Yo Miles!

Artist: Henry Kaiser , and Wadada Leo Smith
Label: Shanachie
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2

UPC: 016351504623
EAN: 0016351504623
ASIN: B000009PZP

Release Date: 1998-08-18

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Avant Garde & Free Jazz

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Listmania:

Remakes of entire (or almost entire) albums
Wadada SuperLeo
A Guide to Mr. Nels Cline, Not Just the Guitarist for Wilco
The gigs & sessions of master guitarist Henry Kaiser Part 1
A Brief History of Jazz Trumpet
why nels cline is the most important guitarist today
Miles Davis's Heirs

Tracks:

Big Fun/Hollywuud
Agharta Prelude
Miles Dewey Davis III/Great Ancestor
Black Satin
Ife
Maiysha

Tracks:

Calypso Frelimo
Moja - Nne
Themes From Jack Johnson: Yesternow/Right Off/Interlude/Tune In 5/Willie Nelson/Right Off...
Wili (For Dave)

Similar Items:

Sky Garden: Yo Miles [SACD]
Yo Miles!: Upriver
The Cellar Door Sessions 1970
Panthalassa: The Music Of Miles Davis 1969-1974
Ha!

Customer Reviews:

a noble experiment.......2004-08-23

Henry Kaiser has always been interested in the broader structures of improvisation. So when he and Wadada Leo Smith set out to produce a tribute to the great electric period of Miles Davis, they were trying to work his structures, not necessarily his sounds. And in that, they succeeded. During the era from Bitch's Brew up through the mid-1970s, Miles' music consisted basically of bass vamps and simple melodies against one and two chord harmonic structures. The basslines, melodies, and chord vamps could all be mixed and matched in different combinations as beds for extended improvisation. To this day, it remains one of the most insightful and exciting structures for improvisation yet developed, and shame on the jazz critics who shrug off this period as drug-addled noise, rather than the peak of Miles' career!

Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith, and various others set out to create new music within the framework Miles built, and in that they succeed. Long, creative improvisations over funky rhythmic beds characterize this work, and the soloists speak in their own voices. That's the good part.

The bad part, and why i'm only giving four stars, is that listening to this album just reminds us how incredibly brilliant Miles' work was. Yeah, this album is great, but it doesn't hold a candle to, say, Phaedra and Agharta, or Big Fun. They're standing in the long shadow Miles Davis cast.

Still, it's a lot of fun if you like this kind of music, and well worth the investment. But if you're not sure, then pick up some proper 1967-1975 electric Miles instead and prepare to be either amazed or boggled.

Thirty years ago, the music of Miles Davis sounded like it was from decades into the future. Today, the thirty year old music of Miles Davis STILL sounds futuristic! But hats off to this crew for trying to look into the future by looking into the past, and taking on a truly brave project that has to be measured against the finest work of one of the giants of music.

Oh, and as an added plus, this album has marvelous, insightful liner notes that will help you understand the music more. It's worth it for that alone.

Great, great, great album..........2004-05-27

Great recording, great musicianship... Wow! Stellar... If only Miles would've had Michael Manring on bass. Fantastic album and worth every cent.

One thing I liked...........2000-10-28

about this 2 CD set is the liner notes actually tells where on certain points of the Live Electric releases these songs appear, either whole or in parts. This enables the listener to draw even more appreciation for Miles and his players abilities to meld and improvise through out their songs. All the other reviews are excellent in their critiques so I can`t add more on to that, just wanted to bring out a point that I like about this outstanding release.

worth it for those who like this period of Miles.......1998-09-18

Let's face it, if you like this period of Miles, you will get this recording. There simply is not enough of this stuff that has been recorded, and none of the players from the original bands have done anything to continue this direction.
Suffice to say, if you didn't like this period in the first place, then skip it.
I think some of the settings for Leo Smith aren't his strong points, for instance when there is the need to insert a bop lick, Leo just doesn't cover the ground that Miles could. He has always been better suited in textures that are somewhat contemporary classical, such the opening to his composition "Miles Dewey III Great Ancestor". Through the years, much of Smith's trumpet playing are portrayals of rituals constituted by invocations made the bugle. This carries over strongly when he employs the wah-wah pedal. He does so with great success on Calypso Frelimo, which is the high point of the recording for me.
While not a home run, there is plenty of stuff worth checking out on this recording.

My favorite recording this year!.......1998-09-13

This is amazing 2-CD set is 2 hours and 40 minutes long! You sure get more than your money's worth here. Smith & Kaiser have gone BEYOND Miles Davis and used his musical directions to fly far far out into new musical terratory. Everyone solos amazingly and plays there hearts out. I can't say enough about how great this project is!

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