Rooster_Ties Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 (edited) AMG reviews: First One, Second One (no review), Third One (crap, no review either) Just picked up the latest (third) "Yo Miles!" release today -- called "Upriver". I loved the first "Yo Miles!" release from like 1998 (god, has it really been that long ago?? ), and I never dreamed there'd be not one -- but TWO more double-CD's of material by this group (basically Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith, and a round-robin cavalcade of others -- particularly Greg Osby). All three "Yo Miles!" releases have had over 150 minutes of music each -- so we're talkin' a total of almost 8 hours of music. (And no, quantity is definitely not more important than quality. But quality in this quantity is rare, I will say that.) I dare say that I think much of this material is every bit as good as the original, and in a few cases - even surpassing the original ( ). I've loaned out that first "Yo Miles!" release to a couple different people, as a sort of more focused primer for Miles' electric era (more focused than the original, to some extent). (IMHO, I should say.) Don't get me wrong -- I love the original (Miles from 1969-1975), and I've got a ton of it. But sometimes, I do think I get a little more of what I love about the original, per-square-inch, in these "Yo Miles!" dates --- than I do in some of the original Miles recordings ( ). Several other electric-era Miles tributes over the last 10 years or so (not many before that, that I'm aware of though). What are your favorites?? What have fallen short of the mark?? What have been the most inventive, in taking the electric-Miles vision places it'd never been before (while staying true to the original, at least in concept, if not in exact execution). Or are the "Yo Miles!" releases not all they're cracked up to be?? Discuss... Edited March 21, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted March 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 (edited) Oh, and what are the earliest examples of people covering electric Miles tunes??? I know Eddie Henderson was practically THE earliest master at taking Miles' electric concepts (on trumpet in particular, but also replicating the whole concept/context as well -- thought not exactly, putting his on spin on things, somewhat), and running with them. (FWIW, I absolutely love Henderson's first two dates on Capricorn - both from 1973). But in terms of actually covering tunes that Miles first played between 1969 and 1975, what were some of the first such interpretations?? That said, I guess this probably is as good a thread as any to discuss Eddie Henderson and any other folks who have outright copped Miles electric-era style. Edited March 18, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 It's funny... I meant to start a thread about this group last week. I've downloaded two shows that were seeded on EasyTree (and might be available elsewhere), 5 CDs total. My conclusion is that I need to get the officially released stuff ASAP. My preliminary verdict is: it's great music, and they're tackling it in an interesting way that doesn't exactly replicate the '72-'75 band. But at the same time, it's missing a certain Milesianness that makes albums like Agharta and Pangaea so otherworldly. Yo Miles! is about having fun with this music, but those albums aren't about "having fun". Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 I have had "Yo Miles" since its release and enjoy it. . .but I admit like Guy I feel it lacks something and I miss the something. I'll have to try one of the other two soon. One early emulation of this sound (sort of) was a Dave Liebman ECM, "Lookout Farm," quite a successful effort in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fent99 Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 What I've heard I liked and agree that there a sense of enjoyment about these which is to be enjoyed the show seeded by Henry Kaiser Here...is excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave9199 Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Love the topic discription of this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 I've got to agree with Rooster Ties. I love this band. Seems to add a lot of meaning to the Miles material they cover. And it's good to hear Leo Smith stretch out even if he's plugged in. Amazon have just shipped Upriver today so I'll be waiting for the postman tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Oh, and what are the earliest examples of people covering electric Miles tunes??? I know Eddie Henderson was practically THE earliest master at taking Miles' electric concepts (on trumpet in particular, but also replicating the whole concept/context as well -- thought not exactly, putting his on spin on things, somewhat), and running with them. (FWIW, I absolutely love Henderson's first two dates on Capricorn - both from 1973). But in terms of actually covering tunes that Miles first played between 1969 and 1975, what were some of the first such interpretations?? That said, I guess this probably is as good a thread as any to discuss Eddie Henderson and any other folks who have outright copped Miles electric-era style. 1975, later than E. Henderson, but besides Lucas, you got M. Henderson & Mtume on hand, straight from the source, along w/Hubert Eaves, Howard King, & John Stubblefield, a.o. No Miles covers, but one side of the album is very much in the pre-retirement mode. The other side's not, alas. Made for East Wind, released in the US by Inner City in 1978, probably been reissued somewhere by somebody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Michael Henderson's project w/Sonny Fortune, Ndugu Chancler, & Badal Roy from the old days, Barry Finnerty from the earliest comeback, & organist Michael Wolff from somewhere. Not as radical as the origianl outfit, but they do cop a most serious groove and do bear investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Has this one (they actually do "tunes" --more like themes and turnaround phrases!-- from the MD group) made it to cd? I'd like to have it on cd! Lookout Farm, ECM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WD45 Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 What I've heard I liked and agree that there a sense of enjoyment about these which is to be enjoyed the show seeded by Henry Kaiser Here...is excellent! How long do these .shn shows take to download, on a good day with a cable modem? One album that I think borrows heavily from this era is Squarepusher's "Music is Rotted One Note." Tunes are much more brief and more abstract, but still worth a listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted March 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 What I've heard I liked and agree that there a sense of enjoyment about these which is to be enjoyed the show seeded by Henry Kaiser Here... is excellent! Thanks a ton for that link. Downloaded the mp3's for one of the shows late last night. Got the whole thing down in about 10 minutes (about 90-95 minutes o' music). Didnt' have a go (yet) at any of the "lossless" formats, but probably will try to figure that out sometime though -- since one of the two shows is only available that way (no mp3's), far as I can tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 This one's good from the marvellous Finnish orchestra: Electric Miles seems to be a take-off point for quite a few contemporary bands. Three I've seen in recent years in the UK: Matthew Bourne - something of a young whizz kid who I can't quite decide on at present; but he did a very impressive full-on electric blast at a concert a few years back. Martin France's 'Spin Marvel' - a great drummer from the Loose Tubes/Django Bates area of UK jazz. This band with John Parricelli and Mike Walker on guitars and Iain Ballamy on soprano worked beautifully through 70s Milesish electric soundscapes. I believe they have a recording coming out soon as part of the F-IRE collective movement though Mike Walker might not be with them (a pity). Gerard Presencer - after some pretty disappointing discs this trumpet/fluegelhorn player came out a year or so back with a very nice electric disc which draws off that sound world: Some of the recent Dave Douglas disc are clearly rooted there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Has this one (they actually do "tunes" --more like themes and turnaround phrases!-- from the MD group) made it to cd? I'd like to have it on cd! Lookout Farm, ECM I've got the feeling that that album was on the list of ECMs that have still to make it to CD. I have the vinyl - very nice session, a good complement to the ECM Priesters of that vintage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Thanks. I haven't seen it either and I thought it was still AWOL from cd. I've got the vinyl too, bought shortly after release. . . it's WORN happily! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Williams Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Mark Isham's Miles Remembered: The Silent Way Project had a few plays chez moi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted March 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 (edited) I listened to most of the latest "Yo Miles!" release today (all of disc #1, and half of disc #2), while I was in the same room with my wife, who was reading the Sunday paper, and kinda watching some college hoops with the mute on (since her beloved Jayhawks lost, she's less fanatical about college b-ball than usual). Anyway, I was pretty surprised that she managed to sit through almost 2-hours(!) of this kind of material, without ever telling me to change it to something else. She's not much of a fan of busy, "noodly" jazz (especially with saxophone) -- but somehow the "Yo! Miles" stuff (even with lots of Greg Osby ) didn't bug her nearly as much as most of my other favorite jazz music. Nothing more to report about this, I guess. Just an interesting observation, and one I hadn't expected. Edit: Except to say that I'm sure she would have had me turn off similar-sounding stuff from Miles himself, say, if I had put on any of his live material from the 70's. Or, really, most of his studio material from that era too. I wouldn't call the "Yo Miles!" stuff "Electric Miles"-lite. But, for some reason, it does go down a little easier. Less "screaming" sax solos, is one thing. Edited December 9, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 There's a new "guitar/fusion"-centric tribute to electric-era Miles out - that I picked up about a month ago. Don't have it with me at the moment (at work), but wanted to post about it to this thread before I forgot about it. (I'll update this post later tonight with all the details.) I think It's generally pretty good, especially if you like "traditional 70's/80's" fusion. Personally, I'd probably give it a B/B+ (cuz I'm not the biggest fusion fan, otherwise I'd maybe give it an A-). Good selection of tunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 There's a new "guitar/fusion"-centric tribute to electric-era Miles out - that I picked up about a month ago. Don't have it with me at the moment (at work), but wanted to post about it to this thread before I forgot about it. (I'll update this post later tonight with all the details.) I think It's generally pretty good, especially if you like "traditional 70's/80's" fusion. Personally, I'd probably give it a B/B+ (cuz I'm not the biggest fusion fan, otherwise I'd maybe give it an A-). Good selection of tunes. ← Fusion For Miles: A Tribute In Guitar A Bitchin' Brew? I have it on my want list but never got around to buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 (edited) Yup, that's the one... AMG Review -- by Scott Yanow Titled Fusion for Miles: A Guitar Tribute, this set is a bit unusual. A five-piece band that includes Dave Liebman on soprano sets up grooves and backgrounds that sound like Miles Davis' bands of 1969-1971. A different guitarist is featured on each of the ten selections, with the biggest names being Mike Stern, Bill Frisell, Bill Connors, and Pat Martino. Ironically, those four are each featured on pre-fusion Davis-associated songs ("So What," "Nefertiti," "Eighty-One," and "Serpent's Tooth") that are performed with funk rhythms and as if Davis had revived them in 1970. In addition to having a string of guitars in the foreground, it is unusual to hear this music without any trumpeters. But overall, the project is successful with plenty of fireworks and creative playing along the way, reviving music from 35 years earlier that still manages to sound fresh and slightly menacing. Here's the tunes and featured soloists... Title Performer Time 1 Black Satin Jimmy Herring 6:28 2 Splatch Jeff Richman 5:05 3 Jean Pierre Eric Johnson 6:23 4 So What Mike Stern 5:53 5 Nefertiti Bill Frisell 5:41 6 Eighty One Bill Connors 6:09 7 Serpents Tooth Pat Martino 5:25 8 It's About That Time Warren Haynes 6:10 9 Back Seat Betty Steve Kimock 6:29 10 Spanish Key Bireli Lagrene 9:12 Edited November 11, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 I've heard that one and will not be buying it. Not even used. Not even for free. Didn't find it appealing at all. In fact, it got on my nerves and made me want to stop it before it was over. I resisted, but at disc's end I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't have. A very disappointing side for me. Pissed me off, in fact, and that doesn't happen all that often. YMMV, of course. The Yo, Miles stuff, otoh, I dig very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 I've heard that one and will not be buying it. Not even used. Not even for free. Didn't find it appealing at all. In fact, it got on my nerves and made me want to stop it before it was over. I resisted, but at disc's end I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't have. A very disappointing side for me. Pissed me off, in fact, and that doesn't happen all that often. YMMV, of course.← Was it the "traditional fusion" aspect that did it (or didn't do it) for you, Jim?? Normally my reaction to most "fusion" is the same -- but for this release I kinda put my natural reaction away on the shelf, and just went with it. Liking the tunes as much as I did, I decided to meet the material half-way, and on those terms - I enjoyed it. (But if it was the "fusion" aspect that killed it for you -- I totally understand where you're comin' from.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Nah, I don't mind fusion at all (although I do mind FUSION, if you know what I mean...). It was just that nobody was digging into the material. The whole thing just seemed super-slick and pretty shallow overall. There's nothing on here that couldn't pass muster on a mainstream "contemporary" jazz radio station. All sheen and no guts. Definitely no danger (in these times, it's quite easy to play "advanced" music w/o breaking a sweat. That's what happens when "avant-garde" of all varieties - and electric Miles was definitely "avant-garde" - hangs around being stigmatized/ghettoized for 30-50 years - you can pawn it off to a society that's past-due to hear it as "exciting" and "fresh" when it's really antything but). That's no "tribute" to Miles, electric or otherwise! "Gimmick" is the word that kept coming to mind, like the producers and players were more into the concept than they were the actual music they put out behind it. That's gonna bug me no matter what the idiom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Glad, in a perverse sort of way, to here JSngry dis this since otherwise I'd be tempted just to hear Frisell play Nefertitti... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 (edited) Nah, I don't mind fusion at all (although I do mind FUSION, if you know what I mean...). It was just that nobody was digging into the material. The whole thing just seemed super-slick and pretty shallow overall. Well, isn't that what "traditional 80's/90's fusion" is all about?? Super-slick and pretty shallow. That's my basic reaction to almost all "80's/90's" fusion (which I guess is what you're calling "FUSION" in the quote above). It's a whole style that basically does nothing for me. Now given my expectations (about and around "nothing"), I found myself diggin' the proceedings a bit more than my usual expectations for that sort of thing. Glass half full kinda reaction, I guess. Coulda said half empty, just as easily. Edited November 12, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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