Progest Miles Davis

Interesting suggestion. Even the most die-hard Miles fans have difficulty with his 80s work. I would say that, despite the presence of loads of smooth jazz, there are still plenty of masterful works that are worth re-evaluating. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if memory serves, Aura is the one based around several colours/modes and was kept from release for a few years, right?

WalterDigsTunes wrote: Interesting suggestion. Even the most die-hard Miles fans have difficulty with his 80s work. I would say that, despite the presence of loads of smooth jazz, there are still plenty of masterful works that are worth re-evaluating. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if memory serves, Aura is the one based around several colours/modes and was kept from release for a few years, right?

Aura was composed and arranged entirely by Palle Mikkelborg but goes out with the MD moniker carelessly scribbled to the cover art. (Miles is tantamount to a guest soloist) It's decent but rather airily ambient in places and the 'stiffness' of his collaborators is hardly the ideal platform for Davis.

WalterDigsTunes wrote: Easy Money wrote: WalterDigsTunes wrote: Interesting suggestion. Even the most die-hard Miles fans have difficulty with his 80s work. I would say that, despite the presence of loads of smooth jazz, there are still plenty of masterful works that are worth re-evaluating. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if memory serves, Aura is the one based around several colours/modes and was kept from release for a few years, right? Yes, that is Aura. Re his 80s work: it can be inconsistent, but I really like 'We want Miles', 'Star People' and 'Amandla', all the other 80s albums have something good on each one. Ever heard 'Live Around the World'? I find it to be a great sampler of what his 80s bands were capable of doing onstage. I'm still waiting for those tapes he did with Prince...

I have some live Miles stuff from the 80s on a couple cassettes, its good music. Amandla was a good direction for him late in life, I think in some ways that was finally the music he always wanted to do.
I saw him live in San Francisco a couple months before he passed away and it was an incredible concert. They played a lot of the Amandla style, but Foley also ripped of some great psychedelic guitar solos to re-call the mid 70s Pete Cosey sound.
The cover version of Time After Time was way slowed down and was one of the most moving pieces of music I have ever heard, people were yelling out like it was a church service.
I've seen videos of Miles on stage with Prince, they both seem to enjoy each others limelight.

jean-marie wrote: A lot of poeple sarted to grin when miles did the cindy lauper cover but i just love it and it's fine to know i'm not alone

The live version in his latter years was like a requiem. The tempo was slowed and the beat and harmonies became abstract, just his trumpet fragmenting the melody and then a slow massive wall of keyboards for the two chords in the chorus, it was the highlight of the show I saw.