Album review: Miles Davis' 'Bitches Brew Live' | Culture Monster | Los Angeles Times

Album review: Miles Davis' 'Bitches Brew Live' | Culture Monster | Los Angeles Times

The latest in a recent string of newly packaged music from jazz’s past, "Bitches Brew Live" combines only the second CD release of Miles Davis' 1970 performance at Isle of Wight (issued on DVD in 2004 and on recent complete catalog CD sets) and three previously unheard live tracks from the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival. Tempting stuff for Davis completists.

Given the music industry's ongoing addiction to reissues, jazz fans could be forgiven for suffering a bit of Davis fatigue. They recently have seen the release of two complete catalog sets, no less than eight boxed collections of album outtakes and, most recently, a sumptuous 40th anniversary edition of "Bitches Brew" similar to 2008's "Kind of Blue" collector's set -- and that doesn't even get into the many two-disc "Legacy Collections" out there. All in all, a pretty busy release schedule for a guy who's been dead almost 20 years.

The question is, does the average jazz fan need yet another Miles Davis set?

In a word, probably. In fact, this album could be the choice for anyone who's heard all the (justified) hype and acclaim behind the jazz-meets-rock amalgam "Bitches Brew" but hasn't been able to crack its dark and sometimes thorny code. Along with the six-disc "Cellar Door Sessions 1970," this recording beautifully showcases the fire-breathing power of Davis' band onstage.

Backed by an all-star band of Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette (weirdly, Wayne Shorter got stuck in traffic and missed this set), Davis' trumpet is a fluid, nimble presence on Newport's opener "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down," which carries a more boisterous edge than the album's version recorded six weeks later. Holland can be tough to pick up here given that he was still on an acoustic bass, but his battery mate DeJohnette shines, playing off Corea's keyboard punches on the "In a Silent Way" track "It's About That Time" with the controlled fury of an oncoming train. The complete picture of "Bitches Brew" wasn't in place yet, but hearing Davis and his band open up the throttle in these early stages is often remarkable.

By the time the Isle of Wight set was recorded in August 1970, Davis' vision for merging jazz, rock and funk was in full bloom. Saxophonist Gary Bartz has taken over for the departed Shorter (whom you can hear on the 2001 live release from 1970, "It's About That Time") and the band has expanded to a six-piece with Keith Jarrett joining Corea as a second keyboardist and Airto Moreira adding percussive spikes and blurts.

The title track from "Bitches Brew," a tough sell for neophytes with its spaced-out trumpet flares on the 26-minute studio version, here reveals its heavy funk heart with Corea grinding out guitar-like tones from his keyboard over its economical 10 minutes. The swaggering groove of "Spanish Key" is highlighted by an unhinged solo from Bartz, and the duplicate takes on "Sanctuary" and "It's About That Time" hardly feel like the same song with the many new colors added by this lineup, underscoring the constant invention and reinvention of this period for Davis.

Certainly, it's easy to grow weary of all the reissues that have been scraped from the vaults over the years and targeted to deep-pocketed collectors. But when a single album documents a period this influential and sounds this good doing it, it's even easier to come back for more.

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Corea trio powerful, playful

Image via WikipediaCorea trio powerful, playful

hen a jazz concert doesn't get off the ground, some times too much rehearsing is to blame. The music becomes more about executing than searching, more about musicians reciting than listening to each other and throwing off creative sparks together.

But when Chick Corea and his trio played in Dominion-Chalmers United Church on Sunday, the first thing the 69-year-old pianist told the crowd was, "We're going to rehearse on you a little bit." A set of powerful, playful music resulted, from three of jazz's most recognizable players.

Corea was punchy and romantic, florid and fantastic, unleashing hand-over-hand feats at the keyboard. Bassist Christian McBride impressed with his big-as-a-house beat and the virtuosity of his solos. Drummer Brian Blade personified in-the-moment creativity and commitment, and when he swatted his cymbals it felt like the musical equivalent of "Amen!"

They were all like mighty orators, and their concert's best moments happened when they spoke with one spontaneous voice.

Serenity, a Joe Henderson piece, seemed like a subdued start to things. But the music grew more vivid with every tune, perhaps with the musicians becoming increasingly comfortable with the acoustics and with the audience.

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Wynton Marsalis, Band Share Stages With New York Philharmonic, Roy Haynes - Bloomberg

Image via WikipediaWynton Marsalis, Band Share Stages With New York Philharmonic, Roy Haynes - Bloomberg

When the Berlin, Los Angeles and New York philharmonic orchestras wanted to commission a symphony with a jazzy mood and feel, it wasn’t hard to find the artist with the right credentials.

Wynton Marsalis, the first musician to win both jazz and classical Grammy Awards in a single year, will present the U.S. premiere of his “Swing Symphony” at Manhattan’s Avery Fisher Hall tomorrow night. The backing band for Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be the New York Philharmonic led by Alan Gilbert.

“I wanted to do something joyous and dramatic,” said Marsalis, the jazz center’s artistic director, in a telephone interview. “I wanted something we could play together and both ensembles could be challenged.” The composition, the New Orleans-born trumpeter’s third numbered symphony, had its world debut in Germany in June.

After Marsalis leaves the stage, Gilbert and company will perform Richard Strauss’s tone poem for orchestra, “Don Juan,” and Paul Hindemith’s “Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber.” The opening night gala is sponsored by Breguet, the Swiss watchmaker.

For his second gala of the week, on Saturday Marsalis will engage in some spirited improvisation with Roy Haynes, the 85- year-old jazz drumming legend and fashionista, at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s season opener.

Best-Dressed List

Haynes, one of the most recorded jazz drummers in history and once on Esquire magazine’s list of the best-dressed men in the U.S., will perform with his Fountain of Youth Band. He’ll also headline a band of notables such as Panama-born pianist and Wayne Shorter cohort Danilo Perez, saxophonist Kenny Garrett and bass legend Dave Holland in addition to the guest appearance by Marsalis.

“I saw Roy play one time with (jazz pianist) Chick Corea, and I was standing backstage with four other drummers, and their jaws dropped to the floor,” Marsalis said. “Roy has brought a clarity and intelligence to drumming. The fact that he can still play with that kind of fire is beyond astounding.”

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Jazz, Very Much Alive, in Paris - NYTimes.com

Jazz, Very Much Alive, in Paris - NYTimes.com

No one embraces jazz like the French. They first fell under its spell in the 1920s, when American artists like Josephine Baker and Sidney Bechet found refuge in their country, disillusioned by the racial situation in the United States. Still among jazz’s biggest supporters, the French hold terrific festivals, like Jazz à la Villette, which runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 12 in beautiful Parc de la Villette and other venues around Paris.

The festival, which actually ranges beyond jazz to include hip-hop, soul and Afro-beat, pairs seemingly dissimilar artists to give audiences rare and unusual musical experiences. “We try to show the links between jazz and the other kinds of music,” said Vincent Anglade, the festival director. “We want to abolish the frontiers and avoid the labels. We look for a good balance between European and U.S. artists, between young talent and great legends and between straight-ahead jazz and crossover.”

Opening night, for instance, brings together the avant-garde guitarist Marc Ribot and the rapper and bassist Meshell Ndegecello; the Afro-beat drummer Tony Allen, the Finnish saxophonist Jimi Tenor and the African trio Kabu Kabu collaborate on Sept. 1. Calling themselves the Now He Sings Now He Sobs Trio, the jazz superstars Chick Corea and Roy Haynes join Miroslav Vitous, a bassist formerly of the band Weather Report, in a performance on Sept. 2. And, in one of the most anticipated concerts, on Sept. 7, the renowned Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes joins the saxophonist Archie Shepp in the Afro-Cuban Project.

“It’s great to be asked who you want to play with,” Mr. Shepp said. “I don’t know another festival that does that. And then, to get the musician of your choice — in my case, wonderful Chucho, that’s incredible. I started out with a Puerto Rican ensemble and I’ve always had a fondness for Latin music, it’s so close to the feeling of dance. I’m very excited about getting back into it with him. Especially in La Villette. The audience is so responsive.”

For more information, call 33-1-44-84-44-84; for tickets, visit www.ticketnet.fr; prices range from 10 to 35 euros, about $12.50 to $43.50

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At Newport, jazz ranging to the ends of its scale - The Boston Globe

Chick Corea via last.fm

At Newport, jazz ranging to the ends of its scale - The Boston Globe

Newport fest covers traditional, eclectic

By Steve Greenlee, Globe Staff | August 9, 2010

NEWPORT, R.I. — The eclectic mix of styles that is the hallmark of the Newport Jazz Festival could not have been displayed better than it was midafternoon yesterday. As trumpeter Wynton Marsalis took his quintet through an hour of buttoned-down, straight-ahead jazz on the main stage, saxophonist Ken Vandermark’s thrash-jazz outfit Powerhouse Sound unfurled its fury on one of the two side stages.

Talk about stark differences: Legendary class act Dave Brubeck even sat in with Marsalis for a few tunes, his swiftly ascending chords defying his 89-year-old hands on a romp through “Take the ‘A’ Train.’’ When the song ended, festival founder George Wein led the audience (backed by Marsalis’s band) in singing “Happy Birthday’’ to Brubeck (who won’t turn 90 until December).

Meanwhile, Vandermark’s quartet — with electric guitar, electric bass, and drums — shredded a set of angry, noisy anti-songs that contained elements of heavy metal, punk rock, funk, and free improv. “That guy is sick,’’ one woman said as she walked out. Vandermark would probably take that as a compliment.

Under picture-postcard-perfect skies all weekend, 30 sets of wildly varied jazz unfolded on three stages in Fort Adams State Park, headlined by crowd-pleasing jazz-pop heartthrobs Jamie Cullum (Saturday) and Chris Botti (Sunday). Even if you were there for the full 16 hours, you couldn’t have taken in a fraction of what was offered. Yet you would have left satisfied.

Highlights? We’ve got your highlights right here:

Ahmad Jamal’s “Poinciana.’’ The pianist just turned 80, but he brought new life to his signature song. Jamal’s style hasn’t changed in the least over the years — sparse playing and empty spaces remain his calling cards. On “Poinciana,’’ he went silent for four and six bars at a time, then played single-note right-hand runs for six or hand bars, then threw in some block chords, and — hey, why not — tossed in a quote from “Take the ‘A’ Train.’’

Fly on Cole Porter. Fly is the leaderless trio of saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Jeff Ballard. Two songs into their set, Turner and Grenadier repeated a four-note phrase four times, after which Ballard joined in. Once everyone was grounded, Turner let go of the handle and played a series of sustained notes. Suddenly the melody of Porter’s “It’s All Right With Me’’ emerged, but the song was entirely rearranged.

Chick Corea goes free. Almost. The pianist’s new quartet of all-stars, the Freedom Band, includes alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Roy Haynes. While they didn’t go completely free-improvisation on us, they did perform with great elasticity. “OK, we’re just gonna play,’’ Corea said at the top, and they did — a speedy hard bop number, hard-driving postbop tune, and a more-off-kilter-than-usual Thelonious Monk composition.

Anat Cohen has a blast. Cohen, who is fast becoming the most interesting clarinetist of her generation, played with great physicality — lurching, thrusting, blowing at length with eyes closed and head down — but at the heart of her performance was a commitment to enjoy herself. During her quartet’s take of “After You’ve Gone’’ — one that began as a lightly bouncing ballad but turned into a riot — Cohen was having so much fun that she missed her own entrance because she was laughing. Did it harm the piece? Hardly. She had the audience in her palm.

Matt Wilson’s attention-deficit jazz. Drummer Wilson brought a quartet that included cornet, saxophone, and bass, as well as a string quartet, and they constantly found new (and humorous) ways to interact. Wilson shifted gears restlessly, often employing counter-rhythms while the horns cackled and howled. “Some Assembly Required’’ concluded with the jazz musicians shaking little colored bells while the string players plucked pizzicato-style. The playfulness evolved into a piece of maniacally upbeat raga in which the strings figured prominently. Then — of course — the band covered Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy.’’

Gretchen Parlato gives goosebumps. Working in a style that drew from bop, bossa nova, and strains of world jazz, Parlato delivered her vocals in a breathy manner, nearly whispering her lyrics. On songs like Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly,’’ her gorgeous voice behaved more like an instrument — a soprano sax here, a cello there — than something belonging to a singer. The evidence is piling up that young Ms. Parlato is the most original jazz singer in a generation.

Dave Douglas’s brass fantasy. The trumpeter’s new quintet, Brass Ecstasy, features trombone, French horn, tuba, and drums in homage to Lester Bowie. The group sounded like a bebop combo, a funk-blues outfit, and a marching band on mushrooms — sometimes in the same piece. The set’s craziest moment arrived when Marcus Rojas sang distortedly through the mouthpiece of his tuba during a cover of Hank Williams’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.’’

Moran deconstructs Monk. Pianist Jason Moran, whose trio Bandwagon has become a regular at Newport, patiently explored every nook and cranny of Monk’s “Crepuscule With Nellie,’’ unearthing new harmonic and rhythmic delights in the beautiful ballad. With his exceptional sidemen, bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, Moran accomplished an impossible feat: making a Monk tune sound like his own.

Shipp’s uncharted waters. Pianist Matthew Shipp, alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, and bassist Joe Morris performed a set of atonal free jazz with few preconceived notions of where it should go. Shipp rummaged around in the lower register, Morris plucked quickly and nimbly, and Allen engaged in cyclonic squawking through a half-hour opening number. Each part might have sounded like so much rumbling, but, if anything, the individualism of each player wound up complementing the others. Together it all coalesced and made perfect sense. You might say it was a microcosm of the Newport Jazz Festival ethos.

Steve Greenlee can be reached at greenlee@ globe.com.

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