On the Corner / New York Girl / Thinkin' of One Thing and Doin' Another / Vote for Miles

Although we have long appreciated "Black Satin" from this period in the music of Miles Davis, listening to all of On the Corner was a pure delight. This is Miles masterfully embracing new sound possibilities and creating some ethereal funk. Somehow, all the funk elements, Indian ornamentation, and unstoppable rhythm to combine to create a cosmic stew. 

Moon Dreams

Rest in peace, Lee Konitz. The last surviving member of the Birth of the Cool recordings has left us. "Moon Dreams" has long been a personal favorite from those historic recording sessions, ineffably light, soothing, and dreamy. 

So What: The Life of Miles Davis

I was looking forward to finally completing John Szwed's biography of Miles Davis. His biography of Sun Ra left a major mark on me, pushing me to listen extensively to the Arkestra nearly ten years ago. At the time, I was still lacking a deeper knowledge of the general trajectory of jazz, and reading about Sun Ra led me to challenge myself by exploring other avant-garde and free jazz artists. Szwed's Miles book, however, leaves less of an impression. Perhaps due to being more familiar with Miles and his large impact on jazz for almost half a century, some of the musical commentary or social commentary was less informative. Nevertheless, So What succeeds in relating Miles Davis to his time, introducing the reader to a litany of musical, literary and artistic figures of the 20th century Miles met, influenced, or was in turn shaped by, including Sartre, Cicely Tyson, Gil Evans, and a plethora of others. Szwed knows his discography, providing succinct and useful summary or analysis of various moments in the evolution of Miles as a musician from the 1940s to the 1990s. 

Davis's background in Illinois, troubled relationship with drugs, abuse of women, and decaying health are not overlooked, either. In short, Szwed is sympathetic to his subject, but is objective enough to point out some of the failures or shortcomings of Davis's later studio albums of the 1980s. But some of his very shortcomings may also explain his greatness. His shyness is alleged to have caused him to play with his back to the audience, while his lack of strong or clear directions to members of his bands was part of a strategy of letting them stumble and make their own way. Davis's clear contributions to the development of various sub-genres of jazz, from cool to fusion, are explained in an accessible manner. Davis's social meaning, as a black musician perceived as arrogant, is parsed throughout the text. Davis, not unlike Mingus, seems to have relished a certain image of himself and his relationship to the music industry, American race relations embedded in every aspect. Davis could never escape race (despite thinking he could in his early trips to Paris), and suffering at the hands of bigoted cops certainly did not help. 

Davis's relationship with Columbia also stands out as highly problematic. Miles was constantly asking for advances and loans from the record company, which profited handsomely from his work while Davis, whose lifestyle and luxurious consumption demanded more funds, had to fight tooth and nail with Columbia for records he wanted. Fortunately, and surprisingly for those who know little about the role of Teo Macero in Miles's music, his recordings with Columbia revolutionized music through innovative use of post-production editing, ambient sounds, and a creative use of electronic instruments for new textures. Like Szwed observes, there is a continuity in Miles, despite his efforts to always look ahead to the next aesthetic movement. For Miles, his muted trumpet, use of space, and willingness to let sidemen express their own individual styles seem consistent across his career. Even in his ailing later years, Miles endeavored to stay fresh, to try new ideas or concepts. He persistently sought to escape the limitations placed upon black musical artists, to escape the narrow confines of jazz as record labels sought to define it. But, like his idol Jack Johnson, he never let you forget he was black, despite his 'cool' style, the influence of Ravel, or his embrace of elements of rock (which was filtered through Hendrix, Sly Stone). 

Directions

Randomly heard this yesterday and could not resist sharing. I have not paid proper respect to the fusion period of Miles Davis's career. 

There Is No Greater Love

Somehow I have never heard this early Miles interpretation of one of my favorite jazz standards, "There Is No Greater Love." Smooth and restrained, Miles captures the mood of this standard better than most jazz musicians. However, I am also moved by Red Garland's piano solo (or whoever the pianist is). He interjects the blues, adding an air of melancholy, which brings to mind Dinah Washington and other singers who always knew how to add that irresistible blues touch to ballads and torch songs.

Pfrancing

Forgot about this bluesy gem from Someday My Prince Will Come. Endless delight from this, also known as "No Blues."

Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)

Christmas Blues from Miles Davis and Bob Dorough. 

If I Were A Bell

My last Miles Davis phase was probably around 5 or 6 years ago, but I am revisiting many of his classic recordings. Somehow, I completely forgotten about the utter lovely "If I Were A Bell" from Relaxin' and I realize what I fool I was to focus so much of my jazz trumpet appreciation on Lee Morgan. I love Morgan, but one cannot forget Miles! Red Garland's solo is incredible, not to mention Coltrane...Miles was always excellent with ballads and sentimental standards such as this one. 

Israel

My Bill Evans phase over the last two or three weeks brought me back to "Israel." Evans loved "Israel" and "Nardis," two compositions forever associated with Miles, and I believe the lyrical trio format of Evans better suited the compositions, particularly the minor blues of "Israel" with Scott LaFaro on bass. Nevertheless, it is never a bad idea to revisit Birth of the Cool. 

But Not For Me

A favorite standard of mine done right by Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis. Infinitely better than Chet Baker's take, although I do like Baker's vocals. Now, an ideal combination would have been Miles and his band backing Baker singing the best standards. 

Cole Porter's Smiling From Heaven

Just made the cut as my favorite rendition of Cole Porter's "All of You" is a live performance in Paris from MIles Davis and John Coltrane. Although I was always drawn to recordings form his later quintet with Wayne Shorter's bluesy solos, Coltrane is majestic here with his sheets of sound. Coltrane's unique sound reminds one of Dolphy's transitional work before he blossomed, and one detects the same transitional phase in Coltrane as his improvisational skills and composing pushed him toward the revolutions he was soon about to make. 

Black Satin

One of the more interesting pieces from Miles Davis's On the Corner is a rather short funky number, "Black Satin." Combining Indian percussion and sitar with soul claps and funk, Davis and company produced the most rhythmically interesting song of Davis's jazz-funk period, and all with tabla, Miles clapping his hands, and a tabla. Sometimes it was the jazz artists who produced the most arresting funk of the 1970s, such as Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" with the African-inspired bottle blowing that opens the song. 

My Funny Valentine

Today reminded me of one of my favorite jazz classics, "My Funny Valentine," the early Miles Davis recording being my favorite. The muted trumpet, Garland's lyrical piano solo, and the gentle sway of this love song are always worth a listen. 

James Brown's Cold Sweat Meets Miles Davis's So What: The Jazz Soul of James Brown

You can definitely hear an influence of Miles Davis on James Brown's "Cold Sweat," which borrows the "So What" vamp for its own rhythmic genius. Maceo Parker and other members of Brown's band maintained some knowledge and ties to events in the jazz scene, much to the greater benefit of James Brown's music, which embraced funk for the late 1960s and 1970s while keeping an eye on the roots of funk, soul and jazz. According to the wiki page, the song's composer, Alfred Ellis, used the horn line from "So What" and Brown changed up the guitar line to make it funkier with some room for a drum solo and Maceo Parker's saxophone solo. Unlike earlier funk pieces by Brown prior to 1967, "Cold Sweat" is no longer rooted in a blues chord progression, instead, basing itself on a single chord, much like modal jazz and "So What." If you want to jam to a jazzy rendition, check this!The best version, unsurprisingly, remains Brown's original recording with the wailing sax of Maceo Parker and a little "funky drummer" Stubblefield. To hear Brown get down with a jazz orchestra conducted by jazz genius Oliver Nelson, check out these funky, jazzy, soulful songs: "This a Man's World," "For Once In My Life," "September Song," "That's My Desire," and "Your Cheatin Heart."  Brown was quite versatile, eh? He almost sounds like Joe Williams but with additional funk and soul instead of the blues.

Autumn Leaves

"Les Feuilles Mortes" (The Dead Leaves) became "Autumn Leaves" in the United States since it was believed that the title was too depressing for American audiences in the 1950s. Composed by Joseph Kosma, a Hungarian-French composer, for the 1940s French film, Les Portes de la Nuit. Yves Montand first sang the song in the film.

French chanteuse Edith Piaf also sang the song in both its French and English forms.

The American lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer in 1947 and the earliest recording was made by Jo Stafford

American pianist Roger Williams recorded a hit instrumental version of the tune in 1955

Nat King Cole also had success with the song, his version being used in the credit sequence of a 1950s film, Autumn Leaves.

Ahmad Jamal peformed a jazz-inspired take of the song which was influential for the Cannonball Adderley/Miles Davis interpretation on Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else album in 1958. Miles Davis arranged the tune for Cannonball and lifted the bassline from Ahmad Jamal's version. Of course Jamal's version is Latin-tinged and distinctive because of it.

The Cannonball Adderley/Miles Davis take features Art Blakey on drums and Cannonball's bluesy soloing. The best version of the song in my book.

Bill Evans also recorded the song a number of times. Scott LaFaro's bass takes the song into some interesting directions. LaFaro's bass is so melodic it surpasses its role as rhythm.

 "Autumn Leaves" has become one of the most enduring jazz standards, performed by jazz musicians to this day. The chord progression itself uses a sequence quite common in jazz and is quite easy for a jazz musician to practice improvising over.

The Origins of Flamenco Sketches

My favorite song from the legendary Kind of Blue is "Flamenco Sketches." It has the loosest structure on the album and is the most beautiful piece, performed as a ballad. As the title suggests, the "flamenco" or Spanish influences are only implied in the solos of the artists. Though only a little over 9 minutes long, I can't help but feel it should last forever. Bill Evans was essential for the sound of Kind of Blue and provided his own compositions for "Blue in Green" and "Flamenco Sketches," which were the two ballads for the album.

The song itself is based on the chord progression of Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time," which was used in a musical back in the 1950s. Bill Evans performed the song multiple times, and used the melody for his own composition, "Peace Piece." Evans would later reuse his own version of the song for "Flamenco Sketches," a song so alluring one can only listen with complete attention.

Here is "Some Other Time" as performed by Bill Evans

Here is "Peace Piece"

And my favorite song from Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, "Flamenco Sketches." The bassline would be reused by Davis for "Teo."

Billy Boy and John Brown's Body

Such a nice little folk song. I believe it began as a nursery rhyme. However, I feel compelled to write about it because a jazz cover by Miles Davis is on his seminal album, Milestones. Although Miles doesn't actually perform on the track (it's a trio recording that was added to the album), it's great to hear jazz musicians playing folk music. When I first heard "Billy Boy" on Milestones, I foolishly believed it was a traditional Christmas song because the piano playing does sound a bit reminiscent of Christmas music. Anywho, here is Pete Seeger and the Almanac's version of "Billy Boy."

The jazzed up version 

Ahmad Jamal also recorded "Billy Boy" a few years before Miles Davis's sidemen. His arrangement seems to have influenced the Davis recording even though the Latin percussion is not used in the latter. Still, it's always fun to hear jazz musicians play folk music!

John Brown's Body is another folk song that uses the same melody as "The Battle Hymn of the Old Republic." Obviously it's a tribute to John Brown, the great American abolitionist who lost his life after attempting to take Harper's Ferry. In my opinion, Brown remains one of the greatest American's of all time for his valiant efforts to immediately end the enslavement of millions of African-Americans. Interestingly, soul-jazz organist, Jimmy Smith, performs the song on his record Bucket. 

Here is a folksy version by Pete Seeger

Now Jimmy Smith's jazzy cover

Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, and Spanish Folk Music

A few weeks ago I discovered some of the source material for the Miles Davis-Gil Evans collaboration known as Sketches of Spain. When I first heard the album a year ago, I disliked it because I found it rather boring. A few months ago, for some reason I gave it another chance and found myself enthralled. As my appreciation for the album grew more and more, I did some research and found out that in addition to the first two songs on the album (they're based on Spanish classical compositions, "Concierto de Aranjuez" and "Will O'The Wisp"), the last three are based on Spanish folk melodies and musical forms, such as flamenco and Andalusian music.

My research into some of these Spanish folk forms brought me to Alan Lomax's field recordings of Spanish music in the 1950s or around that period. Two of the songs from Alan Lomax's  field recordings were adapted and arranged by Gil Evans for his large ensemble and Miles Davis on their 1960 release, Sketches of Spain. The two folk songs used by Evans are "Alborada de Vigo," a song from Galicia in northwestern Spain, and "Saeta," religious music performed in the towns of Andalusia during Semana Santa, or Holy Week. Lomax's recording of "Alborada" features flute and is much shorter than Gil Evan's vision of it. "Saeta," however, is arranged quite faithfully by Evans. It mixes the march and horns with the flamenco/Middle-Eastern-styled vocals of the Spanish singer in Lomax's recordings. Indeed, Gil Evans and Miles Davis's version of "Saeta" is so faithful that Davis's solo echoes the haunting beauty of the Spanish vocalist.

Here is "Alborada de Vigo"
http://grooveshark.com/s/Alborada+De+Vigo/3Tyl2w?src=5

And "The Pan Piper," the song from Gil Evans and Miles Davis which is takes the melody for the opening line.

Alan Lomax's field recording of "Saeta" in Sevilla or some other Andalusian town. Love the melismatic singing
http://grooveshark.com/s/Saeta/3TyxA5?src=5

Miles And Gil Evans

The final track on Sketches of Spain is "Solea," which is based on a form of flamenco form/dance.
Here is Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia performing a solea

Here is a dance

And now the jazzed up version

Of course Miles had explored Spanish music prior to Sketches of Spain. Indeed, two of my favorite Spanish-inflected Miles Davis songs are "Flamenco Sketches" from Kind of Blue and "Teo" from Someday My Prince Will Come. "Flamenco Sketches" is just that: sketches. It's built on Bill Evan's light piano (which is based on his own interpretation of a jazz standard, "Some Other Time"). The Spanish influences are only heard in the solos. "Teo," like "Flamenco Sketches," features John Coltrane on sax but has a much stronger and interesting drumming.