Wow, what a flurry of activity. The best part is it brought out o-10, glad to see you here buddy.
pjw, there was one important step for Miles you missed, "Birth of the Cool" -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRjjqFogPGI&list=PLED9CF5CAEE7AD60A&index=2
Miles seemed to be like a plant, he had to continue growing or else he felt he was dead. Actually the PBS Nature program last week on Butterflies suggested a better simile. He metamorphosed through multiple rebirths in style, just as pjw outlined.
I remember attending a Miles concert in the mid-’70s. When we entered the auditorium the curtain was open and the stage was lined with speakers and electronics. When the musicians entered everyone "plugged in". Well, maybe not the drummer and percussionists, their instruments were already mic’ed. I can’t say now but it was likely 7 or 8 in the band, and they were loud! The concert was long enough to have an intermission and by the break at least half the audience walked out. That was not the Miles they knew -- and loved.
Because he remains one of my favorite musicians (but yes, I don’t enjoy EVERYTHING he did) I’ve read a few books and interviews on and with him. My sense is he despised the fact that jazz musicians such as himself achieved limited popularity and financial reward compared to many rock musicians which he considered to be without much talent. So his restless musical mind drove him to explore new "electronic" expressions, but he also admittedly sought to reach a wider audience. From my reading that was a very conscious move.
For the record, I enjoy "Bitches Brew", but a few albums later he lost me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbCt-iXIXlQ
The exception was this single example, obviously a reversion to the more melodic Miles -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23VCyohcUxg
Apparently near the end he did revisit some of his "classic" numbers. Was that the nostalgia of aging? I don’t have any recordings from that period.
Otherwise, can we simply admit we don’t all hold the same tastes and preferences and just post what we enjoy to share with others to judge for themselves? That is how I read o-10s concept in beginning this anyway.
pjw, there was one important step for Miles you missed, "Birth of the Cool" -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRjjqFogPGI&list=PLED9CF5CAEE7AD60A&index=2
Miles seemed to be like a plant, he had to continue growing or else he felt he was dead. Actually the PBS Nature program last week on Butterflies suggested a better simile. He metamorphosed through multiple rebirths in style, just as pjw outlined.
I remember attending a Miles concert in the mid-’70s. When we entered the auditorium the curtain was open and the stage was lined with speakers and electronics. When the musicians entered everyone "plugged in". Well, maybe not the drummer and percussionists, their instruments were already mic’ed. I can’t say now but it was likely 7 or 8 in the band, and they were loud! The concert was long enough to have an intermission and by the break at least half the audience walked out. That was not the Miles they knew -- and loved.
Because he remains one of my favorite musicians (but yes, I don’t enjoy EVERYTHING he did) I’ve read a few books and interviews on and with him. My sense is he despised the fact that jazz musicians such as himself achieved limited popularity and financial reward compared to many rock musicians which he considered to be without much talent. So his restless musical mind drove him to explore new "electronic" expressions, but he also admittedly sought to reach a wider audience. From my reading that was a very conscious move.
For the record, I enjoy "Bitches Brew", but a few albums later he lost me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbCt-iXIXlQ
The exception was this single example, obviously a reversion to the more melodic Miles -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23VCyohcUxg
Apparently near the end he did revisit some of his "classic" numbers. Was that the nostalgia of aging? I don’t have any recordings from that period.
Otherwise, can we simply admit we don’t all hold the same tastes and preferences and just post what we enjoy to share with others to judge for themselves? That is how I read o-10s concept in beginning this anyway.