I know I’m not alone in this, as Miles Davis was not exactly an obscure artist, but I really love Davis’ music. In fact, I like most everything he ever recorded, from bebop to cool jazz to fusion. It may be partly due to the overwhelming popularity of smooth jazz that I get the feeling like I’m alone in my enthusiasm for his work or the fact that I usually listen to albums like Big Fun and In a Silent Way in solitude.
One of the things I like the most about him was how he worked with his sidemen. Although he could have justifiably entered a studio like an untouchable genius, he allowed many of them to contribute a lot to his records. Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Joe Zawinul (to name a few) were all responsible for helping Davis constantly re-shape his sound.
At any rate, I open this week’s show with one of my favorite songs Davis ever recorded, “In a Silent Way,” as recorded later by Zawinul on a solo album. It’s an interesting piece for me, as Zawinul is the composer, and he’ recording it how sees fit. That said, it also becomes clear just how much he brought to Davis’ group, as it does feel very similar to Davis’ version.
Enough with the discussion. You can do your own research on all these guys and probably come to similar conclusions. Enjoy the show.
For the third year in a row, I will make the rounds procuring records on Black Friday. This year, however, I’m inviting anyone to join. (And trust me, if you think I’m giving out trade secrets, I could give you a running start and still beat you to the choice records.)
I’m giving you my itinerary, so you can meet up at any point along the way.
So yeah, see you bright and early on Friday!
I am playing some records at Benetti’s Coffee Experience on Sunday, to kick off the store’s weekly Sunday Spins. I will have a sign-up sheet for you to bring an album next week, so will hopefully I will be providing fewer records each week.
Most of the time at these events, I will play entire sides of albums. To keep things mixed up, I have chosen only to play one side of each album. I’ll occasionally break from this and play an entire album if warranted, like when I play A Love Supreme in a few weeks. (I already anticipate people’s criticisms about only playing half of these albums, but trust me, you will still get plenty of deep album cuts and non-singles.)
Since album sides usually run about 20-25 minutes, you can plan on a different side about every half hour. I’ll start at 6:00, so plan accordingly, if you want to hear a particular record. (I’ve included links describing the albums, so do your homework.)
Oh yeah, and I’m going to post the next episode of Radio Free Raytown tomorrow morning, making your Friday even better!
I want to pass along some random pieces of news.
First, everyone should be familiar with Poptek Records from Dayton, Ohio. Not only do they release some great pop music, but Andy Ingram also sends out a song every month to subscribers of his mailing list. Sign up today.
Next, I have to talk about the new Flaming Lips album that comes out next week. (Am I the only one who ponders the antiquated notion of release dates in our post-Napster age?) A friend of mine gave the MP3s to me last week, and I love the album. Anyone who knows me should know that, although I own quite a few of their albums, I really don’t get into much of the Lips’ catalogue. Honestly, I’ve just always been more of a fan of Mercury Rev. That said, this new album, Embryonic, is amazing. The band is clearly not playing to the crowd on this one, the drums sound like trash and Wayne’s voice is treated as an instrument again. Anyway, I just want people to be aware of this super-cool limited edition release of the album with crazy artwork.
Last, I’ll just copy and paste from an e-mail that Jeff Cloud at Velvet Blue Music sent me about one of his new bands, The Langley Sisters (who will be featured in an upcoming episode of Radio Free Raytown). This release sounds like a must-have for us vinyl nerds who dig limited edition junk.
The Langley Sisters are three lovely, young ladies from London, who craft songs from a forgotten era. Their gorgeous string, horn, and piano sections should pretty much separate them from most everything else in your inbox today ! The single for the track “Queen Bee” will be a limited edition vinyl, each jacket numbered, on white vinyl, and will of course include a download code. We should also mention that the tracks were recorded and produced by the fabulous Mr. Ed Harcourt. Late October release.
See them on the road :
09/14 Glasglow @ King Tuts w/ Paloma Faith
09/15 Manchester @ The Ruby Lounge w/ Paloma Faith
09/17 London @ Scala w/ Paloma Faith
09/20 London @ Spice of Life
10/10 London @ The Hootenany