Jazz for aficionados
I don't know where the idea that Miles never mentioned Lee Morgan came from (myth?), but here is at least one time when he did (not much, but he did 😎: http://www.erenkrantz.com/Music/MilesDavisInterview.shtml |
The 58 Sessions were more to my liking; nothing is more beautiful than this "On Green Dolphin Street". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrVnm66joQk Each artist's solo takes me sailing off on a cloud. A lady fan of Miles introduced me to this LP; I like recalling sweet memories. There was a club that played this on a big outside speaker to drum up business, and I can recall how sweet Lucky Thompson's solo sounded, reverberating off the buildings on a foggy or misty night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMW3RloxEyA Enjoy the music. |
Thanks @frogman for clearing that up. Time to let go of the myth. I was going by past limited experience with just a few interviews that I've read. Never thought to look into it further. The piece you shared shows him giving props to pretty much everybody; and then there's this: http://www.forghieri.net/jazz/blind/Davis_4.html Happy Listening! |
Fabulous and classic Miles, O-10; those are two of my favorite jazz records. Strateahed, the Downbeat Blindfold Test has always been an interesting peek into the mindset of the musician being "tested". No question, Miles sure was one supremely opinionated dude; and uncompromising. It's also tempting to point out that, by today's political correctness standards, he was also more than a little bit racist. However, tempering that and the key fact here is that this was 1967 and if one considers what was going on in this country as concerns race during that time it is not surprising and even understandable. This leads back to the subject of Miles' genius. It has often been pointed out that great art always reflects the time of its creation. Wether a listener likes what it is reflecting or not is besides the point and not what makes it good art or not; how well it reflects the time is the standard. It's hard to understand how a musician can produce the beautiful music in the clips that O-10 posted and then six years after that Downbeat Bildfold Test produce this record. Panned by just about every critic at the time, "On The Corner" is now considered one of the most influential records of all time in all of music. This was 1973 (!) and the problem was that it was so ahead of its time. When listened to today, in the context of ALL the music around us, it sounds like it was recorded yesterday. The mistake that "critics" made was thinking that it was a jazz record. It was not; it was a record of "street" music recorded by a jazz musician trying to reflect what was going on during that time. The music, the sounds and the recording techniques were a precursor to the funk, hip-hop (I know, I know) and "world-music" that would follow over the next few decades. It shouldn't be listened to as a jazz record. Like it or not (I like it .....sometimes) it is without a doubt a great example of Miles' genius; or, at least, of his always-evolving attitude: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps0ka1tY5yg |
"What the holy smoly is this?" is what I thought when I put it on the turntable; however, had I known what it was supposed to be, I might not have taken it back to the record store. Regardless how some rave about it, I can still live without it. I guarantee he did not carry one original fan along on that trip. Miles was Miles; what else can you say? |
