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The Roma: The Roots of Flamenco, Gypsy Jazz, and Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain"
by Martin McFie
In 1959, a magical year for jazz albums, Miles Davis, inspired by some flamenco performances he had heard, recorded Sketches of Spain (Columbia, 1960) at Columbia's 30th Street studio. Half of the album is a beautiful orchestral interpretation of the classical guitar piece “Concierto de Aranjuez," written twenty years before the Davis recording, by Joaquin Rodrigo, which is about the gardens in the royal palace at Aranjuez. Davis was drawn to strong melodies, and the melodies here are certainly powerful, ...
Continue ReadingA Tale of Two Genres: The Surprising Similarities in the Development of Jazz and Classical Music
by Kurt Ellenberger
Jazz and classical music are two of the most monumental achievements in human history. Together, they encompass a range of expressive capability that is simply astounding, giving voice to the human experience from centuries past to the present and in doing so, enriching our lives immeasurably. This is more remarkable when one considers that they have nothing to do with our survival as a species, but rather serve to nurture our emotional and intellectual needs, occupying a place in our ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: The Real Second Great Quintet
by Chris May
Miles Davis' first great quintet is generally agreed to be the one with tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones--the group which in 1955-56 recorded Columbia's 'Round About Midnight and Prestige's The New Miles Davis Quintet, Steamin', Workin', Relaxin' and Cookin'. Davis' second great quintet is likewise agreed to be the one with tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams--which recorded another ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: Merci Miles! Live at Vienne
by Ian Patterson
So great was Miles Davis' legend, so magnetic his aura, that the crowds and the adulation only increased towards the end of his life—a period when he was playing arguably the least progressive music of his career. This double-CD recording of a concert at the Jazz à Vienne Festival from 1991 is a case in point. Ten thousand people packed into the Roman amphitheatre that July evening, while another two-and-a-half thousand who had turned up without tickets were shepherded onto ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: How 9 Jazz Icons Remember His Genius
by Rob Garratt
Like nearly every other jazz fan on the planet, I've long held an unshakeable fascination with the music of Miles Davis. Thirty years after his death, Miles's legacy, innovations and iconography continue to shape contemporary conceptions of the art form more than any other figure—his life and lessons simultaneously a road map, Holy Grail and high water mark combined. It feels almost inevitable that Miles served as my gateway to improvised music, and yet more than two decades ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: Merci Miles! Live at Vienne
by Maurizio Comandini
Miles Davis ha sempre avuto un rapporto speciale con la Francia. Il suo primo tour in Europa, a maggio del 1949, lo vide proprio protagonista a Parigi con il quintetto che lo vedeva co-leader assieme al pianista Tadd Dameron. Miles era poco più che ventenne e subito fu adorato dagli artisti che si radunavano alla corte del filosofo Jean-Paul Sartre per condividere i principi dell'esistenzialismo. Il trombettista rimase colpito dalla bellezza di Juliette Greco che ricambiò appassionatamente e diventò la ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis, Bill Laswell, John McLaughlin, Bob Berg, Kai Eckhardt and more
by Len Davis
On today's program we feature music from a live concert from Warsaw with Miles Davis, Jack DeJohnette, plus John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring from a live concert in San Francisco and Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey and Lenny White. Playlist Miles Davis “Hopscotch" from Live in Poland Warsaw 1983 (Gambit) 00:00 Jack DeJohnette “Miles" from Music for the Fifth World (Manhattan) 08:58 Bill Laswell-Tony Williams “Illuminator" from Arc of the Testimony MOD Reloaded) 17:54 John McLaughlin-Jimmy Herring “Trilogy" from ...
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