Editing Don Alias (section)

=== Work with Miles Davis and others ===
[[File:Miles Davis-140916-0018-105WPa.jpg|thumb|Charles "Don" Alias playing alongside Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, Gary Bartz, and James Forman.]]
His work with Nina Simone caught the eye of Miles Davis, who recruited him to play trap-set drums on ''Bitches Brew''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Running The Voodoo Down - Bitches Brew At Fifty |url=https://bigtakeover.com/essays/RunningTheVoodooDownBitchesBrewAtFifty+ |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=The Big Takeover |language=en}}</ref> Alias played alongside [[Jack DeJohnette]] and utilized a "lean and loose" syncopation, which drew from New Orleans parade tunes.

Alias' most prominent work was with saxophonist David Sanborn, for whom he worked as a stage and studio member for nearly 20 years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=April 9, 2006 |title=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2006/04/09/5333397/remembering-percussionist-don-alias |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=[[NPR]]}}</ref> During these sessions and beyond, he paid careful attention to detail and had a dedication to the improvement of every member of the group. Sanborn remarked that Alias would consistently come to sessions offering specific improvements based on the previous day's work. Sanborn says "[Alias] immersed himself 100 percent in the music, and he gave his all to the music.”<ref name=":1" />

He was the drummer for Joni Mitchell's live album ''[[Shadows and Light (Joni Mitchell album)|Shadows and Light]]'', which features his drum kit on the cover. For Mitchell's second live album, she recruited many well-known jazz artists, such as [[Pat Metheny]], [[Jaco Pastorius]], [[Lyle Mays]], and [[Michael Brecker]]. Alias was the studio percussionist for Mitchell's early jazz-influenced albums. On ''[[Don Juan's Reckless Daughter]]'', he played congas, claves, snare drums, and sandpaper blocks; he also provided some background vocals. Alias played congas on the [[Mingus (Joni Mitchell album)|''Mingus'']] album.