Comment by Slow_Hand | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Slow_Hand | Hacker News Reader

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Huge fan of both records. As a massive Miles fan they're probably the two that I can come back to again and again when I'm looking to get kicked in the pants, musically. I suspect a lot of people are going to be alienated by 'Dark Magus' in particular, but the energy of his bands in this era is astounding. Really wild stuff.

A personal favorite of mine is 'What I Say (Live)' off of 'Live Evil. That bass line is the foundation for a lot of my own playing and Keith Jarrett is on FIRE in this performance. It's a shame that his Miles performances are the only ones where we got to hear him in this idiom.

I'm also a huge fan of 'In a Silent Way' and 'On the Corner'. I suppose my fav Mile's records are the ones where he was really pushing the boundaries of music. It reminds me of the tag that started appearing on his record around the era of 'In a Silent Way': "Directions in music by Miles Davis."

Edit: Wow. The reviewer really just skipped right over these two records. I guess they're probably niche for most people. That's too bad, cause they're the most bombastic records in his catalog and really highlight his range and the depths of his innovations. Oh well.

You're right about that bassline! I love the full, round but tight tone.

You might like Richard Bona and Linley Marthe, both of whom played with Joe Zawinul's Syndicate project. They both have that similar kind of solid tone.

- https://youtu.be/c4zNb01nA_A - https://youtu.be/ppNFJbMrOHw

Yeah. Michael Henderson on bass. He was only 19-20 at the time of that record. One aspect I love about Miles is his eye for talent, and his openness to switching it up and bringing in new players of diverse background.

I forget who, but one of the 'Dark Magus' era players is on record describing how Miles would just throw in some wildcard players to keep everyone fresh and on their toes. I believe 'Dark Magus' itself features two players who had not played with Miles prior that gig and didn't know each other. Imagine that! Your first time (ever) playing with Miles is on stage at Carnegie Hall with a band who's never played with you. Talk about trial by fire.

I think it was in his biography. They had some disagreement about money with one of the players. The guy was out and a new young guy came in as a replacement directly to the gig.

Man, I love that live, and all the music from that period of Miles' career.

On The Corner is one of my favorite albums of all time.

The opening of Live Evil is one of my favorite bass grooves of all time. A good portion of that album is very difficult to sit through, though. Interesting intellectually and historically but not something I find myself putting on for pleasure. Something about the trumpet does not lend itself well to electronic treatments IMO.

Man, I feel you. High intensity trumpet can be so grating. If a trumpet is going to be played in it’s higher registers with a lot of intensity it’s usually more palatable if it’s blended into other sounds to create a composite. Adding some lower tones really softens the edge and balances it out.

That’s the art of arranging music. You can write a good song and you can perform it well, but an arranger who knows how to blend the colors of sound will make you feel it in a tactile way. It’s probably the aspect of music that feels most like cooking to me: It’s like having a savory base with an acidic note that cuts across everything. Control of musical texture is so broad and rewarding when you stumble on something exciting and “right”.

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