@orpheus10 first, I can’t presume to speak for
@frogman or
@learsfool . They’ll have to weigh in themselves. But what I can say is when we
look at jazz, unless we accept the premise that it encompasses more than bebop
and hard bop, then there is no need for further discussion.
“Bird was the giant among us. He was our musical and
spiritual leader. Bird died before I had a chance to let him know his message
got through to me.” Sonny Rollins, in a snippet from interview on local jazz
radio station 4/15/17
Miles carried a message too. What Sonny’s statement says is
that Miles’ legacy was through how he influenced other musicians. By the way, I
feel that’s an important distinction between Lee and Miles. Morgan was a better
bebop/hard bop trumpet player; Miles was a superior musician. That was
reflected in how Miles interacted with Gil Evans on big band and larger
ensembles, in addition to Miles’ many groups … including his two great ensembles
. Many would say they were perhaps the greatest groups ever assembled:
Coltrane, Cannonball, Bill Evans, and Paul Chambers; then Shorter, Hancock, Tony Williams,
and Ron Carter.
So, there were 8 other musicians – each considered a
virtuoso in their own right – who Miles drove to their better selves. Then you have Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, and
JJ Johnson. Adding to that list, we have those who became part of the electrified
era. True, it was the forerunner to “fusion”; but I certainly wouldn’t put it
in the same class as so-called “smooth jazz” [please don’t get me started!].
How about Chick Corea?
The most amazing thing about “Kind of Blue” is that each cut
was done in one take. It was an intricate expression of a type of jazz based
more on scales than chords. That was Miles. He communicated his vision of what
he wanted to the group, laid it out, and then they jammed. I think the result
speaks for itself. In the DVD “Herbie Hancock: Possibilities” Herbie talks
about Miles’ influence on him and his stable mates and how they all learned to
create on the fly and to exhibit exceptional artistry while staying “in the
moment.”
Miles’ view of jazz was that it was always changing and evolving
… pushing the limits. He was not alone in that. There was the “free jazz”
period, with the likes of Anthony Braxton. [I walked out on folks like Oliver
Lake and Archie Shepp]. Years ago I went to see Cannonball at the Both/And Club in SF. Joe Zawinul was on
keyboards (he would later collaborate with Miles on” Bitches Brew”). A couple
of years later Zawinul teamed up with Wayne Shorter to form Weather Report.
I went to check them out not knowing what to expect. Was it mainstream jazz?
No. It was something different; and I liked some of it. Isn’t that all that
really counts?
