7/4 Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 (edited) 2008 April 15 Release. In a startlingly original recreation of music associated with jazz legend Miles Davis, co-producers Bob Belden and Louiz Banks have recast familiar themes from such landmark recordings as Bitches Brew, In A Silent Way, and Kind of Blue with an East Meets West sensibility on Miles...From India. An incredibly ambitious project involving two dozen musicians from two separate continents recording in studios around the world, Miles...From India is a cross-cultural summit meeting that puts a provocative pan-global spin on such Miles classics as "All Blues," "Spanish Key," "So What," "It's About That Time" and "Jean Pierre." Sitar and tablas, ghatam and khanjira, mridangam and Carnatic violin blend seamlessly with muted trumpet and saxophones, screaming electric guitar and grooving electric bass lines, piano, upright bass and drums on this profound fusion of Indian classical and American jazz. Recorded in Mumbai and Madras, India and New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the music on Miles...From India was performed by classical and jazz musicians from India with the addition of musicians who have recorded or performed with Miles Davis over the span of five decades. The 2-CD set is scheduled for an April 15 release on the New York-based Times Square Records. Producer-archivist Belden, renowned for his Grammy Award-winning reissue work on a series of Miles Davis boxed sets for Sony/Columbia, explains the genesis of Miles...From India. "Yusuf Gandhi, who heads Times Square Records, and I have had conversations about doing this for the past several years. Yusuf had the connection to India and an understanding of Indian classical music along with an appreciation for jazz and also fusion music. So we had some mutual interests there. At some point we were talking about potential projects and I was just in the process of doing the On The Corner boxed set. Of course, Miles incorporated tabla and sitar on those sessions from 1972, so I suggested revisiting Miles' Indian influenced music using some of those guys from On The Corner along with some Indian classical musicians and calling it Miles...From India. Yusuf said, 'Perfect,' and that was it." Adds Gandhi, "Jazz musicians have always listened to Indian music and Indian musicians know jazz. Right now there are so many great young musicians in India that people in America have never heard of. You hear about the Ravi Shankar family and other prominent musicians from India, but you don't hear about the younger musicians who are out there doing innovative things. So we wanted to get some of them into the picture on this project." The Miles alumni included on the sessions are saxophonists Dave Liebman (1972-74) and Gary Bartz (1970-71), guitarists Mike Stern (1981-84), Pete Cosey (1973-76) and John McLaughlin (1969-72), bassists Ron Carter (1963-69), Michael Henderson (1970-76), Marcus Miller (1981-1984), Benny Rietveld (1987-91), keyboardists Chick Corea (1968-72), Adam Holzman (1985-87) and Robert Irving III (1980-88), drummers Jimmy Cobb (1968-63), Leon 'Ndugu' Chancler (1971), Lenny White (1969) and Vince Wilburn (1981, 1984-1987) and tabla player Badal Roy (1972-3). The Indian contingent is represented by keyboardist Louiz Banks, drummer Gino Banks, American-born alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, sitarist Ravi Chari, Vikku Vinayakram (a charter member of Shakti) on ghatam, V. Selvaganesh (a member of Shakti and Remember Shakti) on khanjira, U. Shrinivas (from Remember Shakti) on electric mandolin, Brij Narain on sarod, Dilshad Khan on sarangi, Sridhar Parthasarathy on mridangam, Ranjit Barot on drums,Taufiq Qureshi and A. Sivamani on percussion, Kala Ramnath on Carnatic violin, Rakesh Chaurasia on flute and Shankar Mahadevan & Sikkil Gurucharan on Indian classical vocals. With the Indian musicians first laying down the foundation of the tracks at studios in Mumbai and Madras, the Miles alumni then added on their parts back in the States. All the parts were then digitally edited into a coherent whole so that, for instance, on a tune like "Blue in Green" you get the sense of an organic, real-time call-and-response going on between Mike Stern's keening guitar lines (recorded in New York) and Shankar Mahadevan's impassioned vocals (recorded in Mumbai). "All the forms were set based on my reduction of the song as a lead sheet," explains Belden, "and then Louiz figured out how to make it fit into the cultural norms of India. And the beauty of it is these Indian guys really know how to play that music. And once they got the groove in their mind, that was it. So essentially, everything we did was a first take. They showed up with their instruments, we rolled the tape and that was it." "Jean Pierre" was similarly structured with the Indian musicians (Ranjit Barot on drums and Rakesh Chaurasia on flute) laying down their parts to a click track. Later on in the States, drummer Vince Wilburn and keyboardist Robert Irving III added their parts in Chicago while guitarist Mike Stern and keyboardist Adam Holzman added theirs in New York. "But I had Robert Irving reacting to what the Indian drummer put down when he played while Adam Holzman reacted to what Vince had played," explains Belden. "So you had all these people reacting to different things they didn't hear, and when you mixed them together it worked." Belden adds that for this Miles...From India project he relied on technology that didn't exist five years ago. "We used the internet a lot in dealing with file sharing sites. And I was also able to use SKYPE to produce two sessions at the same time in different locations from my apartment. For 'It's About That Time' I had Ndugu Chancler playing drums on the West Coast and Robert Irving in Chicago playing Hammond B-3 organ, and we were all connected in a video conference via SKYPE. They were playing back their parts, suggesting stuff, conversing back and forth with me producing back in my New York apartment. In fact, you can make a whole record that way. You leave less carbon footprints that way." Gandhi, who also heads up the Hip-Bop label, admits that he is astonished by the seamless illusion of real time interaction that this digital technology is able to create. "Every time I listen to 'Spanish Key,' the way that Mike Stern comes into it when the percussionists are playing...it's almost as if he were there with them." Some of the other highlights of this remarkable concept project include: a version of "All Blues" in 5/4 that features the regal rhythm tandem of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jimmy Cobb (the latter recorded on the original 1959 Kind of Blue session); a 9/4 rendition of "So What" (also from Kind of Blue) featuring bassist Carter, pianist Chick Corea and drummer Ndugu Chancler interacting with a crew of Indian percussionists and konokol vocalists; a ripping, distortion-laced Pete Cosey electric guitar solo alongside Michael Henderson's groove-heavy electric bass lines, Dave Liebman's flute and Kala Ramnath's carnatic violin work on a fast version of "Ife" (from Big Fun and The Complete On The Corner Sessions); some melodic sarod playing by Pandit Brij Narain on a faithful rendition of Joe Zawinul's lyrical anthem "In A Silent Way"; some hauntingly beautiful muted trumpet work by Wallace Roney alongside Shankar Mahadevan's emotive vocals on "Blue In Green"; Marcus Miller's mysterious bass clarinet alongside Roney's trumpet and Ravi Chary's sitar on "Great Expectations"; and some potent, jazzy soloing from trumpeter Roney, tenor saxophonist Liebman and soprano saxophonist Gary Bartz on a slow version of "Ife." The lone commissioned work on Miles...From India is the stirring title track, composed, produced and performed by guitarist John McLaughlin with his Remember Shakti bandmate U. Shrinivas on electric mandolin, Louiz Banks on piano and Sikkil Gurucharan on vocals. This kind of East Meets West cross-cultural fusion has been going on since George Harrison played sitar on the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" (from 1965's Rubber Soul). Fellow Brit guitarist and Harrison colleague Brian Jones followed suit in 1966 by playing sitar on the Rolling Stones' hit single "Paint It Black." John McLaughlin investigated South Indian classical music forms on the Mahavishnu's 1971 debut The Inner Mounting Flame and Miles Davis took the plunge by incorporating tablas and sitar on 1972's On The Corner. Some important Indo-American fusion projects that have subsequently been released include McLaughlin's Shakti (1975) and Remember Shakti (1999), Mickey Hart's Diga Rhythm Band (1976) and Planet Drum (1991), Talvin Singh's Asian flavored drum 'n' bass recording Anokha (1997), Bill Laswell and Zakir Hussain's Tabla Matrix (2000), Karsh Kale's Realize (2001) and Broken English (2007) and Anoushka Shankar's Rise (2005) and Breathing Under Water (2007). The all-star Miles...From India (2008) session represents the next step in the evolution of Indo-American jazz fusion. CD 1 1. Spanish Key 20:04 Wallace Roney: Trumpet Shankar Mahadevan: Vocals Rakesh Chaurasia: Flute Rudresh Mahanthappa: Alto Saxophone Mike Stern: Guitar Louiz Banks: Piano/Fender Rhodes electric piano Adam Holzman: Keyboards/Mimi Moog Benny Rietveld: Bass Lenny White,: Drums Gino Banks: Drums Taufiq Qureshi: Djembe/World Percussion Sridhar Parthasarthy: Mridangam Selva Ganesh: Kanjira 2. All Blues Gary Bartz: Alto Sax Rudresh Mahanthappa: Alto Sax Ravi Chary: Sitar Louiz Banks: Piano Ron Carter: Bass Jimmy Cobb: Drums Vikku Vinayakram: Ghatam 3. Ife (fast) Dave Liebman: Flute Kala Ramnath: Violin Adam Holzman: Keyboards/Mini Moog Pete Cosey: Guitar Michael Henderson: Bass A. Sivamani: Percussion Vikku Vinayakram: Ghatam Gino Banks: Drums 4 . In A Silent Way Pandit Brij Narain: Sarod Adam Holzman: Keyboards (Mini Moog) Robert Irving III: Keyboards 5. It's About That Time Gary Bartz: Alto Sax Kala Ramnath: Violin Adam Holzman: Keyboards Robert Irving III (B-3 organ) Pete Cosey: Guitar Michael Henderson: Bass Ndugu Chancler: Drums 6. Jean Pierre Rakesh Chaurasia: Flute Mike Stern: Guitar Adam Holzman: Keyboards/Mini Moog Robert Irving III: Keyboards Benny Rietveld: Bass Vince Wilburn, Jr.: Drums Ranjit Barot: Drums CD 2 1.So What Chick Corea: Piano Louiz Banks: Fender Rhodes electric piano Ron Carter: Bass Selva Ganesh: Khanjira /Voice Percssion Sridhar Parthasarthy: Mridangam /Voice Percussion Taufiq Qureshi: World Percussion/Voice Percussion Ndugu Chancler: Drums 2.Miles Runs The Voodoo Down Wallace Roney: Trumpet Pete Cosey: Guitar Adam Holzman: Keyboards Michael Henderson: Bass Lenny White: Drums Vikku Vinayakram: Ghatam A. Sivamani: Percussion 3. Blue In Green Wallace Roney: Trumpet Shankar Mahadevan: Vocals Dilshad Khan: Sarangi Mike Stern: Guitar Louiz Banks: Piano Ron Carter: Bass Jimmy Cobb: Drums 4. Great Expectations Wallace Roney: Trumpet Marcus Miller: Bass Clarinet Ravi Chary: Sitar Pete Cosey: Guitar Adam Holzman: Keyboards/Mini Moog Michael Henderson: Bass Vince Wilburn: Drums Vikku Vinayakram: Ghatam Taufiq Qureshi: Percussion 5. Ife (slow) Wallace Roney: Trumpet Gary Bartz: Soprano Sax Dave Liebman: Tenor Sax Pete Cosey: Guitar Adam Holzman: Keyboards Michael Henderson: Bass Badal Roy: Tabla 6 . Miles From India (Composed and Produced by: John McLaughlin) John McLaughlin – Guitar Louiz Banks – Piano U. Shrinivas – Mandolin Sikkil Gurucharan – Vocals Edited February 22, 2008 by 7/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 ‘Miles … from India’ 2-CD Set to Feature Davis Alumni Date: January 29, 2008 Written By: Jeff Tamarkin Miles … from India, a two-CD set on Times Square Records co-produced by Bob Belden and Louiz Banks, recasts familiar themes from such landmark Miles Davis recordings as Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way and Kind of Blue with an East Meets West sensibility. The project involves two dozen musicians from the United States and India—among them many alumni of Davis’ bands—recording in studios around the world. includes such Miles classics as “All Blues,” “Spanish Key,” “So What,” “It's About That Time” and “Jean Pierre.” Sitar and tablas, ghatam and khanjira, mridangam and Carnatic violin blend seamlessly with muted trumpet and saxophones, screaming electric guitar and grooving electric bass lines, piano, upright bass and drums on this fusion of Indian classical and American jazz. Recorded in Mumbai and Madras, India and New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the music on Miles ... From India was performed by classical and jazz musicians from India with the addition of musicians who have recorded or performed with Miles Davis over the span of five decades. The set is scheduled for an April 15 release. The Miles alumni included on the sessions are saxophonists Dave Liebman (1972-74) and Gary Bartz (1970-71), guitarists Mike Stern (1981-84), Pete Cosey (1973-76) and John McLaughlin (1969-72), bassists Ron Carter (1963-69), Michael Henderson (1970-76), Marcus Miller (1981-1984), Benny Rietveld (1987-91), keyboardists Chick Corea (1968-72), Adam Holzman (1985-87) and Robert Irving III (1980-88), drummers Jimmy Cobb (1968-63), Leon “Ndugu” Chancler (1971), Lenny White (1969) and Vince Wilburn (1981, 1984-1987) and tabla player Badal Roy (1972-3). The Indian contingent is represented by keyboardist Louiz Banks, drummer Gino Banks, American-born alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, sitarist Ravi Chari, Vikku Vinayakram (a charter member of Shakti) on ghatam, V. Selvaganesh (a member of Shakti and Remember Shakti) on khanjira, U. Shrinivas (from Remember Shakti) on electric mandolin, Brij Narain on sarod, Dilshad Khan on sarangi, Sridhar Parthasarathy on mridangam, Ranjit Barot on drums, Taufiq Qureshi and A. Sivamani on percussion, Kala Ramnath on Carnatic violin, Rakesh Chaurasia on flute and Shankar Mahadevan and Sikkil Gurucharan on Indian classical vocals. Live concerts featuring the music from the album are scheduled for New York and San Francisco, with more to come. Among the artists performing at these first two dates are Ron Carter, Lenny White, Wallace Roney, Pete Cosey, Badal Roy, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Louiz Banks, Benny Reitveld and more. Scheduled shows are as follows: May 9: Town Hall, 123 W, 43rd St., New York, NY—8pm. Tickets: $40-$45. Town Hall May 31: SF Jazz Festival, The Palace of the Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco, CA—8pm. Tickets: $25/$30/$36/premium $56. Box Office: 415-567-6642 or go to SFJazz. ©1999-2008 JazzTimes, Inc. All rights reserved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimi089 Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 It's interesting - hit or miss in my first couple listens depending on the track and personnel. I need to give it a more thorough sit down though and will report back when I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 I've been able to get a few glimpses along the way of this work as it was being constructed. Like all Belden-isms, it's intriguing in concept, to say the least, and not without substantial musical interest as well, although, yeah, some of it works better for me than does other. But 's there's no lack of vision, that's for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 I've been able to get a few glimpses along the way of this work as it was being constructed. Like all Belden-isms, it's intriguing in concept, to say the least, and not without substantial musical interest as well, although, yeah, some of it works better for me than does other. But 's there's no lack of vision, that's for sure! Yep, my thoughts, not yet heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gitin Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 I'll catch a live performance with many of the same folks as part of San Francisco Jazz Festival on May 31. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 (edited) I'll catch a live performance with many of the same folks as part of San Francisco Jazz Festival on May 31. It's a secret or may we know if you liked it? Edited February 22, 2008 by porcy62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 I'll bet he'll tell you after it happens in a few months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Barton Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hmmmm... This looks intriguing. Gary Bartz + Rudresh Mahanthappa = ? That's the track ("All Blues") that seems the most promising "on paper" to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
six string Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 I think I'll look into getting tickets for the SF show too. Sometimes I prefer to hear music like this live and then decide whether I want to buy it or not. Sometimes hearing it once is enough and I prefer that "once" to be live when possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 (edited) I think I'll look into getting tickets for the SF show too. Sometimes I prefer to hear music like this live and then decide whether I want to buy it or not. Sometimes hearing it once is enough and I prefer that "once" to be live when possible. Interesting. Sorry to go off topic but I would say including myself most people like to know the songs going in before they see a concert. But after the last record by the Dave Holland Quintet which I thought was ok and then seeing the songs live which was amazing I went back to the cd and enjoyed it much more. In a way the record seemed like the cliff notes version of the songs compared to the longer novel live versions if you will. But once I could appreciate all of the nuances of the songs from hearing them live the versions on the cd made sense. hmmm... thinking I may just go to the SF show since a friend offered me a great seat for it and if I like the show I will get the CD afterwards. Edited February 23, 2008 by WorldB3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 I'm kind of surprised that guitarist Fareed Haque wasn't involved in this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
six string Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 I think I'll look into getting tickets for the SF show too. Sometimes I prefer to hear music like this live and then decide whether I want to buy it or not. Sometimes hearing it once is enough and I prefer that "once" to be live when possible. Interesting. Sorry to go off topic but I would say including myself most people like to know the songs going in before they see a concert. But after the last record by the Dave Holland Quintet which I thought was ok and then seeing the songs live which was amazing I went back to the cd and enjoyed it much more. In a way the record seemed like the cliff notes version of the songs compared to the longer novel live versions if you will. But once I could appreciate all of the nuances of the songs from hearing them live the versions on the cd made sense. hmmm... thinking I may just go to the SF show since a friend offered me a great seat for it and if I like the show I will get the CD afterwards. Actually, what I meant by the "once" comment is that rather than buy the cd, I might be happy hearing it live the one time. There are many groups I go see (not particularly jazz) that I have no intention of buying music from, but I'm willing to go see them perform. My music collection is getting out of hand, so sometimes it's better to just enjoy the music in the now and let it go. Of course, sometimes seeing someone live does make me buy their music too. This music in particular seems like one of those cds that I might play three or four times in my life and I don't have enough space for that kind of limited playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gitin Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Actually, what I meant by the "once" comment is that rather than buy the cd, I might be happy hearing it live the one time. There are many groups I go see (not particularly jazz) that I have no intention of buying music from, but I'm willing to go see them perform. My music collection is getting out of hand, so sometimes it's better to just enjoy the music in the now and let it go. Of course, sometimes seeing someone live does make me buy their music too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 I'll bet he'll tell you after it happens in a few months! Ops...I misread the the date, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 There are many groups I go see (not particularly jazz) that I have no intention of buying music from, but I'm willing to go see them perform. My music collection is getting out of hand, so sometimes it's better to just enjoy the music in the now and let it go. With you on that. Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMX Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hmmmm... This looks intriguing. Gary Bartz + Rudresh Mahanthappa = ? That's the track ("All Blues") that seems the most promising "on paper" to me. I heard a bit of this on NPR as bumper music. Sounded interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Was just wondering what the release date was of this project -- apparently April 15th according to the first post in this thread. Looking forward to this one, and just a bump to get this back on people's radar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainwrong Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Just dropped on eMusic: http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artist...d/11194972.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Just dropped on eMusic: http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artist...d/11194972.html I must admit I'm a little ticked off. This doesn't seem like a label that is prominent on emusic, so I had no idea it would be released on emusic, which is the way I would have preferred to go. It better have fabulous liner notes ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Just dropped on eMusic: http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artist...d/11194972.html Thanks! wasn't expecting this to hit emusic at all. I guess I saw Bob Beldon on it and thought Blue Note for some reason. The samples sound great. Must refrain from buying booster pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazaro Vega Posted April 16, 2008 Report Share Posted April 16, 2008 The first time through Spanish Key, and not realizing the concept, I though they'd found some way to get tremendous presence on Miles's recorded sound from 1969. Listening more carefully and was, humm, never heard Miles do that before. Wallace Roney's impersonation is scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted April 16, 2008 Report Share Posted April 16, 2008 Bob shared this with me earlier. . .GREAT stuff. I just ordered a copy from JR--good price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 Good review of it here: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews...les-from-india/ "In many ways, Miles from India is a reimagining of Davis’s career, a fantasy of what his records might’ve sounded like had Indian phrasing and instrumentation in fact loomed much larger in his work than they did. And while it couldn’t hope to recreate the frazzled, interplanetary craft-ed soundworld of those years, it attempts to communicate with it in the language of a future Miles never lived to see. The end result is an ingeniously conceived and arranged, flawlessly executed, and intermittently blazing fusion appealing perhaps as much to the casual world music fan as the dedicated electric Miles obsessive." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILLYQ Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 I picked it up(Miles music + Pete Cosey!) and I've given it a couple spins and I very much like what I've heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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