Miles in the Sky - The End of the Second Quintet

Wow!  I remember the first time that I heard Miles in the Sky.  I was in high school and I had just started listening to jazz, but there was one problem, the interminable amount of jazz recordings that are available to a nascent jazz musician made finding something appropriate to listen to a formidable task.  Some of my friends were already forming quartets and exploring the music.  When I asked, "What is jazz?" and "What should I listen to?" I was directed towards Miles Davis.  This was great advice, however, I had no idea who Miles Davis was and that his footprint on the world of music was so vast and diverse that I would be inundated with a myriad of options.  So, off to the music store for some Miles.  When I arrived I found an album with a very hip and colorful cover called Miles in the Sky.  Immediately I thought, "Well, this is Miles and this is what I should be listening to."  I learned later that I should have bought Kind of Blue or one of his Prestige recordings because I was only learning how to play over standard changes.  When I arrived home and put the record on, I just didn't get it.  I couldn't follow along with The Real Book charts and I really didn't understand what was going on in the recording.  So, I put the recording on the shelf for awhile.

I returned to the album a few years later when my ears had matured and the recording was more easily digestible.  Miles in the Sky was recorded over three days in May 1968 and is the fifth and last studio album Miles' second quintet recorded together.  The album also precipitates Miles' ensuing shift towards fusion.  Davis' next album, Filles de Kilimanjaro, would begin to shift personnel.  On the first track ("Stuff") Herbie Hancock uses the Rhodes, which is the first time that Miles had a pianist use it and would become a featured instrument on the upcoming fusion albums (Filles de Kilimanjaro, In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew).  The album does have a slight variation in personnel with George Benson playing guitar on "Paraphernalia".  The recording is basically four long jams (six if you include the alternate takes) that have direction, groove and evolve, although some listeners may want more from the recording as Miles in the Sky is a direct push away from conventional jazz.  Miles in the Sky helps prepare listeners for Filles de Kilimanjaro, In a Silent Way, and Bitches Brew.

Bluegrass Heritage

Right before I moved out of Raleigh, North Carolina I began listening to more and more bluegrass.  My bluegrass expertise was limited to Bela Fleck and David Grisman and I have been lucky enough to see both artists (Bela playing bluegrass not with the Flecktones).  After both music experiences, I realized how much I enjoyed the high energy sound of bluegrass and I began to search for artists in North Carolina.  One group, which I think I will dedicate an entire post at some point, I saw at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina called Chatham County Line was a real delight.  However, I still continued my search.  I remembered talk about the Carolina Chocolate Drops and their explosion onto the bluegrass scene.  I didn't want their newest album Genuine Negro Jig because I wanted something a little older to give me a frame of reference, so I picked up their 2008 album Heritage which is really a breath of fresh air to my ears.  Heritage consists of old-time string band music drawing on the old bluegrass traditions of the 20s and 30s while incorporating spoken word, blues, and a cappella.  The album recognizes the important role that African-Americans played in the development of the music.

I will spare myself the embarrassment of trying to dissect each track in detail, but I would like to mention a few of my favorites so far.  The first track on the album is "Another Man Done Gone", which is an a cappella arrangement sung by Rhiannon Giddens portrays life on the chain gang.  The next song, which I could listen to all day, is the third selection on the album called "Don't Get Trouble in Your Mind".  I think this song embodies the liveliness and energy that drew me to bluegrass and resonates because we try our best not to sweat the troubles of the day.  The final song that I would like to mention is the second to last track on the album called "Banjo Dreams: Jalidong".  The song begins with Giddens performing spoken word about her dream that the unfairness and inequality of history "falls in on itself" and , which then evolves into an uplifting two chord inspirational and hopeful tune.  These are only a few selections, but I find myself listening to every track equally.  Still fresh to my, I cannot take Heritage off the turntable.

Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo

After being out of practice for a while and not exercising my listening chops, I was lucky enough to wake up this morning to find Branford and Calderazzo's "Top 5 Jazz Duos"on NPR.  Since Marsalis and Calderazzo were discussing their top duos, I figured that means they must have recently recorded a duo album themselves and sure enough they did.  The idea for their new album Songs of Mirth and Melancholy, which was recently released, was inspired after a duo performance at the 2009 Newport Jazz Festival.  While I have not yet listened to their top tier duo list, which includes Don Byas and Slam Stewart, Bill Evans and Tony Bennett, Monk and Coltrane, Sinatra and Basie, and Ellington and Ray Brown, I did begin my morning listen by throwing on their small stage duo performance from the inspirational 2009 Newport Jazz Festival.  This is a perfect way to both wake up and get back into the spirit of listening on a regular basis.  The hour long recording begins with a bump in the road in which there is a minor sound issue, but the audience's anxiety is short lived and the fears of the eager listeners are quickly quelled when Marsalis and Calderazzo resume their performance without missing a beat (sorry for the pun, it was unintentional).  The duo performed four songs ("Just You, Just Me", "Hope", "Cheek to Cheek", and "Eternal") over the duration of their set.

The interplay and connection that Marsalis and Calderazzo exhibit, which is nothing new since they have been performing together for years and live in close proximity of each other in North Carolina, provide a clinic to pianists and saxophonists alike.  Especially for those pianist, like myself, who would like stop overplaying when duetting with other instrumentalists.  Well, this is my humble beginning to hopefully a litany of posts about music that I enjoy.  Only time will tell.  Now time to listen to Marsalis and Calderazzo's "Top 5 Jazz Duo Albums".