles’ touring band, which resulted in him playing in gigs across the world including, the US, Europe and South America. The band – whose guitarists included Mike Stern and Robben Ford - played at a number of prestigious events including, The New Orleans Jazz Festival, The Montreux Jazz Festival and an Amnesty International concert, which was televised across the US.

The tour saw Felton sharing the stage with artists such as George Duke, David Sanborn, Hiram Bullock and Carlos Santana, and Felton’s playing is documented on releases such as the CD boxed set The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux and the DVD boxed set The Definitive Miles Davis at Montreux. Robert Irving III, Miles’ musical director for five years, says of Felton’s playing with Miles, “His fluidity was unmatched by any player that preceded him or succeeded him.”