Jazz for aficionados
"Ascenseur pour l'échafaud" Miles Davis |
Thought I’d an share an unexpected experience hearing jazz fusion music for the first time. A girlfriend at the time, wanted to see an upcoming Laura Nyro concert at the Fillmore East. I got tickets for the show, which turned out to be a double bill with Miles Davis as the opening act. This was in June 1970 and we just graduating from high school. At the time I was completely unfamiliar with jazz, and thought it might be interesting to hear a bit of what you’d think of as "cool jazz", before Laura Nyro came on. Well what a shock when Miles band, including a young Chick Corea on piano, and Keith Jarrett on organ among others, came on that night and started playing "Bitches Brew". I had no idea what we were listening to. It was overwhelming, and difficult to make out even the patterns of the music being played, as if it was a loud. cacophony. What a trip. .I can still picture a young Chick Corea playing his keyboards in that maelstrom. Luckily they recorded an album from Miles’ Fillmore East shows. An upon hearing Chick had passed away, I listened to it again, remembering seeing the then young Chick sitting at the keyboards, alongside Miles Davis playing his trumpet. It’s hard to believe that was fifty years ago. RIP Chick, and thank you for the music you created, and the many albums of yours I’m fortunate enough to have. Mike |
