aworks :: "new" american classical music

Bitches Brew (1969/70). Miles Davis /that '70s show/

Some good quotes by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan from the excerpt of the new 33 1/3 book on Aja:

• We liked Stevie Wonder, of course
• Those two guys called Seals & Crofts.  They had a very nice way of integrating jazz into their tunes.
• I liked Herbie Hancock’s stuff. I thought Head Hunters was kind of repetitive — those grooves would just go on — but he really knew how to get a nice sound.
• Most of the things that were called jazz rock that I was familiar with were pretty boring.
• And Bitches Brew was essentially just a big trash-out for Miles.  I haven’t really changed my mind about that.  I liked In a Silent Way, but Bitches Brew just sounded kind of funny. It would have made a good soundtrack for a Fat Albert cartoon — but not as good as the Herbie Hancock one they actually had! To me it was just silly, and out of tune, and bad. I couldn’t listen to it. It sounded like [Davis] was shooting for a funk record, and just picked the wrong guys. They didn’t understand how to play funk. They weren’t steady enough.
• You know what I kind of liked?  The Don Ellis big band.

Fagen is wrong on Bitches Brew of course and I didn't realize there were still Seals & Crofts fans. But I've been listening to Don Ellis again.

Deception (1950). Miles Davis /friday pandora 10/

Another web music gadget, this time, a pandora/emusic mashup. Play Pandora tracks and the artist's emusic page is also displayed.

I hadn't tried Pandora for awhile but here are the first set of tracks on my Quick Mix station:

1. Giant Steps. John Coltrane. I like it (obviously) and Steven Rubio happens to mention the album today as he blogs about music in my birth year.
2. No Cigar. Millencolin. New to me.
3. Deception. Miles Davis. I like it.
4. Question Everything. 8Stops7. New to me.
5. The Instantaneous Mobilization of All the Resources in the BURROW and All the Forces of My Body and Soul. Melk The G6-49. New to me and I like it.
6. First Hits. Don Caballero. Sorry, no.
7. The Seven Samurai. Photek. Pandora played it because "it features idm influences, use of modal harmonies, intricate rhythims. a slow moving bass line and extensive studio production. Pandora's right, I like it.
8. Nannou. Aphex Twin. I'm not going to show the album cover here but that picture of Richard D. James is disturbing. The music is good, though, due to its "idm influences, electronica roots, use of modal harmonies, intricate rhythms, and emphasis on instrumental performance."
9. Itsuko. Richard Divine. Via my Four Tet Pandora station, this has the "idm influences, busy beats, off beat style, a unique form, and thickly layered production" you might expect from Four Tet. I'd download this if I hadn't exhausted my emusic quota last week.
10. The Last Year. Stiv Bators. This track bears no relation to the previous nine ("mild rhythmic syncopation, extensive vamping, electric guitar riffs, and many other similarities identified in the music genome project").

Red China Blues (1972). Miles Davis

Author Paul Tingen suggests Miles Davis was fundamentally playing the blues with his sense of tight, precise rhythm and how he squeezed sound out of few notes (like a blues guitarist compared to say John Coltrane's sheets of sound). Napster has an explicit example, Red China Blues, that features Davis as well as a blues harmonica player.

He also points out that modernist Davis, unlike romanticist Louis Armstrong, played the trumpet without vibrato. He also suggests Davis doesn't sound dated because he both included and transcended his influences. As evidence, Miles' surprising take in 1950 on Dixieland music:

I don't like to hear someone put down Dixieland. Those people who say there's no music but bop are just stupid; it just shows how much they don't know.

Get up with it!

Spanish Key (1970). Miles Davis

WORDSANDMUSIC blogs about electric guitar and jazz including the music of Sonny Sharrock, James Blood Ulmer, Larry Young, and also John McLaughlin on Miles Davis' Spanish Key from Bitches Brew:

Chopping guitar reminiscent of Steve Cropper over at Stax in Memphis as well as James Brown's rhythm section, driving drums, bass ostinatos, three electric pianos playing tag, Miles flying over it all beautifully...The recording sound is bursting at the seams with the inter-locking activities and clashing timbres of this band – it must have been hell to mike up, but the raw freshness slaps out at you.

While McLaughlin's playing excites and thrills amidst the hubbub, I can never get enough of Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet improvisations on this track and on this album. I don't know why I have not heard much else by Maupin (other than other Miles Davis albums and The Jewel in the Lotus from 1974). Amazon lists Driving While Black and a new CD Penumbra.

And the Guardian has a list of 50 albums that changed music. Davis' Kind of Blue is included with this quip:

Without this ... no ominous, brooding, atmospheric trumpet behind a million radio plays and TV documentaries.

wikipedia: bitches brew

In a Silent Way (1969). Joe Zawinul

In the past, I've been one to naively pooh-pooh Davis' departure from "pure" acoustic jazz. Now, after listening to this and reminding myself that it was recorded in 1969, I am simply blown away. Fretful Porpentine

After scouring the jazz section, I picked up two Miles Davis CDs, In A Silent Way and Filles De Kilimanjaro. I've been listening to them for the last couple hours...gorgeous, soulful and timeless music! Armen Chakmakian

Now though I wanted to mention that Miles Davis's song In a Silent Way helps me pray. It is very beautiful. ChristopherSly

I keep coming back to [Van] Morrison's ultra-elongated Common One. Often dismissed as dull and indulgent, it's first of his meditational '80s works, and owes much to Miles Davis' In a Silent Way. Jim Walsh

In a Silent Way is a one of kind record that mixed the late-'60s pop and underground movement into the jazz realm. On this record Miles began to hook into the late '60s sounds that flowed from the jam bands in San Francisco. Trevor MacLaren

I'm not a fan of jam bands (except maybe the Allman Brothers' Live at Fillmore East) and yet this is great music.

recent listening: nobody knows the trouble i've seen/albert ayler. mysterious mountain/alan hovhaness/andrew litton. duo for flute and piano/james willey/richard sherman

Take It or Leave It (1969-70). Joe Zawinul /or don't go at all/

This year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are proving interesting. First, John Lydon of the Sex Pistols officially proclaims his disgust at being honored. And then, the family of Miles Davis squabbles over who gets to represent Miles at the ceremony:

'My sister, we don't even believe she was a Davis,' he [Gregory Davis] told the Daily News. 'We don't even think there will be any Davises accepting that award.'

Take It or Leave It is an outtake from the Bitches Brew album. Paul Tingen in Miles Beyond points out it is actually the middle section of In a Silent Way and calls it "ambient." Re-listening to both, I'll call In a Silent Way poignant.

Time After Time (1983). Cyndi Lauper

Miles Davis recorded the 1980s hit Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper. Ok.

Actually, it does sound ok. I've been listening to all that intense late sixties/early seventies Miles and this is a pleasing alternative.

From Raymond Chowkwanyun's review of the book So What by John Szwek, here's why Davis recorded it:

At the very end of his life he professed an unwavering admiration for Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time" and it became a staple of his concert performances. But then he had always admired singers and Frank Sinatra had a huge influence on his early playing. He wanted to play like the great singers.

iTunes        

Corrado (1969). Miles Davis

I'm working my way through The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions. On four of the outtakes, Great Expectations, Orange Lady, Yaphet, and Corrado, the band includes sitar and tabla or tamboura and on Lonely Fire and Guinnevere (the David Crosby song), sitar. I wasn't expecting that.

The liner notes suggest Corrado is a blues-like drone.

Wikipedia on producer Teo Macero's role on the recording:

Some might argue Teo Macero deserves much of the credit for Bitches Brew. His contributions were sometimes controversial, certainly important, and perhaps invaluable.

There was significant editing done to the recorded music. Short sections were spliced together to create longer pieces, and various effects were applied to the recordings.

And I never heard this connection before:

Davis's later forays into electric fusion, such as In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and A Tribute to Jack Johnson, were highlighted by Macero's innovative mixing and editing techniques. These were inspired partially by Macero's association with influential avant-garde composer Edgard Varèse, one of the innovators of taped electronic music.

The track also has Miles as a whispery crank at the beginning:

Teo: Ok, is this going to be part two?

Miles: It's going to be part nine. What difference does it make?

Teo: Alright, alright. Here we go, standby. This is part something.

iTunes

Duran (1969-70). Miles Davis /December notable tracks/

Louis Menard in the New Yorker:

From the Martian point of view, it certainly looks like a competition, because the value of “Beloved” is determined by all the things that make it different from “Paco’s Story.” It’s a relational system: the value of a cultural good is relative to the value of every other cultural good. That most of us on planet Earth deny that competition has anything to do with the esteem that we, as individuals, confer on a particular book or painting or song or movie does not mean that the Martian is wrong. Our denial is just one more thing that needs to be explained. The Martian is experiencing literature from the other side of the looking glass.

And with that introduction, here's December's notable tracks:

1. Duran [Take 6]. Miles Davis. Bitches Brew with extra funk; from the Jack Johnson album.
2. Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions. Four Tet. The only music that feels futuristic to me right now.
3. You've Changed. B. Carey/C. Fisher. Dexter Gordon. From when the phrase "smooth jazz" was a good thing.
4. Circle in the Round. Miles Davis. Dizzily compelling (no pun intended).
5. Goin' Home. Albert Ayler. Note to self: more Albert.
6. Happy Together. Turtles. For no reason, boomer nostalgia.
7. Double Music. John Cage and Lou Harrison. The Ethos Percussion Group.
8. 49 Waltzes for Tokyo. John Cage. More than the sum of its mundane parts.
9. Rain Forest. John Fahey.
10. IV Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair. Roy Harris? Laura Downes. Serious.
    
11. Double Music. John Cage and Lou Harrison. The Meadows Percussion Ensemble.
12. Can't You Hear Me Knocking. Rolling Stones. Particularly good since Mick mostly keeps his mouth shut.
13. Piano Sonata Op. 1. Arnold Schoenberg. Peter Hill.
14. Coulibaly. Amadou & Mariam. At Bimbo's 365 4/26/06.
15. This is Prophetic [Adams, Nixon in China]. John Adams. Dawn Upshaw. A singing opera.
16. Warszawa from Low Symphony. Philip Glass.
17. On Gossamer Wings. Benny Golson. Laura Downes.
18. Melissa Juice. Boards of Canada.
19. Guinnevere. Miles Davis.
20. Slow This Bird Down. Boards of Canada.
21. Symphony No.2 "Antar" Largo - Allegro Giocoso. Rimsky-Korsakov. Bergen Philharmonic. I like my Russian symphonies traditional.
22. Samba De Orfeo. John Fahey. Simple melody can be good.
23. Escalator. Arnold Dreyblatt. Bang on the Can All-Stars.
24. Für Alina. Arvo Pärt.
25. Facades. Philip Glass. John Sampen and Marilyn Shrude.
26. Movement For String Quartet. Aaron Copland.
27. Lava On Waikiki. John Fahey.
28. The Sixth Extinction Crept Up Slowly, Like Sunlight Through the Shutters, As We Looked Back In Respect. Red Sparrowes. Playing in SF later in January.
29. Theme And Variations. John Fahey.
30. Four Piano Blues-I Freely Poetic (For Leo Smith). Aaron Copland. Laura Downes.
31. III Muted And Sensuous (For William Kapell). Aaron Copland. Laura Downes. Is modernism ever muted?
32. In A Silent Way/It's About That Time. Miles Davis.
33. Letter From Abroad. John Cale. Odd and intriguing.
34. II Soft And Languid (For Andor Foldes). Aaron Copland. Laura Downes.
35. Tropical Hot Dog Night. Captain Beefheart. Where did he get so much creativity?
36. Prelude For Piano Trio. Aaron Copland. Copland can't do subtle?
37. Coda from Golem. Richard Teitelbaum. A track out of context and quite subtle but still interesting.
38. Faust. Gorillaz.
39. Sonata For Violin & Piano. Aaron Copland.
40. Postcards from America: Continuum (Postscript '97). John Sampen and Marilyn Shrude.
41. Summer Cat By My Door. John Fahey.
42. Handshake Drugs. Wilco.
43. The Crack in the Bell. Daniel Lentz.
44. Take It Or Leave It. Miles Davis. Miles short and sweet.
45. Studies for Player Piano: Study No. 5. Conlon Nancarrow. Ensemble Modern. Raggedly imprecise performance but still colorful.
46. Yes, Jesus Loves Me. John Fahey.
47. The Sea Of Love. John Fahey.
48. Twilight Time. John Fahey. Too melodically simple isn't.
49. Don't Explain. Herbie Hancock Feat. Damien Rice & Lisa Hannigan.
50. IV VV IV VV VIII. Autechre.
51. Memories. Charles Ives. Jan Degaetani, Gilbert Kalish. I've worn this song out.
52. Memo 6. John Sampen and Marilyn Shrude.
53. V Cod Liver Ile. Roy Harris. Laura Downes. Odd and unattractive.
54. IV With Bounce (For John Kirkpatrick). Aaron Copland. Laura Downes.
55. Double Music. University of Massachusetts Lowell Percussion Ensemble.
56. Un Grand sommeil Noir (Original Version). Edgard Varèse. Chailly - ASKO Ensemble. The early, apparently romantic Varèse.
57. Study No. 5. Conlon Nancarrow. Precise but the emotional resonance of window blinds.
58. Visions in Metaphor. John Sampen and Marilyn Shrude. Amorphous solo sax.
59. Critical Moments 2 (2001): IV. George Perle. Eighth Blackbird. Fragment -- iTunes organizing by track has its drawbacks.
60. Karaw. Ali Farka Toure.
61. Thisness. Miles Davis.
62. Double Image. Miles Davis.
63. The Firebird'S Lullaby. Stravinsky. Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
64. Three 2-part Studies (1940-1941): II Andantino. Conlon Nancarrow. Herbert Henck. Subtle and restrained.
65. Faster. Ekkehard Ehlers.
66. Prince Ivan Captures The Firebird. Stravinsky. Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
67. April 24, 1943: Sonata No. 2 The Alcotts. Charles Ives. Article here that, past the Hunt Lieberson news, mentions a new book Composers' Voices From Ives to Ellington: An Oral History of American Music" by Vivian Perlis and Libby Van Cleve. Cody's in SF had it in stock but my unread pile needs to shrink.
68. Sonate Op. 3. Alban Berg. Alain Neveux.

Duran (1969-70). Miles Davis

aworks version of the meme of four:

four jobs: dormitory janitor, software engineer, marketing engineer, engineering manager

four tv shows: mclaughlin group, the original bob newhart show, dragnet, ballykissangel

four movies: most mystery science theatre 3000s, fever pitch, return of the secaucus seven, wall street

four living places: saginaw mi, kokomo in, palo alto ca, menlo park ca

four vacation places: edinburgh, mono lake, cabo san lucas, nova scotia

four rather be places: amoeba sf/la/berkeley, any college music library, any arid mountain, any place while wearing headphones

four web sites (mostly real-life blog division): fearful symmetry, deconsumption, markham's behavorial health, google blog search: gable (clark, dan, jenny, et al)

four favorite foods: coconut lemongrass chicken with vietnamese hot sauce at zao's, applewood pizza, nectarines, dark-green vegetables (hi, laura)

four teams i've given up on: detroit tigers, san jose earthquakes, heart of midlothian, indiana pacers

four from john adams: shaker loops, nixon in china, violin concerto, china gates

four from miles: circle in the round, duran, in a silent way/it's about time, bitches brew