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Miles Electric: A Different Kind Of Blue.
posted Sunday, 31 August 2008
If you don't like electric Miles Davis material, then this is a bad idea. However, if you cherish your copy of In A Silent Way, or more on-target, Bitches Brew and the albums that followed, then it's a great Netflix selection. It's basically a documentary with the renowned 37-minute 1970 Isle Of Wight performance tacked on. (Here's the review from allaboutjazz.com.)
Many surviving players from the lineups of that era are interviewed specifically for this project (with their instruments), as are a couple of others whom I didn't expect (Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell). Let me pull several (but not necessarily the best) highlights ...
Herbie Hancock on walking into the studio, seeing that Miles had removed the piano, and playing his first notes on a Fender Rhodes. Getting over his purist tendencies and figuring that back when the piano came to the fore, "I'm sure there were harpsichordists at that time saying, 'They're not keeping it real!'"
Jack DeJohnnette playing drums. Where physical economy and musicality meet.
Toward the end, each musician is asked to improvise a brief tribute to Miles. When they get to percussionist Aireto Moreira, you feel kind of bad for him, since he's surrounded by nothing but percussion. Even he looks a little perplexed. But he delivers the best of the bunch, a true lesson in how much energy matters in performance.
Finding out why Miles fired saxophonist George Coleman.
Listening to Keith Jarrett talk about the individual and the collective dynamics in exploring the improvisational moment.
Plus, hearing Santana casually deliver even a few bars of "In A Silent Way" is pretty freakin' cool. A bonus section features additional interview footage with the musicians, and Miles aside for a minute, they serve up a buffet of tips for any musician playing in a group environment.
Oh, and to keep it from devolving into unfettered Miles worship, jazz critic Stanley Crouch gets a few serious jabs in about the motivation and the content of Miles' transition to electric. If you share Crouch's distaste for the trumpeter's decision to bring in the noise, funk, etc., then you can always count your pennies for the mighty pricey Kind Of Blue anniversary box that is on its way later this month.
Many surviving players from the lineups of that era are interviewed specifically for this project (with their instruments), as are a couple of others whom I didn't expect (Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell). Let me pull several (but not necessarily the best) highlights ...
Herbie Hancock on walking into the studio, seeing that Miles had removed the piano, and playing his first notes on a Fender Rhodes. Getting over his purist tendencies and figuring that back when the piano came to the fore, "I'm sure there were harpsichordists at that time saying, 'They're not keeping it real!'"
Jack DeJohnnette playing drums. Where physical economy and musicality meet.
Toward the end, each musician is asked to improvise a brief tribute to Miles. When they get to percussionist Aireto Moreira, you feel kind of bad for him, since he's surrounded by nothing but percussion. Even he looks a little perplexed. But he delivers the best of the bunch, a true lesson in how much energy matters in performance.
Finding out why Miles fired saxophonist George Coleman.
Listening to Keith Jarrett talk about the individual and the collective dynamics in exploring the improvisational moment.
Plus, hearing Santana casually deliver even a few bars of "In A Silent Way" is pretty freakin' cool. A bonus section features additional interview footage with the musicians, and Miles aside for a minute, they serve up a buffet of tips for any musician playing in a group environment.
Oh, and to keep it from devolving into unfettered Miles worship, jazz critic Stanley Crouch gets a few serious jabs in about the motivation and the content of Miles' transition to electric. If you share Crouch's distaste for the trumpeter's decision to bring in the noise, funk, etc., then you can always count your pennies for the mighty pricey Kind Of Blue anniversary box that is on its way later this month.
Go ahead, make my day. (1)
1. The Capt. left...
Sunday, 31 August 2008 8:43 pm :: http://thecapt.blog-city.com
Stanley Crouch talks about jazz as if someone asked him a question.
Something Miles said about Wynton Marsalis. Miles was a guru to musicians
he saw potential. Stanley is a critic of what he likes, but that doesn't
make him an expert in jazz.