100 Sideway Miles

Jazz and film noir are perfect bedfellows, as evidenced by the soundtrack of Louis Malle's Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Lift to the Scaffold). This dark and seductive tale is wonderfully accentuated by the late-'50s cool or bop music of Miles Davis, played with French jazzmen - bassist Pierre Michelot, pianist René Urtreger, and tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen - and American expatriate drummer Kenny Clarke. This recording evokes the sensual nature of a mysterious chanteuse and the contrasting scurrying rat race lifestyle of the times, when the popularity of the automobile, cigarettes, and the late-night bar scene were central figures. Davis had seen a screening of the movie prior to his making of this music, and knew exactly how to portray the smoky hazed or frantic scenes though sonic imagery, dictated by the trumpeter mainly in D-minor and C-seventh chords…

Featuring rap vocals by Rappin' is Fundamental superimposed over a trumpet line by Miles Davis, this album is a Japanese import EP. The vocals are smooth bass and Davis' music is classic, but the lyrics are superficial and this concept has been much better executed before by bands like US3 and Guru. The remixes of each of the songs on this album don't add much to the collection.

If you are familiar with the fragile, faltering trumpet sound Miles Davis revealed on his return to music in 1982 the first thing that will strike you here is that by 1985 the 'prince of darkness' had his strength and his embouchure back. By '85 Miles is both up to it and up for it. As are his band. Seasoned tenor firebrand Bob Berg and guitarist John Scofield share the frontline; Darryl Jones deploys his industrial strength funk bass to maximum effect and Miles' nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. proves that the drum kit Davis bought him as a Star kid was a sound investment. As always with Miles the set list is drawn from contemporaneous releases: Star People (1983), Decoy (1984) and predominantly You're Under Arrest (1985). Performed on July 28, 1985 at Yomiuri Land, Open Theatre East, Inagi, Japan and broadcast on NHK radio.

Mia Brentano’s Hidden Sea. 20 songs for 2 pianos. That’s the title of a CD released in 2018 by a hitherto unknown newcomer, containing works made available for the first time. The album was surprisingly successful, and in the USA, the classic magazine Fanfare rated it as one of the best albums of the year. The catchy music from the “no-man’s-land between classical, jazz, pop and minimal music” seems to have struck a chord, especially as it was played by two wonderful young pianists who could easily handle the virtuoso pieces.

Aura is a concept album by Miles Davis, produced by Palle Mikkelborg, released in 1989. All compositions and arrangements are by Danish composer/trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, who created the suite in tribute to Miles Davis when Davis received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize in December 1984, the year Decoy was released.The album won a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance.

1970 serves as a tectonic shift within the crossroads of American popular music. With rock and roll on the cusp of dive bombing into its arena-era, the more adventurous and esoteric off-shoots tended to be whisked away from the spotlight while oppressive corporate behemoths drooled at the opportunity to rule labels, touring, publicity and all of their ancillary business interests with an iron fist.

Italian pianist turned DJ Robert Miles scored a massive international hit with his wonderful, dreamy dance cut "Children" (one of the 1990s biggest and best dance hits) from his debut album Dreamland. The album at times sounds as if it were one continuous song (or set of beats with similar chord progressions) stretched over an hour, which may detract some, but, in essence, is what makes his sonic dreamscape so engaging. It's at once both dancefloor and chill out material; one of those discs where one can hit the play button, drift into a different dimension, and forget about worldly worries. Dreamland, which is both melancholy and blissful, succeeds in its simplicity. Highlights include the second single, "Fable," which continues with the same formula he utilized in "Children," this time using ethereal female chant-like vocals (also included is an instrumental version of "Fable")…