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Neil MacRae

About Me

Neil has been listening to jazz for as long as he can remember and is the host of Cosmic Jazz.

Neil has been listening to jazz for as long as he can remember.

As they say, this is his story…

In 1973 I went for an interview in Oxford. I had some time to spare while waiting for a train and so I dropped into a local record store. Flicking through the jazz racks, I saw this sleeve.

Bitches Brew by Miles Davis.

I teased the sleeve out of its plastic wallet. A gatefold. Inside was an essay by Ralph J Gleason and a great colour shot of Miles. Back to the front cover. Right at the top it said “Direction in Music by Miles Davis.” And it was a double.

That cover – by Mati Klarwein – was clearly by the same artist as had provided the inspired cover for Santana’s Abraxas album, also released in 1970. Inside the gatefold was a list of the performers – Wayne Shorter on soprano sax (my favourite sound at the time), Joe Zawinul on electric piano, Bennie Maupin on bass clarinet, Billy Cobham on drums – and another photo of Miles. I had no idea what it would sound like – but I knew it would be my sound. Bitches Brew wasn’t the first jazz record I’d bought, but it was the best looking.

Over 50 years later, I still know each twist and turn on every track. Miles Davis is still the coolest man on the planet and I’ve had half a lifetime of listening to the greatest musical gift of the 20th century.

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My Jazz Story

I was first exposed to jazz In 1973 when I went for an interview in Oxford. I had some time to spare while waiting for a train and so I dropped into a local record store. Flicking through the jazz racks, I saw the sleeve of Bitches Brew and teased it out of the plastic wallet. A gatefold. Inside was an essay by Ralph J Gleason and a great colour shot of Miles. Back to that famous front cover. I had no idea what this music would sound like but I knew already that it would be my sound. Bitches Brew wasn’t the first jazz record I’d bought, but it was the best looking. Over fifty years later, I still know each twist and turn on every track, Miles is still the coolest man ever and I’ve had half a lifetime of listening to the greatest musical gift of the 20th century. In 1864, the novelist Berthold Auerbach said that music "washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" - and jazz does that and more.

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