Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time is an album that was finally released in 2001.
This particular concert was also the final concert that Wayne Shorter performed with Miles Davis. Soon after, Wayne would join Joe Zawinul to form Weather Report.
This concert is very raw and on edge, Chick Corea has a sound on electric piano that is unlike anything I can ever remember.
Hearing heavy distortion either mars or enhances the music, depending on your tolerance for rough around the edges recordings.
One thing about this recording that surprises me, it sounds like Corea and Holland may have finally gotten to Miles, I don't think I can recall any of his music ever quite getting this avant-garde?
I am telling you this, you have some real over the top cacophony in spots. Some will snicker at this of course, man I wish more of these concerts would be released.
Just to hear something like "It's About That Time" that challenges your sensibilities for what you thought Miles was all about during this time period has been a real joy to absorb.
Compare this recording to the band with Keith Jarrett: Those Cellar Door sessions sound all together different than this March 1970 recording, Did Miles know this was Wayne's last gig?
Reportedly a March 6th show was also taped that has not been released, it was available at Wolfgang's Vault, much of this live music is heard on Bitches Brew, which hadn't been released at the time of these recordings..
I don't want to overstate it, but It's About That Time might be a tough listen for those newly initiated. If you like being challenged, you must give this a shot. All of Miles Electric period is well worth hearing if you have open ears.
Modern jazz is a music that can have so many diverse meanings.
Amazingly the music almost mirrors the musical personality of Miles Davis himself.
It is incredible when you think about it, if you only listened to the music of Miles Davis alone, you would be exposed to nearly every form of the music since World War II.
Bop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, large band orchestrated jazz, post bop, free bop, jazz rock, jazz funk, and even a few music forms that barely even resemble jazz that have gone on to influence so many diverse musicians of different styles, you can't hope to name them all.
I make no apologies for including 4 Davis tunes within this list of my favorite 10, the surprise might be the fact tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter has two of his own compositions on my list, one with Davis, and one as a leader.
This list is really just a personal list, not meant to slight any artist or genre. I have been seriously into jazz for about 20 years now, and these tunes were the ones that affected me early on in the infancy of my love for jazz.
These 10 compositions are drawn from absolute classic albums that must be heard in their entirety. I guarantee you this, if you're just getting into modern jazz, you would have a great ten albums to start with. Don't worry, no free jazz or avant-garde to wade through here, those sub-genres may very well peak your interest down the line though. So let us begin...
Miles Davis: "Footprints"
Footprints, a Wayne Shorter composition that was recorded both on Miles Smiles as well as Shorter's own Adam's Apple. Shorter sure could make a simple melody seem mysterious and complex.
It has been said that Miles created at least one "perfect" album within every style he was a part of: Birth of the Cool and Cookin' from the early 50's, and Kind of Blue, and Porgy & Bess from the late 50's. Miles Smiles is the perfect album from the second great quintet in my opinion.
Lee Morgan: "The Sidewinder"
The Sidewinder is the quintessential Blue Note Records recording. A danceable Bogaloo, with the fiery hot trumpet work of Lee Morgan.
Hard to find fault with the entire vibe. Morgan captures the Blue Note sound perfectly, the entire album is stellar. If you can find an original mono vinyl copy, your mind will be blown at the sound of this record.
Buddy Rich "Channel 1 Suite"
"Channel 1 Suite" from the album Mercy Mercy is a Bill Reddie composition that is a tour de force of big band power. Buddy Rich delivers a powerful performance as usual, his solo on Chanel 1 suite is worth the price of the album.
Outside of Tony Williams, If there ever was a better technical drummer than Buddy Rich I haven't found them. Any of Buddy's 60's albums are killer and have the same in your face style as Chanel 1 Suite.
Thelonious Monk: "Round Midnight" via Miles Davis
This Thelonious Monk tune is an all time classic. This version from the album billed as 'Round about Midnight, Is one of the greatest themes in Jazz history. Miles Davis is able to play this romantic theme in a way they strips it bare. Every last ounce of pretentiousness is gone.
Monk's own original, and the live at the Five Spot version with Johnny Griffin should also be heard, but Miles' Round About Midnight is stunningly perfect to my ears.
Don Ellis: "Indian Lady"
This Don Ellis Orchestra recording from the album Electric Bath is a fine example of Indian poly-rhythms on top of unorthodox time signatures.
Ellis has always been underrated, he composed the Oscar nominated film score for The French Connection. His early death in 1978 is probably why you never hear him mentioned in most people all time lists.
No body had a better big band in the late 60's and early 70's than Don Ellis.
Miles Davis: "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down"
Miles Runs the Voodoo Down is one of the signature songs from Miles Davis During his Electric Period, a classic funk bass line, with some of Miles' most muscular trumpet Dais ever recorded.
Miles jabs like a prize fighter, Bending notes, trills and punctuation. The track sort of runs out of steam at the 11 minute mark, But as a whole, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down is spectacular. Why is it, the elitist jazz critic of the period could never come to understand this jazz rock classic?
Wayne Shorter: "Witch Hunt"
Witch Hunt from the Wayne Shorter album Speak No Evil Is a very important composition and album. Practically every modern jazz album released since has been influenced by Speak No Evil.
Certainly every saxophonist has had to deal with Wayne Shorter and his music. The composition has such a smooth simple melody, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard is also on top of his game throughout Speak No Evil.
Charles Mingus: "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"
"Good Bye Pork Pie Hat", a tribute to the then recently departed Tenor Saxophonist Lester Young, a beautiful mournful ballad, that does manage to capture the essence of Lester Young.
Mingus Ah Um is a riotous album at times, but this ballad provides the perfect relief from the hard edges of Mingus' madness. You really can sense the presence of Lester Young within the composition.
John Coltrane: "Acknowledgement"
For some reason when I listen to Acknowledgement, I envision a beautiful sunset, oranges and yellows come into my head? Acknowledgement comes from the John Coltrane masterpiece A Love Supreme.
The solo is incredible, and the unusual Chanting at the end a - love-su-preme, a- love-su-preme, closes the track out in style. A Love Supreme is the second best selling modern jazz record of all-time.
Miles Davis "So What"
"So What" from Kind of Blue may be the best composition of any form of music, I love the bass Intro with the orchestrated touches. Then the Bass setting up the theme, the track just flows so naturally.
The Bill Evans Piano, and the Saxophone solos By Coltrane and Adderley are some of their best on record. The entire album Kind of Blue just sounds like a walk down 52nd Street In New York City 1959.
Don't let jazz, or instrumental music intimidate you
If you're are new to this type of instrumental modern jazz, and have a hard time following music without lyrics, try this: Listen to the rhythm section of bass, drums, and piano, or sometimes Guitar with, or instead of piano.
Anyway, let the rhythm section be the foundation for your ears, feel the rhythm, sense its presence without focusing on the individual instruments.
You can of course focus individually if you want, but I have always felt that feeling the beat, or the vibe of the bass, drums, and piano will allow you to focus on the picture painters, the trumpet, saxophone, or when the rhythm instruments solo.
In fact, down the road if you grasp this concept, a band like The Bill Evans piano trio will blow you're mind, where anything can happen, and usually does in regards to time keeping and soloing. Who's doing what, shifts so much, that rhythm and improvisation are almost interchangeable...
If you are new to jazz below are several fantastic box sets you may find well worth your time if you have an interest in becoming familiar with Post WWII jazz in particular.
Big Fun indeed: Miles was so ahead of the curve, these outtakes were from sessions released from 1969 and 1972, and not released until 1974.
Big Fun was barely noticed at the time, 26 years later the digital remaster was released on CD.
Finally I think enough time has passed to give this music the needed space to catch up with the rest of the world's recorded music.
So many things of note within the Electric music of Miles Davis: Producer Teo Macero's Production techniques were way ahead of their time.
The overall combination of Indian instruments with rock and funk, must have seemed bizarre even for jazz rock? There is no point denying how imperfect Big Fun is, at times it does feel thrown together like some cosmic stew of international sounds.
Big Fun has an interesting production technique from producer Teo Macero, who seems completely thrilled with just trying out every new gizmo and gadget Columbia Records could dream up in the studio.
Oh how fun this time period must have been, how exciting to create and break new ground on the fly like Miles did during the 70's.
The most overtly funky track from Big Fun is "Ife", a repetitive bass drone track that sounds like could have been on the On the Corner album. The rest of the album to my ears sounds like Bitches Brew Outtakes. especially "Go Ahead John".
The first time I heard "Go Ahead John", it nearly drove me crazy. Teo Macero's channel switcher on Jack Dejohnette's drums all most ruined it for me. Years later I happened to give the track another shot, but this time without head phones.
The isolation of the headphones made the effect almost tortuous to me. "Go Ahead John" turns out to be a fantastic 27 minute long dirge. It also features only 5 musicians, Davis on trumpet, John McLaughlin on guitar, Steve Grossman on sax, Dave Holland on Bass, and Jack Dejohnette on drums.
Also it is worth noting that "Go Ahead John" has no keyboard of any kind, it also comes from the Jack Johnson recording sessions. It's hard for me to convey exact musical terminology, as I am not a formally trained musician, but I hear a lot of late 60's funky James Brown groovin' on this track.
It's obvious to me Miles Digs JB. When you listen to the Complete Jack Johnson sessions box you will be amazed at the hard funk and Hendrix style hard rock grooves being worked out.
By the time Miles found Guitarist Pete Cosey near the end of 1973, Miles had settled into voodoo funk groove based style that reminds me of this style a bit. Well, at least I can hear Miles' process here. It is a matter of personal interpretation though.
I have been dissecting this music for over 15 years, and I am still completely amazed how many new things I hear and how the discovery of new stuff seems to never end. Many Times I will put Big Fun on as back ground music, much of this music is good like that as well.
It's one of the best live documents out there of electric Miles.
The Aug. 29th 1970 show at the Isle of Wight Festival is a cookin' show, everything seems to run on all cylinders. Jarrett and Corea are both inventive, and somehow are making real music come out of these newly discovered toys.
As a long time Miles Electric music fan, I do endorse this Isle of Wight show on DVD. I like having it in audio form too, but the atmosphere is so good and the extra interviews are very nice, as well as the thick liner notes inside the DVD case.
Released in July of 1960, Sketches of Spain was a wildly successful album, that garnered Evans and Davis Grammy Awards for their efforts.
My thoughts about the album are a bit mixed, Sketches is easily the least jazzy of the collaborations; also I feel that Miles' own playing is not quite "just a bit" up to the standard of the previously recorded Evans collaboration Porgy & Bess. Miles really put himself out on a limb on Sketches, his vulnerable stark sound was made for this music.
It is well known Miles had trouble on this session, the strange new material, and the tough Evan's arrangements physically exhausted Miles, he did not record again for over a year after the session.
Sketches of Spain is an album that will grow on you after repeated listens, the brooding mood of the piece is hard to ignore. Personally my favorite track is "Solea," I love the bass groove on this track, really puts you in the ring with the bull fighter.
Sketches of Spain on vinyl like most Miles Columbia releases are readily available at reasonable prices. You could get a near mint 60's Columbia 6 eye copy for around 15 dollars.
A 66 year old record like that is certainly a piece of history worth having. The reissue may sound as good or better, but they can't mimic the feel of that aged thick cardboard. Them old Columbia records hold up well to surface wear too. You could get a VG to VG+ copy for under 10 bucks, maybe better than that in a local record shop.
Don Ellis (1934-1978) is easily one of the most underrated musicians in jazz history. A gifted trumpeter and big band leader, as well as an in demand film score composer.
I discovered Don through a series of albums I happened on in a bargain bin at a local used book store.
As it turned out, Electric Bath and Tears of Joy still are the quintessential albums to start with in my mind.
Of course you'll want more Ellis music with out a doubt, most of the Pacific Jazz live albums are fantastic, and the albums from the 70's like Shock treatment, The Connection, and At the Fillmore are equally as good.
Connection is more of a cover album, meaning Don is basically forced to play Columbia back catalog stuff, so he can include his own material on the albums. Everything is expertly played though, might be good place for the rock fan to get their foot into progressive big band jazz.
There is very little known by the general public about Don Ellis, worse yet, outside of jazz Don is merely a blurb on the Internet Movie Database for the aforementioned French Connection soundtrack.
Many critics loved Stan Kenton's Music, and like many geniuses work, some hated it.
Being the odd ball I am with my listening tastes, typically leaning toward the progressive side of the spectrum, it's no surprise that of all the big bands that were born around WWII, Kenton's music would resonate the most with me.
Stan Kenton's more progressive music is not an easy listen most of the time. Much of his best work is complex, and demands focused listening.
I don't want to scare you away by this talk of complexity, we aren't talking the avant-garde of Cecil Taylor or Anthony Braxton. Kenton just didn't always swing like Basie, if ever, and the classical influences were heavily pronounced.
Any of the Johnny Richards or Bill Holman arranged records are a must listen I believe. Albums Like Cuban Fire and Viva Kenton with the the authentic Latin vibe showcase some of the better commercial albums from Kenton.
Wow! City of Glass is seriously advanced for 1947-1953
This period with Bob Graettinger's arranging is vastly underrated in the history of jazz. With all the great Kenton arrangers, Russo and Holman, Ruggulo and Richards, Graettinger might be the most important of them all.
Graettinger nearly ruined Kenton's career, as the dancers did not dig it apparently. This music foreshadows some of the later career work by saxophonist Sam River, albums like his Impulse Records release Crystals, and the Rivbea Orchestra music come to mind.
Graettinger died from lung cancer at the age of 33, an arranger lost in jazz history within Kenton's own lost period. Unfortunately because he was associated with Kenton, who in his own right in underrated, Graettinger will likely never get his full due.
Bob Graettinger's City of Glass
"Artistry in Rhythm" Kenton's signature tune
The track below "Artistry in Rhythm", Stan's first big hit, is a good place to start with Kenton to get an idea how different his music was in the mid 40's compared to people like Count Basie and Artie Shaw.
Remember: This music is now over 70 years old, and still has a progressive edge to it.
Chamber Jazz
Kenton's music could be difficult, almost a chamber jazz of sorts. Much of the time his music wasn't danceable, many different arrangers like Bill Holman and Johnny Richards wrote charts for Kenton.
These arrangers were allowed to stretch the music to the limit. Kenton's paranoia, especially early in his career about sounding too much Like Ellington or Basie Lead to almost a complete stripping out of the Blues in his music, swing was a 4 letter word if you will.
This ultimately was not a great choice in my opinion, the lack of blues, but it did offer a unique style that was completely original.
This no swing philosophy somewhat changed when artists like drummer Mel Lewis, saxophonists Gerry Mulligan, and Art Pepper joined his band. Kenton also enjoyed some commercial success with singer June Christy and The Four Freshman. For me, Kenton's best music combines all of these elements "swing & blues" with his progressive jazz sound. An album like Adventures in Jazz comes to mind. The perfect balance of modern progressive jazz and swing, a more commercial vibe is ultimately more satisfying for the listener.
As the 70's arrived, Kenton relaxed this limited swing rule a lot, and actually swung like crazy and had some of his most underrated recordings during that decade, many times rivaling his best 50's and 60's work.
Some of my favorites come from the 1970's era:
Almost all of Kenton's Early to mid 70's albums are all tremendous. At the time Stan had a very young band with him, and that creative spirit really lead to some good music to my ears, plus contemporary music of the day found its place in the Music.
One of my personal favorite albums, is Stan Kenton Plays Chicago, this was a tribute of sorts to the rock band Chicago, who is also a band I rather like.
You're Under Arrest is considered one of the worst album covers in jazz history. Miles' playing dress up as a gangster is certainly not befitting the Legacy of jazz's dark prince right?
...but looking at the cover, is it really that bad? I don't know, somehow Miles still manages to look cool.
Because of the cover being so maligned, I think that bad reputation has followed the music. For years I did not listen to it because of the critic's view of it.
Thankfully I have learned over the years that these critics aren't always right, and in fact, many times despite their disdain, it virtually promises I'll like the music. You're Under Arrest is one such album: The entire electric music period 68-91, including the 1980's music of Miles is far better than neo-con jazz critics will have you believe. Compare it to Kind of Blue, of course the 80's music will fail to live up to those grand masterpieces.
Does that automatically make this album not worth listening to? That's the issue for me, don't miss out on this, and other 80's Miles albums because some jazz snob said Miles sold out or dared to fuse r&b into his style.
There's also enough of that voodoo funk think going on from the 72-75 years to satisfy fans of that. It's not as raw, but I think Miles hung on to that vibe until the end, he just rounded the corners off with the smother production. The live albums in the 80's really prove this out.
Everyone knows inside and outside of jazz the name Duke Ellington, and perhaps Stan Kenton?
Within progressive jazz circles, arrangers Gil Evans was well known. In the 70's Don Ellis threatened to be a household name, but died at the age of 44 in 1978.
Band Leader Stan Kenton wasn't everyone's cup of tea, his brand of jazz didn't swing heavily a good portion of the time, and as far as popular jazz critic go, that's a cardinal sin.
Perhaps Kenton's finest arranger, and one of the most swinging was very likely Johnny Richards (1911-1968). Outside of Bob Graettinger, Richards was certainly the most progressive of the Kenton arrangers. The Latin styles he championed were also swinging and perhaps masked some of their complexity.
Nearly 25 years ago I began my adventure as a multi-genre music aficionado.
It all started when a friend of mine introduced me at the age of 18 to classic Chicago style blues. Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and a more obscure but equally enthralling blues musician Johnny Shines.
I never shut out any style of music. I honestly don't even care about the genre that much, it's necessary for place keeping and pulling from your iTunes library I suppose?
I never understood those critics who get angry at musicians who fuse various music styles together. Why would they care what other people play or listen to? OK, they play so-called "real" jazz, I get it.
Early on in my music listening journey, I gravitated toward Miles Davis the most. I was amazed, perhaps even shocked at the scope of styles he developed, or had a hand in shaping over his career. I equally like the bop years, the modal years, the Gil Evans collaborations and the electric period. I love it all.
The music of Miles Davis since 1969 has been reassessed:
The fact that a person might ask which period of Miles Davis' eras were more groundbreaking, speaks volumes by its self to me.
Also the fact that both styles seem equally popular as the years go by, surely says that Miles Davis was one of, if not the greatest jazz musician of all time.
To my way of thinking Miles' electric period, because of its critics, and it's wide cultural audience; along with the lasting scope of the music for today's musician, makes me believe that the electric period of Miles Davis may end up being farther reaching and if possible more groundbreaking than even his 50's and early to mid 60's music.
Certainly I have no issue putting the electric music on the same level as the modal, orchestral, or post bop styles he is best known for.
Honestly, as great as all the acoustic jazz was and is, that music has been discussed and dissected to death, it has already been in the jazz tradition for 50 plus years. The electric music is only now being discovered and critically considered by the masses, all be it, a new breed of younger and less conservative listener.
This On the Cornerbox is a great listen, if you have an open mind to musical forms other than traditional acoustic jazz.
This 6 CD set comprises the entire Miles Davis On the Corner and Get Up With It Albums. The set also brings one track "Ife" from Big Fun.
When you combine "Calypso Frelimo", and "He Loved Him Madly" from Get Up With It, and "Ife", you're talking 90 minutes of music immersion.
If you're not into droning funk and experimental sounds, you might not understand this music.
I am of course into it, and find it to be 90 minutes well spent. The main reason to get this set is for the 3 hours of rare unreleased music. These are mainly out-takes from the On The Corner and Get Up With It sessions.
Much of this studio music went unreleased at the time, but was played out to great effect on Dark Magus, and the Japan 1975 concerts Agharta and Pangaea. "Chieftain", "Turnaround,""U-Turnaround", "Hip-skip", "What They Do", and "Minnie" are worth the price of the box in my opinion.
The Turnaround tracks are confusingly named, as "U-Turnaround" is also known as "Turnaround Phrase" I think? Oh Well, it's got a killer funk groove.
Here is a tasty big band recording from Charles Mingus:
Let My Children Hear Music is an obscure recording in a sense, you don't hear it mentioned in many of the Mingus best of lists. Truth is, that list is so long, 5 or 10 records usually only scrape the surface anyway.
Most people are familiar with, what many believe to be Mingus's Magnum Opus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady.
A study in Ellingtonia, Mingus's biggest influence compositionally, and one of best jazz releases of the 60's for sure.
Let my Children Hear Music is from 1971, the Ellington sound is not nearly as pronounced to my ears, I happen to think the track "Hobo Ho" is one of the best pieces Mingus ever did, and easily in my top 10 of Mingus compositions. His Bass playing is spectacular on the entire recording, and really drives the music to powerful heights.
Why this recording isn't as well known as other Mingus masterpieces is a mystery to me, orchestrated chaos might be a good way to described the music, at times the power of the band threatens to come apart at the seams, as with many of Mingus's best works.
Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper is easily in the top 2 or 3 jazz books I have ever read. It reads as much more than a jazz book, it's a whirlwind of hard living, trials, and tribulations about the jazz saxophonist (1925-1982).
The author of the book Laurie Pepper, the third wife and widow of Art has managed to create a book so compelling and "real", that I couldn't keep from running it over and over in my mind after reading it. Rarely have I been affected like this from a film, piece of music, or a book. Hard to believe this book hasn't been brought to the big screen by now?
The best way to describe Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper is to think in terms of it being a heroin junkie's journal, who happens to be one the greatest alto saxophonists in jazz history. You will learn that the music he made, was the only outlet he really had to express his inner pain. I like how Art is just a man in this book, warts and all, it's all there for us to see. A tortured soul, complex, but simple in many ways.
Seven Steps to Heaven is an album that gets lost in the shuffle. Truth is, most jazz artists of the day would have died to record something of this quality.
I have really grown to love Seven Steps to Heaven, an album originally released in 1963, and at a time when Miles was in transition, struggling to find an equal voice to his trumpet on saxophone.
1962 was a disaster, and Miles was trying his best to find a new band after tenor man Hank Mobley didn't work out. The rhythm section of Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb, and Paul Chambers went on to form their own trio.
Miles Finally found a saxophonist in George Coleman, who may be the most underrated of all of the Davis sideman. A lot of people mention the Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter tracks with Coleman, but usually the 3 Lyrical Blues numbers are over looked. This is a big mistake, for these are very sparse quartet performances, with Miles owning the moment.
Every serious jazz collection must have a generous helping of the greatest independent jazz label of the 50's and 60's, Blue Note.
Even some of the sessions that were made after the Liberty Records buyout of 1966 are worthy additions.
Since I am not at all a purist, I don't mind mixing in a few commercial organ jazz records, or some from the avant-garde.
I like many sub-genres of jazz, and have absolutely zero problem including albums from Brother Jack McDuff and Candido Camero, and placing them along side traditional modern jazz classics from Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon, and John Coltrane.
Porgy & Bess is nearly flawless, with perfect sound. It's one of the greatest orchestra albums ever made.
This rendition of the Gershwin classic is easily one of the top 5 Miles Davis Records. Porgy is without a doubt Gil Evans' grand masterpiece.
How is it possible to improve on the original Gershwin work so much? The Davis/Evans Porgy is indeed the definitive rendition.
I think it is important to mention that I am listening to Porgy as I write this, It has been a while since I enjoyed the vinyl copy. This music will stir you, move you, and ultimately exhilarate you". The music never sounded better to me than one night in the spring several years ago: I was sitting on a second floor balcony with a steady after dusk rain falling, the temperature was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
I clearly remember being moved so much by this instrumental music, that the hair was standing up on the back of my neck. Such is the quality of the music, and the mood enhanced by the falling rain and foggy atmosphere. It still stands out to me more than 15 years later.
If you focus deeply into the music, you will almost feel the orchestra. Tubas, flutes, and french horns, are just some of the instruments that flesh out the sultry blues even more than the original Work
Miles' vulnerable tone was made for this music, on both trumpet and flugelhorn. The track below "Prayer, Oh, Doctor Jesus" is something special indeed. I only wish I would have discovered Miles sooner than 20 years ago. Porgy has become my favorite 50's Miles album by a shade over Kind of Blue.
Miles Davis is one of the greatest trumpeters, composers, and band leaders in music history.
Miles was also a very complex human being. He cut his teeth as a jazz musician with the great alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, and then went on to change popular music nearly a half a dozen times the next 30 years.
Miles struggled with, and beat heroin addiction early in his career, and become somewhat a mythical figure even while he was alive.
I will likely never quench my thirst for knowledge about this great artist. Whether it's newly unearthed music, or a brand new book, I am always there to grab it up.
I own 12 books about Miles Davis, sure there's a few I've read that I traded in to the used book store, because I didn't particularly like it, or it just re-hashed common information.
There are a few however that sit on my night stand, that I do like to re-read before bed, or to quickly grab for a reference.
There are plenty of Miles Davis Biographies out there, I believe Quincy Troup's book to be the one to own, not to over simplify, but I highly suggest that you read the Miles Davis Wikipedia page, as it does a fine job of providing the common facts about Miles and his musical time Periods.
Billie Holiday, born Eleanor Fagen (April 7, 1915 - died July 17, 1959) wrote or co wrote very few songs, though one of them does appear on this brief list, and is considered a jazz standard.
Billie wasn't a trained vocalist, she never had formal training, and never learned to read music.
Her vocal style was a combination of gospel and blues, Lady Day lacked vocal range later in life due to alcohol and drug use, but to me, she is the quintessential jazz singer
Her voice became fragile and thin, though this in a way adds to the charm and power of her songs later in her career. Billie Holiday will always be my favorite jazz singer because she was mainly rooted in the blues, and that is always a great thing.
For this list I have chosen 3 songs that are my favorites, songs I listen to quite a bit, but any song performed by Billie Holiday is worth listening to.
I will say, if you have a chance to get the recording or DVD of the album "Sound of Jazz" do get it, it is a Jazz summit from 1957 with Billie, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Gerry Mulligan, and many other jazz's greats that was filmed specifically for a television special.
Scott LaFaro's (1936-1961) life was snuffed out just ten days after the recording sessions that would make him famous to jazz aficionados, and earned him the ultimate respect of fellow bassists of all genres.
Those sessions, which produced The Bill Evans Trio recordings, Live at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby solidified Lafaro's style that was unusual, in that he used a counter melody style.
At the time it seemed as if Evans and LaFaro were switching rolls, with pianist Evans playing rhythm and LaFaro leading the trio. The interplay between LaFaro, Evans, and drummer Paul Motion is nearly telepathic.
In my opinion those Village Vanguard sessions are the finest recording of piano trio jazz ever recorded. Anything can happen, very free flowing music.
While I usually start to yawn when some sort of brass or reed instrument is not used, these 1961 Vanguard recordings are a big exception for me.
The three musicians are at the top of their game in every respect, and the coalescence is quite exciting. In my life of musical discovery, it is always so incredible when you discover music like this, and realize the music in this case is over 40 years old at discovery, now over 50 years old.
Lafaro would be gone just 6 months after the Coleman Free Jazz session.
Here is a classic Blue Note session if there ever was one.
Immortalized by trumpeter Clifford Brown, who was probably Lee Morgans greatest influence.
Talk about a date you'd like to have a time machine to go back to be in the audience that night in 1954?
A real cookin' early hard bop album featuring the leader Blakey on drums, Horace Silver on Piano, and Lou Donaldson on alto sax.
Still though, it's hard not to focus on the tragedy of Clifford Brown:
Clifford, along with Pianist Richie Powell, and Powell's wife Nancy were killed in an automobile accident on their way to a Cleveland engagement. Powell's wife was the driver. Brown's death was a major blow to jazz, as well as the development of the trumpet's use in jazz.
Nothing else Miles Davis ever did sounds quite like Bitches Brew, it's more avant-garde and abstract than is usually reviewed too.
There are funk and rock elements yes, but the music is its own thing in the Davis lexicon.
A lot of this has to do with Producer Teo Macero's cut and paste studio work.
At first listen Bitches Brew is very much in the vein of musique concrète, like The Beatles "Revolution #9", a similar cold and distant feeling is evoked.
Listen again to the title track and "Pharaoh's Dance" and tell me it doesn't have this vibe?
20 years ago, back in the mid 90's when I first heard the music, Brew seemed like an immovable monolith. Prior to my discovery of Davis, I was listening to mostly metal bands like Metallica and Megadeth.
These bands offered some very challenging and quite avant-garde progressive sounding music for the rock genre. Speed metal is a genre that one must acquire the taste for, after a while, the perception of speed slows down, and it doesn't seem as outrageous.
Metallica's ... and Justice For all comes to Mind as an album that had this cold and lonely mood, both in the production and in musical content. That is an album that sounds progressive 27 years later. Also Radiohead's OK Computer is very moody in this way.
I am struck how Bitches Brew remains alive to me all these years later, as if it changes somehow with each listen? Better than 20 years later I am amazed that I hear something new in it.
What a fantastic album Miles Ahead is, probably considered the lesser of the trio of Davis/Evans collaborations.
True Davis aficionados sort of consider all three close to being equal, with Porgy & Bess or Sketches of Spain just being above Miles Ahead.
Possibly those albums just perfected the style started on Miles Ahead? I have always thought of Miles Ahead as Kind of Blue with an orchestra... or at least the vibe is somewhat familiar.
Arranger Evans sure has a knack for painting a picture with the way he uses strange instrument pairings, and switches roles with what the traditional time keeping instruments do.
If someone asks you what the greatest modern jazz record of all time is, just tell them Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. After all, it is the greatest selling modern jazz record of all time.
If someone asks you why it is the greatest? Fill them in on the ahead of its time use of modes or “scales,” that championed a freedom for the soloist not seen before in jazz.
They should know about the stark plaintive sound of the Miles Davis trumpet, how he had a way of making brief but concise statements, never being pretentious.
Let them know about pianist Bill Evans, and his simmering heat under-the-surface style, pianist Wynton Kelly’s bubbly blues on “Freddie Freeloader,” and Paul Chambers’ bass playing... as in the pocket as a bassist can be.
You also have John Coltrane feeling his oats, soloing over top of these new modes, and Cannonball Adderley’s exuberant and upbeat alto sax style, he’s the perfect counter-point to Coltrane’s more visceral playing.
Drummer Jimmy Cobb holds it all together with subtlety or fire, what ever the composition demands. His brushwork is especially noteworthy on the album.
My favorite track is “All Blues,” a wonderful medium tempo jaunt down a crowded New York City street circa 1959. The entire record is a masterwork believe me.
Kind of Blue’s genius is in the modern, yet contemporary easy going vibe. Anyone, of any background could find something within the album to savor. It's modern and years ahead of its time, yet contemporary more than 55 years after its creation.
It has been nearly 20 years since I first heard Kind of Blue, and I have listened to it via cassette, CD, download, and surround sound. I believe the definitive way to listen to any Miles Davis album is on original Columbia 6 eye label vinyl...but the 1997 Sony CD remaster is very good I must say, and the expanded liner notes are worth having anyway.
I know many audiophiles who swear by cassette versions of this of the same 1997 remaster. I've never seen that cassette, one day I hope to hear it.
Other than Kind of Blue, Miles Smiles is probably Miles Davis' greatest acoustic jazz achievement. Think about it, what's better and more groundbreaking?
Quite simply a perfect modern jazz album, an enthralling blend of mildly avant-garde styles with post bop modal jazz.
I have always thought Miles Smiles was like Kind of Blue in how the music really opens up.
I also get this feeling of suspended time on tracks like "Circles," just some gorgeous Miles muted playing as well.
Over the the last 15 years I have grown to believe this was the greatest working jazz group ever assembled. When you consider the creativity of Ron Carter on bass, Tony Williams on Drums, and Herbie Hancock on Piano, can you think of any better on their instruments?
Even if I do have to concede Hancock not being the best, he sure fits like a glove with this group, Carter and Williams I don't believe have been surpassed on their instruments at all 45 years later.
Shorter is the heart and soul of this band, being equal to Miles in my opinion.
I have often felt that Wayne was the real indispensable one in this group, "including Miles himself," if that were even possible.
Check out "Footprints," Wayne Shorter's vehicle with the hypnotic droning bass. The killer Williams' ride cymbal, the latter is Williams having a conversation with himself.
Williams' creativity is off the charts. Wayne comes in with that combination Coltrane and Hank Mobley tone, I just recently started hearing shorter in that light.
The Eddie Harris composition "Freedom Jazz Dance" gets a new coat of paint; and surprisingly, this version is only slightly, but noticeably altered.
The down home vibe is stripped, and this off kilter Eric Dolphy like wobble reshapes the tune. "That's my way of saying avant-garde/free jazz.
It's just not easy to describe music this good, you need to hear it to understand. I picked up both of the pictured LP copies for 10 bucks a piece, both in near mint condition.
I am not typically a mono/stereo guy, meaning I don't have to have both, but when they were both available I jumped on both vinyl copies of Miles Smiles.
A lot of people swear by the sound of mono, my experience tells me 50/50, sometimes mono is better, I personally prefer the stereo version of Miles Smiles.
One of the more underrated artists of the 1970's was jazz funk artist Lonnie Liston Smith.
Smith was a fine jazz pianist who got his start playing straight ahead jazz with the likes of Roland Kirk, Betty Carter, and Pharoah Sanders.
Lonnie also contributed to a couple of Miles Davis albums, Big Fun and On the Corner before he went out on his own.
By this time the landscape had changed, and if you wanted to make any money you had to adapt. Popular sounds like soul, R&B, and funk permeated top 40 radio. So to be heard on a large level, you better fuse these element into your jazz.
Lonnie not only did that, he came up with his own brand of laid back funk jazz, that was bent toward the quiet storm genre. This came to a head on the Columbia label.
I could certainly seeVenus Flytrapspinning these Lonnie Liston Smith tunes on his late night radio show on WKRP in Cincinnati. Most of the 70's albums fused a solid jazz foundation. "This foundation for Lonnie would later become decidedly funk"- That jazz element is always there, Smith also fuses world music and various drums and keyboards.
On his album "Renaissance" he chooses to lay down these colorful pallets, a landscape of cosmic sounds using synthesizers and his brother Donald's flute.
Lonnie will then play the acoustic piano over the groove, and it works perfectly, the piano cuts right through the wash of colors and it stands out like a lighthouse beacon on a foggy evening, that is something Lonnie does a lot that really stands out to me.
Lonnie's first album Astral Traveling is probably the most straight ahead modern jazz album he ever did, each album after adds a little more commercialism, but even his most commercial Columbia albums never completely go over the cliff into disco drivel.
A few times the wheels may be hanging over that cliff, but these Columbia albums are the forgotten ones as far as Smith goes. Those Columbia albums fit very comfortably into the quiet storm genre.
Lonnie's 70's albums are perfect to listen to consecutively, as they seem to form a concept of sorts, they never seem to veer off too much.
You're going to get some laid back smooth grooves, and a few upbeat heavy on the drums cookers, a few island groove type numbers and some above average singing by Lonnie's flute playing brother Donald.
The vocal numbers that usually appear 2 or 3 per platter are your typical laid back soul, with female backing vocals over the exotic colorful groove pallet I mentioned earlier.
If you like quiet storm or jazz funk and don't mind a few R&B ringers, you'll have a nice relationship with Mr. Smith. I know I return to his music quite often just to chill. Below "Enchantress" is a perfect example of what I consider quiet storm to be.
Lonnie's music draws you in and over time shows its rewards. Years later I have grown to like this music more and more as a meditation feel good music, with enough challenging jazz styles thrown in to keep a staunch modern jazz fan interested.
These jazz funk albums have become very popular to modern contemporary artists, who seemingly find an endless supply of beats to lift from dusty vinyl copies for their hip hop and DJ activities.
I bet you could get every vinyl copy in Lonnie's discography for under $150 if you shopped around a bit.
Salt Song is One of the better CTI Jazz releases from the 1970's. It was given to us by the underrated tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.
An album with a thoughtfully arranged orchestra from Eumir Deodato, that never seems over produced.
I love the bass grooves, and tasteful electric piano, that sets the tone for the soul drenched sax playing from Turrentine.
This is one of those records that demands a complete spin, a track here and there won't d0. It has the vibe of a concept album and needs to be appreciated in its entirety. The production on these better CTI classics, do add something special, instead of taking away from the music, like so many over-produced records can.
Some may say over-production is the word, and there is indeed a fine line between taste and schmaltz, but this record is not one of them, a great tasteful record this is. "Gibraltar" below is a nice start the album, and sets the island mood throughout, the Ron Carter bass and Airto percussion colors set the tone. Also guitarist Eric Gale offers some nice solo guitar, particularly on "Gilberte" below.
The solemn gospel blues "I Told Jesus" is a moving piece, the Deodato strings augmenting the track do just what is required, nothing more. The vocal exclamation of "I Told Jesus by the trio of singers, Margaret Branch, Brenda Bryant, Patsy Smith works very well, the only way this track could get better is if Ray Charles were singing it.
The title track "Salt Song" starts with an ominous vibe, Airto offers some nice percussion backing, and Ron Carter does some slippery bass as the tune morphs into a clear Bossa Nova vibe, it picks up the pace as the track rides on... Pay attention to Airto here, he really does some fine varied work to make the track shimmer.
"I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do" is an uber ballad with a flirt with sappy schmaltz on the strings side of things. The electric piano is very tasteful, I do like the sound, but the strings burst worried me at first.
Not that I mind strings or orchestra flourishes, but too much of it and It becomes so saturated, that it drowns out the rest of the music. Stanley shines brightly here, though the track is easily my least favorite on record.
"Storm" is another Airto friendly track, reminds me of Santana more than Stanley Turrentine, until that sugar sweet tenor sax arrives riding the shaker/percussion wave.
Turrentine sure could make anything sound sultry, yeah sultry, that's the way to boil this album down to one word, it does have a sexy hot vibe. I envision a mood at night, in humid 90 degree heat, just as the sun begins to disappear under the sea.
Maybe a light breeze blowing off the ocean too, a far cry from the 27 degrees and light snow I am experiencing here in Dayton Ohio today.
The final track "Vera Cruz" is very much in the same vein as the previous track, island sounds with hot saxophone work, tasteful Deodato arrangements, and tasty electric piano. I like the sound of the electric piano a lot here.
Make no mistake about it, Salt Song is a jazz record, not an over produced fusion album. If you like the Freddie Hubbard CTI records, you'll like this.
If Bossa Nova is your thing, more the better, and if you're into the original Chick Corea Return to Forever band, the one with Joe Farrell on sax, and Flora Purim singing, you'll dig this soul jazz classic.
If you are more of a Blue Note Turrentine fan that's OK, you will certainly tell a marked difference between albums like Blue Note's Jubilee Shout and CTI's Salt Song.
If anyone told you they hate strings albums, I bet they never heard this absolute masterpiece of the style.
Some how, not an ounce of pretense. Art Pepper experienced a career renaissance in the 1970's, he never played better in my opinion than he did during this stint.
Winter Moon was recorded in September of 1980, less than 2 years before Art's death at the age of 56.
Ironically the one format Art always dreamed of playing, strings, was one of his last, and as it turns out, pound for pound one of the best of his career. The thing about Winter Moon other than Art's shimmering alto is indeed the perfect use of strings, subtle, yet there, but never in the way. That is a big deal for an album like this.
The strings complement and perhaps enhance, but never feel like the star of the show, that mantle belongs to Art, he is the show here. Art even plays a number, "Blues in the Night" on clarinet that just delight the ears.
Guess who's one of the arrangers on Winter Moon? Ever heard of Bill Holman? The same Bill Holman that wrote and arranged some of the best loved Stan Kenton charts, and albums like the killer Contemporary Concepts.
A confident in his abilities kind of guy is Holman, and why not, he sure did a great job here.
When I think about this gorgeous record I think about the best of Miles Davis, yeah, it's that good, really has this Kind of Blue vibe. It's not a clone of that album, but the mood is similar.
Art gets has fine support from pianist Stanley Cowell, Howard Roberts on guitar, and Cecil McBee on bass.
My favorite track on the record is "The Prisoner" which was the theme for the motion picture The Eyes of Laura Mars in 1978, Art nails it here.
The strings are more upfront than usual, but never over done, just a dark and brooding mood, but not hopeless if that makes sense. I like the tasteful Spanish sounding guitar intro here from Robert's as well.
The title track is also very good, but honestly the whole album from start to finish has a suite like quality to it.
I have a hard time listening to individual tracks, I feel like I need the whole thing to really appreciate it. I suggest you do it this way too, and get the entire album and not just a few tracks.
Also, it's worth noting, all of the Galaxy records stuff that was released in the mid to late 70's and early 80's of Art's is as good, if not better than the 50's stuff, I'm not kidding about that.
It is high time the jazz community understood how classic his later period music was, let alone the mainstream music press.
Art Pepper was and is a giant in jazz, I cherish all of his music. I don't think he ever made a bad record, when you think about his much rough drug addicted life and how many lost years he had, that is either a miracle or a shame, probably both.
The bottom line for me is this: I look at my music listening experience as before Miles and after Miles.
After I heardKind of Bluefor the first time, it completely changed the way I listened to music.
In Fact, I remember boasting how I hated instrumental music for the most part. I couldn't stand music without vocals.
The problem was, I had not listened to modern jazz before. You see, there's good instrumental music and there's bad instrumental music.
Miles on the other hand really blew my mind, I had no idea the scope of the music he played. I had no concept Miles was as important as he was to contemporary music in the 20th and now 21st Century.
I began paying more attention to detail after I discovered Miles, the nuances of the music, what was in between the notes in some respects.
This awakening would have been in the mid-1990's, and before that, my listening repertoire would have consisted of 80's thrash and glam metal, which I still enjoy from time to time.
The thing about modern jazz, especially the great music like Miles' second great quintet, or the classic John Coltrane Quartet, was how thought provoking it is, the music demands your complete attention. Somehow it remains modern half a century later.
Once Miles went electric, my favorite time period by a hair, I was completely mesmerized by the experimental style, and the uniquely funky sound Miles developed throughout the 70's, up until hislost period.
Maybe I am off base, but the electric period funk style after 1972 was like a new form of music. It will suck you into the groove before you know it, you're looking at the clock wondering how 15 minutes just passed so fast. The music will completely draw you in.
I am pushing 20 years with Miles right now, and I never quit listening, that says a lot. I never get tired of it that's for sure. If you want to study post WWII jazz, just buy everything recorded from Miles Davis from 47-91, you won't need any other musicians to understand the history, really that's not hype either.
Miles worked with practically anyone who was important. He either invented, or was a major innovator in practically every style in post WWII jazz.
Miles' music is also perfect for the iPod playlist generation:
Davis was so innovative, that much of his 70's electric music is just now being understood. With so many genres of jazz, and entirely new music he touched on or helped invent, just about anyone could find something to like.
I eventually became a vinyl record collector because I wanted to own these iconic album covers in the 12 inch format, Miles and the Blue Note Label. Once I realized how much better jazz, especially acoustic jazz sounded on vinyl, I was hooked.
Listen to the opening of "So What" below, from the Iconic masterpiece Kind of Blue: The intro sounds composed, but was an improvised introduction of piano (Bill Evans) and bass (Paul Chambers).
The way the song develops, when Miles' comes in with the trumpet's spoken "So What," man, it's really that good.
For me Miles' music never loses it's freshness, the music reveals new things to me all the time, I hear things I don't remember hearing from years ago, or at least new ways to listen to music in general.
I know it's cliche, but "So What" was indeed the track that I first realized, "man I have missed out on a lot of great music". I do remember vividly that first complete CD listen of Kind of Blue, it was at night in the car in front of a Barnes and Noble circa 1997.
It was a rain soaked foggy night. I am telling you this whole mood and music thing took me in like an enigmatic force I couldn't control. Ordinarily cliches like this I laugh at, but like so many others with Kind of Blue, it happened to me. One of the few times the hype lives up to its reputation. Imagine the mentioned foggy atmosphere then"Blue in Green" comes on?
It still took me a few years to fully aquire the taste for modern jazz, but oh did I do just that. The mixed reviewed Ken Burns Jazz documentary came in 2000, and gave be a very good start with the music... while Burns was not nearly complete in his version of what jazz was, I was introduced to Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Wynton Marsalis for better or worse through the series.
The companion CD's and 10 DVDs, were a pretty good start for someone ready to dive head long into the music. Imagine how shocked I was when I heard Bitches Brew or Jack Johnson for the first time? I mean, that music was really in my wheel house, I didn't know Miles went electric like that.
Thankfully Miles' music took hold when it did, I could not imagine my life without him, or jazz.
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There is no point denying how imperfect Big Fun is, at times it does feel thrown together like some cosmic stew of international sounds.
