It takes no shortage of fortitude for contemporary artists to take on the electric Miles Davis. Banking off of his seminal Bitches' Brew (Columbia, 1970), the trumpeter headed for looser, louder and funkier fare, culminating in the twin two-disc releases, Agartha (Columbia, 1975) and Pangea (Columbia, 1976), two shows performed in the afternoon and evening of February 1, 1975 at Japan's Osaka Festival Hall. Laden with electric guitar, seditious percussion and an assortment of effects, Davis spins noisy magic off a single chord, a magic saxophonist Chris Kelsey captures on his The Electric Miles Project.
Kelsey chooses pieces from Agartha, Directions (Columbia, 1981), Big Fun (Columbia, 1974) and Live-Evil (Columbia, 1971). The saxophonist's leadership and approach is like that of Davis, leading the musicians in a certain direction and then stepping away to see where things go. The results are a ruminating "Mad Love Pt. 1," featuring Kelsey's straight alto saxophone channeling Gary Bartz and ending with a frantic "Mad Love Pt. 2," which has guitarists Jack DeSalvo and Rolf Sturm dueling as if part of A Game Of Thrones.
This is reckless, ill-behaved music that will forever have to justify itself to the traditional jazz purist. That said, it is also the artistic convulsion or psychotic break necessary to shake loose the "new" so evolution may occur. In that, Kelsey captures the spirit of Davis well.
Track Listing
Agharta Prelude; Mad Love Pt. 1; Directions; Ife; Sivad; Mad Love Pt. 2.
Chris Kelsey: soprano and straight alto saxophones; Rolf Sturm: electric guitar (left channel); Jack DeSalvo: electric guitar (right channel); Joe Gallant: six-string bass; Dean Sharp: drums.
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
We sent a confirmation message to . Look for it, then click the link to activate your account. If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam, bulk or promotions folder.