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Jazz legend Miles Davis' name came up frequently when talking with local jazz artists. Using Davis' "Bitches Brew," an eclectic mix of rock and jazz as a point of reference, Damani Phillips created a musical map for novice jazz fans.
Looking back (albums before "Bitches Brew")
"Cape Verdean Blues" (1965) - Horace Silver
Horace Silver is the quintessence of hard bop, which is jazz that mirrors bebop in intensity and harmonic complexity, yet invites the musician to return to the roots of black music by combining elements of the blues, funk, gospel, rhythm and blues and other popular styles of music rooted in the African-American community. Horace Silver is one of the most prolific and skilled composer/arrangers in jazz history, and his arrangements of songs like "Nutville" and "Pretty Eyes" becomes a standard for established jazz groups. Also, Horace works with sidemen Joe Henderson (tenor sax) and Woody Shaw (trumpet) on this album - both of whom move on to become significant musical forces in the jazz world.
"Kind of Blue" (1959) - Miles Davis
To truly appreciate his work in the '70s, it's extremely important to know Miles' past. Davis has a particular talent for picking sidemen, and constantly surrounded himself with the best and brightest young talent throughout his career. Beyond being a groundbreaking album, Davis brings together an all-star lineup of musicians for this album, including John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans. While all of these musicians are innovators in their own right, together they play with an ease and sincerity that is accessible to and resonates with audiences of all ages and experience levels. Definitely deserving of its title as the best-selling jazz album of all time.
"Ben and Sweets" (1962) - Ben Webster and Harry "Sweets" Edison
Though recorded in 1962, two of the elder statesmen of '30s swing reunited to record this quintet album. Quite simply, this is the hardest-swinging and accessible album I've ever heard in my life. While one would think these gentlemen would succumb to pressures in the jazz world to "modernize" their approach to playing, both of these giants are innately themselves on this album. Beyond that, just about all jazz we hear today was incubated in the womb of the swing period. This album is the epitome of what swing is, and is a gem that many people tend to overlook.
After "Bitch's Brew"
"Paint the World" (1993) - Chick Corea Elektric Band II
With Corea being at the center of the music contained on "Bitches Brew," his Elektric Band albums are a logical next step for fans of '70s Miles Davis. The dominance of electrified instruments makes this album directly relatable to "Bitches Brew," yet Corea explores fresh and imaginative new directions in his work on the album. In choosing John Patitucci, Dave Weckl and Frank Gambale as sidemen on the album, Corea assembles a substantive lineup of important and influential musicians that are significant performers in their own right. Decidedly jazz orientation, the music on this album is a perfect mix between eclectic and familiar. Even if you're not quite sold on the concept of "jazz fusion," this is an album that can be appreciated by a wide variety of people.
"Gumbo Nouveau" (1995) - Nicholas Payton
This album is a perfect mix of old and new, consisting of Payton's reharmonized arrangements of select New Orleans jazz standards. Beyond paying homage to the music of the city widely regarded as the cradle of life for jazz music, Payton's arrangements are fresh, imaginative and accessible to novice and experienced listeners alike. Payton is an absolute tour de force on trumpet, with a soulfulness that is undeniable and infectious.
