A Lark Ascending Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 (edited) I didn't get electric Miles - deliberately avoided him - until the early 90s. Since then I've been gradually won over by even the darkest, most mono-chordal music of the 70s...and enjoy some of the 80s. I've also acquired a fair few albums that either interpret/pay tribute to this era through the actual compositions or the instrumental approach. Now I know there is a view that Miles is all you need and the rest is imitation. And I wouldn't argue for a moment that, historically speaking, Miles and musicians creating this music on a blank sheet of paper is of far greater significance than the followers. But I work from the view that the music is so powerful, the compositions so rich that they can sustain plenty of subsequent exploration. So... If you've enjoyed any of this music inspired by the electric Miles period, what stands out for you. I have a range of things from Dave Liebman, Mark Isham, The UMO Jazz Orchestra, Leo Smith/Henry Kaiser (with two more on the way), Wallace Roney, Terje Rypdal and many others. And I think a fair few of Dave Douglas' projects of recent years refer back to that music. Edited June 20, 2009 by Bev Stapleton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 I particularly dig 'Yo Miles!' and Wallace Roney's recent work. His current rhythm section is brilliant; I just love the groove they get going. I hope they are recorded soon. Bertrand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 'Yo Miles' set me off on this current exploration a few weeks back. Just got an e-mail that 'Upriver' is heading my way. Amazon.co.uk are clearly still hunting down a copy of 'Sky Garden'. I particularly like Roney's exploration of the transitional late 60s Miles period on this CD... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 The first to come to my mind are these: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 Well, I find all those listed here are cool and all, but I don't really reach for them to listen, I have dozens of Miles boots and allt he official recordings, and I listen to those more often. . . . I've been listening to the original recordings since their initial lp releases and they really mean something to me. Love that music and the music has influenced me in many ways, in the ways art can, just as the books of Philip K. Dick, Henry Miller and Simenon have, etc. Two of my friends have just released a cd on iTunes and cdbaby that takes the sounds of "Get Up With It" as a conceptual starting point, they're a guitar and trumpet duo named WD-41. They share digital effects and build soundscapes in a "He Loved Him Madly" sort of way. Their next rlease will probably incorporate another instrument. I like their work, you can hear the music at their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/wd41music Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 A lot of this release revisits this period. Many here don't like this but I like it, especially the contributions from Indian musicians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) I have that one heading my way too - it was briefly on e-music but vanished and doesn't seem to exist as a download in the UK. One of most impressive takes I heard on the later part of the early 70s era was a live performance by British drummer Martin France with John Parricelli and Mike Walker on twin guitars and Ian Ballamy on soprano/tenor. Never made it to disc - when France did put out a CD it was much more aligned to techno with lots of beats. Something Miles would probably have approved of but did nothing for me. It'll probably become my favourite record in 2029! British trumpeter Gerard Presencer has also recorded in this area. Edited June 21, 2009 by Bev Stapleton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel1969 Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Something french in the Doo Bop vein : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jycwai Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 I loved Bitches Brew, but I didn't fall in love with the Electric Period until I listened to The Cellar Door Sessions. And now I can't live without Agharta and Pangaea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyo Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 I got this one last week, like it quite a lot: The Miles from India album mentioned above is great, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie87 Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 One more that hasn't been mentioned is Terje Rypdal's "Vossabrygg", with Palle Mikkelborg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Are we looking for true "legacy", as in things that came with significant space after the fact, or things somewhat contemporaneous as well? Assuming that it's the former, the Wadada sides work well for me. And, like Lon, I'm swimming against the current in liking big chunks of the Miles From India. Also worth seeking out: Sonny Fortune (saxophone, flute); Michael Wolff (keyboards); Barry Finnerty (guitar); Michael Henderson (bass); Ndugu Chancleor (drums); Badal Roy (tablas) A very spirited outing, this one is. More "groove-centric" than the actual Miles stuff, but inevitably all of these type things are...without Miles (or Teo...), that ineffable "otherness" of the original just ain't there, which is as it should be, I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) I was thinking mainly a little way down the line from the source...otherwise you're quickly into the 'origins of jazz-rock/fusion' debate. It just strikes me that that Miles era (in all its many flavours) got marginalised for a time - but there seem to have been a lot of people trying it out again in the last ten years or so. I was just interested in what people might have heard and enjoyed. That Sonny Fortune looks interesting - I very much like his playing. Nik Bartsch gets mentioned in this light - in fact it might have been attending a concert of his a few weeks back that stirred my brain cells in this direction. I didn't actually enjoy the concert very much...things changed very slowly, often with simple repeating patterns. But then that's what once held me off this era of Miles until I started hearing other things. Played this off Spotify last night: Enjoyed it more than the concert but not yet fully convinced. But I'm intrigued enough to listen again... Edited June 21, 2009 by Bev Stapleton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 It just strikes me that that Miles era (in all its many flavours) got marginalised for a time - but there seem to have been a lot of people trying it out again in the last ten years or so. IIRC correctly, the first sign of a "critical re-evaluation" was an article that Greg Tate wrote for down beat in the very late '70s, maybe even 1980. And then came the comeback and then everybody started looking back and saying, "well, maybe we didn't get it the first time around, let's reconsider..." Hearing those albums in real time is something I don't think I'll ever quite experience again...that sensation of "I know something happening here, and DAMN do I dig it, but I don't even have half a clue as to what it is...", well, if you can get that sense of excitement and discovery and just all-around sustained positive mindfuck in any part of your life, it's a blessing, I think. I can tell you this - that music takes time to process. There's so much there, and it posits some pretty fundamental reconsiderations of "Western" paradigms of musical structures and "priorities" that imo it's on a par w/AACM as far as setting the stage for new realities in music (an by extension, life...) that a lot of people still either refuse to accept it, or else are still "befuddled" by it to one degree or another. But the shit happened. It's real, and you can't turn back time. So expect this "reconsideration" to be ongoing, becuase...when you finally realize why it was done - becuase somebodies recognized that there was a time when new roads would have to be made, then the fact that they in fact were made ahead of time is a lot less daunting than just seeing these...unknown paths leading to unknown places made for unknown reasons. In other words, it ain't really scary no more, this music of Miles, AACM, etc. Progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 A chunk of Bill Laswell's music is influenced by Big Fun and On the Corner. I can't think of a specific album since I haven't really listened to him in a while, but there's quite a few. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 A little conundrum for you. All the literature makes much of Miles never repeating himself (apart from the last Montreux concerts), losing interest in what he made as soon as he made it prefering to move on to the next thing etc. Critics of these re-explorations/tributes or whatever you wish to call them often argue that they break the spirit of the originals by revisiting rather than ploughing on into the unknown themselves. But where does that put the listener? Are we not just as guilty going back to these treasured records or buying the boxes with all the other bits. If we really care for Miles should we not be forgetting his music and looking to the now? Not said with any attempt at overseriousness. I was just thinking about it whilst doing the ironing. [side thought: I seem to recall that the Trotskyite wing of the European improv scene used to reject the whole idea of recordings on the grounds that listening to a past performance is by its very nature reactionary). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 A chunk of Bill Laswell's music is influenced by Big Fun and On the Corner. I can't think of a specific album since I haven't really listened to him in a while, but there's quite a few. ... I think it was the Panthalassa disc of his, doing whatever he does to some of the music of this era, that started me to move beyond Bitches Brew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 It's one thing for an artist to vow to not repeat himself and another for an artist to intend his audience to not revisit his past work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) I didn't get electric Miles - deliberately avoided him - until the early 90s. Since then I've been gradually won over by even the darkest, most mono-chordal music of the 70s...and enjoy some of the 80s. I've also acquired a fair few albums that either interpret/pay tribute to this era through the actual compositions or the instrumental approach. Now I know there is a view that Miles is all you need and the rest is imitation. And I wouldn't argue for a moment that, historically speaking, Miles and musicians creating this music on a blank sheet of paper is of far greater significance than the followers. But I work from the view that the music is so powerful, the compositions so rich that they can sustain plenty of subsequent exploration. So... If you've enjoyed any of this music inspired by the electric Miles period, what stands out for you. I have a range of things from Dave Liebman, Mark Isham, The UMO Jazz Orchestra, Leo Smith/Henry Kaiser (with two more on the way), Wallace Roney, Terje Rypdal and many others. And I think a fair few of Dave Douglas' projects of recent years refer back to that music. A lot of old-timers and people like (my acquaintence/friend) Stanley Crouch think Miles was a sell out for doing this and cannot forgive him. I disagree. I don't love every note, and can live without the wah-wah, etc. But he really sounded strong on a lot of those things and some of those grooves are fun to play over, especially after 25 years of ten minutes per tune playing the same changes with three solos every night. And making money is not a sin. Miles always sounds like Miles to me anyway, he just changes the trappings and cast. Where he lost me was the final comeback, and only because he wasn't sounding good. He improved on Star People, and I enjoyed that. It was a straight-up blues album. Tributes? Why bother? The originals are there, and the time, place, feelings in the air are spoken for. Musicians, you may make a little taste but it smells funny and you'll have to live with it the rest of your life on recordings and expectations of those who hire you. If you really believe in it, and it's from the heart that's something else. But take the high road. It's best for everyone, especially you. Edited June 21, 2009 by fasstrack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 One more that hasn't been mentioned is Terje Rypdal's "Vossabrygg", with Palle Mikkelborg. Just been listening to that one again. Sounds wonderful. I could do without the techno beats and sampled voices in places (I imagine Miles would have approved, by contrast), but otherwise a very involving record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) Tributes? Why bother? The originals are there, and the time, place, feelings in the air are spoken for. Musicians, you may make a little taste but it smells funny and you'll have to live with it the rest of your life on recordings and expectations of those who hire you. If you really believe in it, and it's from the heart that's something else. But take the high road. It's best for everyone, especially you. Would you also advise not performing Shakespeare plays? After all, the definitive ones were performed 400 years ago! And even if we can't see those, we can always get copies of mid-20th C performances by the great actors of the time. Why bother putting them on now? I'd agree that mere 'tributes' don't amount to very much...too often it's shorthand for a cash in. But I'd argue this music is rich enough to sustain revisiting; and many of the paths Miles started never got fully explored. I especially like the pre-Bitches Brew phase but before those avenues were fully investigated he was on to something else. I'm glad people are going back and asking if there might just be futher interest there. Revisiting the past doesn't deny the possibility to investigate the future. Very often it can suggest to you fresh ways to go forward. Take Stravinsky, for example.... Edited June 21, 2009 by Bev Stapleton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmirBagachelles Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I credit my time on walkman headphones listening to electric Miles with taking me all over the place. I think my big ears are more the result of repeated listening to Big Fun, Bitches Brew, and Miles 1969 than any other experience. What I remember most is getting gradually into Funkadelic, Parliament, and James Brown. Then I craved funk anthologies, aggressive guitar-driven noise (e.g Bailey, Kaiser) and good fusion (e.g. OM). Yes lately, the electric Miles bug means any and all Leo Wadada Smith, especially solo multitracked sessions such as Kulture Jazz. I didn't really care for Yo Miles years ago when I jumped on it. I put it on 2-3 weeks ago, still did not care for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 (edited) Chuck, I'm curious what you think of the Yo Miles! dates. Laying my cards on the table -- in some ways, I think they improve on much the original material. Edited June 22, 2009 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Chuck, I'm curious what you think of the Yo Miles! dates. Laying my cards on the table -- in some ways, I think they improve on much the original material. Now that is an interesting comment, totally out of synch with orthodox interpretations of Miles (or jazz 'masters' in general). Out of interest, in what ways do you think there are some improvements? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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