Don't like Miles,do you? WOW!! You sir,are incredible. I stopped to get gas the other day and I heard on a little portable cd player playing what I thought was MILES. I said to the clerk......."what kind of jazz you listening to?" He said....Kind Of Blue,Miles. He went on to tell me that he could no longer stand ANYTHING on the radio. And that his doctor had recommended MD and to start with KOB. This guy just beamed when he spoke about Miles. Like I do when speaking about Joni. Very flamboyant and gregarious his beautiful blond hair tied in a pony tail half way down his back then went on to say he just could not believe HIS music and he was sorry he jumped on the band wagon so late. We went on to discuss Joni (I don't why she came up ? ) :-) This guy is going to flip when I walk in later today and hand him a copy of your post.
I'm sorry to say and I must say a little ashamed to admit that I don't have anything of Miles. This is especially bad considering my father was a jazz musician/lover....purist though. (as a child I can remember the intensity to which he listened to his favorites.....THE DUKE,Johnny Hodges,Count Basie,Coleman Hawkins,BG. Always lamented to my mother that he needed to listen to his music in a vault. Which was his way of saying no children around and therefore NO interruptions.) I have most of father's collection mostly 78'S. And scattered about on shelves in my music/my favorite thing room,I have these gorgeous sets of his jazz some of the covers say.....Esquire's Hot Jazz;award-winning,1946.,Mood Ellington this is on Columbia,purple cover. Oh some of the others that stand out are:Bebop...An album of modern jazz on RCA Victor.......Ellington Special;black top hat and walking stick on the cover. These covers adorn my shelves because they are really works of art....conversation pieces. (argggh to Cd's) Anyway,I enjoyed your post and should get something of Miles. I just don't know if I have the energy right now. Because when I get into something it is usually all or nothing. Bree >Ahhhhhhh, I envy you.....Miles' work is extraordinary and revolutionary and >beautiful, and majestic, and powerful, and gentle, and, and, and..... > >He is one of the, if not THE seminal musical artist of the past century; >he changed how music is played, looked at, and felt for ever... > >Anywho, now that that is said....:-) > >I personally always like to listen to the 'arc' of a musician's career and >their own personal musical evolution; so I usually try to start at the >beginning and go forward from there....Mind you, this is just my personal >proclivity; but if you were to approach your discovery of Miles in this >way, here are some landmark albums from his career which I think are good >places to start to see this evolution I mention: > >**The Birth of Cool--1948--Helped define this new movement in Jazz and >really started to distinguish Miles approach to his instrument and his >'sound'.... > >**Walkin'--1954--Someone else mentioned this one as well as a good example >of his mid-50's work; kinda "Cool" kinda "Bop"..Well, it just swings! :-) >Check it! :-) > >**Milestones--1958--Here is a wonderful example of Miles' most famous >Quintets (there is another couple in the 60's as well, but this is a >classic line-up); featuring John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, Julian >"Cannonball" Adderley, John Coltrane, William "Red" Garland, Paul >Chambers....Amazing album of Hard Bop...This album was actually MY intro to >Miles and is dear to my heart therefore; I musta played this album >everyday, twice a day for months....Wonderful music and energy, high >energy! > >**Kind Of Blue--1959--What can I say about this album that hasn't already >been said before..Consider by many THE seminal jazz album of all times... >Sometimes I think lauding one single piece so much has a tendency to to >oversaturate it's, and/or dilute it's, majestic and impact; but it really >is an amazing piece of music and history...All songs were entirely >improvised from 'sketches' Miles gave the musicians in one take.... >Breathtaking, yes....:-) > >**Sketches Of Spain--1960--Possibly the ultimate example and expression of >the collaborative work of Miles and arranger Gil Evans....Revolutionary for >the time and once again Breathtaking in scope...Beautiful music to drive to >and to make love to....;-) > >**Miles Smiles--1966--The beginning of yet another profound transition for >Miles, and ultimately for music in general....A powerful example of one of >Miles' other famous Quintets; featuring: Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, >Ron Carter, Tony Williams.....This IS the beginning of Miles' forrays into >Electric Jazz (or Fusion, as it were)....Kind of as a side note, but... >You will notice that Miles has the savvy to really hook up with the >"Young Lions" on the scene to keep himself fresh and on the edge and always >willing to experiment; and even more than that, to really challenge himself >and his artistry, his music, his spirit.... > >**Nefertiti--1967--Someone also mentioned this record and of Joni's >affection for it....It continues in the footsteps of 'Miles Smiles', though >broadens the path greatly...Amazing music..Stretching the boundaries and >conceptions of peoples' notion of what Jazz was all about or could be... >What MUSIC could be... > >**In A Silent Way--1969--WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!! Gently and Magically >opening the gateway to Heaven....THE REAL FIRST full 'Jazz-Fusion' album... >Two 'pieces' of music; each filling one side of the album....Once again >Miles' redefining our notions of music and setting a course for future >musical styles and patterns, the full effects of which we are just starting >to see now....Can I safely use this word one more time: AMAZING! :-) > >**Bitches Brew--1969--A Double album monster....A more fully, and I do mean >more FULLY, realized continuation of the expressions and explorations of >"In A Silent Way"... > >"In A Silent Way" = Fusion First steps >"Bitches Brew" = Fusion runnin' like a Motha'! > >--Once again Miles assembles the cream of the crop: >Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Josef Zawinul, >Dave Holland, Harvey Brooks, Jack DeJohnette, Lenny White, >Charles Don Alias, Jumma Santos, Larry Young > >--An interesting connection to Joni here....J. Zawinul and Wayne Shorter >went on to form 'Weather Report' which of course Jaco Pastorius joined >after their first album (I think)....Just an interestin' tidbit...:-) > >**After this point Miles gets Waaaaaaaaaay 'Out There', and some people >really can't stand the stuff he does from this point forward in the 70's; >it is all heavily electric, with a large usage of Wah-Wah on his horn for >most of it, very percussive, often very atonal, and also very rhythmically >it can be repetitatively cyclical......It is very hard to define, and quite >honestly why should we...? Although Miles wasn't very well received at the >time for this RADICAL new direction he took, once again time has proved the >man's artistry to be revolutionary and in this instance very visionary... >The full effects and influence are just now beggining to be felt... >This period's music is very much the harbinger for much of today's >Trance/Jungle/Drum & Bass music as well as so much more....It has >stimulated several generations of musicians to continue to explore boldly >the ever expanding boundaries of music, and more importantly I think to >realize that those boundaries are just illusionary constructs to be >dismantled, dissolved, and ultimately dismissed.... > >**Some of the key albums from this period I will briefly mention >(mainly 'cause I is fallin' asleep here...It's late.....lol...:-) as I >think they are, well....Key...:-) > >**Big Fun--1972 >**Get Up With It--1974 >**Miles Davis Live at the Fillmore East--Recorded 1970, released ? >**On The Corner--1972, released ? >**Agharta & Pangaea--Both recorded Live in Japan 1975, and the last >recordings of Miles before his 'retirement' (or sabbatical) from playing >until the late 70's. > > > >-----Well, I hope this gets you started......LOL....:-) >Seriously, I do envy the position you are in....I still regularly listen to >Miles, in all his periods, and continue to find something new for myself >all the time.....He is THE man....But you are on the threshold of a really >wonderful world to explore and I hope you find the landscape as >breathtaking and inspiring as I have and continue to do.... > >Goodnight and God Bless....Peas.....Sir Lance :-) > > > > >-- >Lance A. Michel: >-There are as many shades to reality > as there are windows unto the soul- _________________________________________________________________ Join the worlds largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com
