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Bitches Brew @ 50, Sonny Rollins with Brownie & Max (& More)
by Marc Cohn
This week we have recent music from Akiko Tsuruga (her best yet!), Pierre Dorge, Chris Rogers, Anthony Fung and Conrad Herwig. But the big news is that Bitches Brew was recorded in August, 1969 over three days. This week we offer the sessions recorded on August 19, 1969. The edit log for the title track (on our Mixcloud blog) is fascinating, as the track was 'constructed' post-production. Oh, and there's Sonny Rollins with Clifford Brown and Max Roach from 1956, ...
Continue ReadingOn Miles' (not so) Silent Way
by Ludovico Granvassu
On 30 July 1969 Miles Davis released In a Silent Way. After influencing generations of musicians, its tracks continue to sound as modern 50 years later as when they were first recorded. This week we celebrate the musical trail blazed by that seminal album by focusing on musicians that have embraced Miles' electric legacy. Happy listening! Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Hot Club of ...
Continue ReadingMiles and Friends - The “Birth” of the Cool (1947 - 1950)
by Russell Perry
The torrid pace of bebop improvisations reached a point in the late 1940s that prompted a musical reconsideration and Miles Davis was there at the conception. Davis had been with the Charlie Parker Quintet since 1945, when he began to woodshed with composer/arrangers John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan and Gil Evans, all of whom would become major long-time contributors to the music. In three recording sessions starting in January 1949, this arrangers super-group created a body of music which, when rereleased ...
Continue ReadingMay Jazz Birthdays
by Marc Cohn
Miles, Gil, Papa Joe, Sidney & Paul! May birthdays on Gifts & Messages! We also celebrate pianists Stanley Cowell, John Lewis, Sun Ra & Dave McKenna; vocalists Shirley Horn & Betty Carter; saxophonists Arthur Blythe & Sonny Fortune; guitarist Jimmy Ponder, bassist Ron Carter, B-3 master Richard Holmes & flautist James Newton. Do enjoy the show! Story of the week: “I say two things to students: 'Why are you here?' They don't have an answer. Then, 'Play a ...
Continue ReadingColumbia Releases Miles Davis: The Rest
by Patrick Burnette
The can't-miss box set of the year Miles Davis: The Rest completes Columbia Records' thorough excavation of the great trumpeter's session work. As the press release notes, “Columbia was proud to offer eight steel-spine box sets of Davis' sessions, followed by our 70-disc Complete Studio Albums Collection, followed by our The Genius Of Miles Davis set that collected the steel-spine boxes in a trumpet case, followed by our six-volume Bootleg series, followed by our mono issues on vinyl. Now, with ...
Continue ReadingMaking Miles For Kids
by Keith Henry Brown
Miles Davis has been many things, but had not yet been the star of his own children's book. That is what I realized after being contacted by Kristen Nobles, the smart, resourceful editor of the newly formed children's' picture book imprint, Page Street Kids. I had just barely decided to give it a go in the field of children's illustration and obtained an agent when I received a lively email: “Dear Keith, I hope this email finds you ...
Continue ReadingLast Song for Valentine Part 3-4: Blue in Green
by Jakob Baekgaard
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 When Cory came home to his apartment, he could see lights shining in many of the windows. He felt good knowing that he was not the only one awake, and as he walked up the stairs, he heard people pacing, a baby crying and the sound of muffled voices. He could smell garlic and spices and remembered that he was still hungry. Inside his apartment, ...
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