To genuinely emulate and articulate the writing and
performance style of Miles Davis--a musical icon, one of the most prolific and
recognized musicians of the last century--is a daunting task, one that becomes
vital to the entire sonic aesthetic of a film responsible for depicting this
true innovator's message. Cue modern luminary Keyon Harrold: the GRAMMY®
Award-winning platinum trumpeter, /writer and roducer who proved a natural fit for
critically acclaimed actor Don Cheadle who wrote, directed, and starred in the
legendary trumpeter's biopic, in collaboration with Robert Glasper who scored
the film's soundtrack. A powerful turning point for the Ferguson-native,
Harrold has surpassed his already stellar career highlights--collaborating with
dozens of the world's greatest musical pioneers and revolutionaries by
channeling one of his greatest musical heroes, Miles Davis: a welcomed landmark
to preface the imminent release of Harrold's next project as a leader.
For the new Miles Ahead film, Cheadle appears to be
performing so in sync with these provocative compositions that it's hard to
believe he didn't play them himself. Harrold is actually the sound behind all
of those passionate on-screen performances, except, of course, for the vintage
Davis recordings used in the biopic.
Having an actor learn to play a composition well enough to
portray it on screen is the industry standard, however in this instance,
Cheadle--who had been taking trumpet lessons for four years before
shooting--improvised his own fingerings on film, to which Harrold then composed
in post-production and sometimes simultaneously on set. But composing music in
sync with an actor's fingering isn't the only obstacle Harrold faced; the music
had to authentically convey the signature Miles Davis sound.
"It's impossible what he did. Often what we do as
actors is, after we film the movie, we go into a recording studio and overdub
anything that needs to be made clear," explains Cheadle, speaking on a
panel with Harrold and Glasper at SXSW. "This is tricky enough when using
your own voice. But what Keyon had to do was watch what we are doing and what I
was playing as a trumpeter and sync over that. They had to play over action
scenes where they would improvise over our improv, which isn't really possible;
but he did it."
It takes a special talent to not only write to what you see
someone performing, but it's a rare skill--and a true testament to Harrold's
exceptional talent--to write not only to match what's on screen, but to
parallel the unmistakable sound of Miles Davis. "I had been planning for
this opportunity all of my life in many ways. Coming from St. Louis, my mother
first bought me Miles's records when I was very young just so I could learn the
horn. He was, in many ways, one of my first teachers," says Harrold.
"I first learned his sound so that I could then discover my own. But my
life also prepared me in ways I didn't expect. Some of the defining moments
that shaped Miles's career as captured in the plot of the movie have also
happened to me and, just as I hear how his sound is influenced by those
experiences, I too find myself pouring the emotions of those trying moments
into my own music."
Lesser known is how Harrold's own life and his contribution
to music exemplify many parallels to Davis himself, not the least of which is
their shared passion to create "social music" rather than be
pigeon-holed by the jazz improvisational virtuosity for which they are both
famed. Miles Davis is one of the greatest of all time; and Harrold is often noted
by contemporaries and critics as one of the greatest trumpeters of his
generation today. Harrold's vision enriches the trumpet, songwriting, and
contemporary music with a fresh voice for these complicated times. His music
resists conformity, re-imagines genres without boxes or boundaries, and
represents the spirit of the social movements that also inspire his sound-just
as Davis did in his own career. With this latest film release, he is now
connected forever to the legacy of one of the leading music innovators of the
modern era.
Harrold's own voice was added to the film as well as an
integral part of the movie's plot: Davis has to take notice of the fierce
talent of a young successor: Junior. "For Junior's portrayal, Don asked
for something that was like Freddie Hubbard, pyrotechnic, and fast and just in
your face," explains Glasper. "So I told Keyon to play like
himself." While Junior was of Davis' time, Harrold's music skillfully
showcases the lineage of current artists who are inspired and informed by Davis
and serves as a tribute to what has evolved from Harrold's own body of music.
For Keyon Harrold the goal is, as it was for Miles Davis,
simply to innovate the continuum of music, fusing various genres to tell the
stories of our time. No stranger (nor prisoner) to the worlds of hip-hop,
R&B, jazz, gospel, pop, soul, all music in fact. Harrold, like Davis, is
never bound by the distinctions of genre categories, but rather inspired by how
they inform each other.
While Harrold has been noted by publications such as
JazzTimes as one of the best new artists of 2015, he has served as a coveted
secret weapon crucial to the sounds of artists ranging from Gregory Porter,
Will Calhoun, and Dr. Lonnie Smith, to Jay Z, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Common,
Lauryn Hill, Mary J Blige, Erykah Badu, LL Cool J, 50 Cent, and Mobb Deep,
including touring stints with artists like D'Angelo, Eminem, and Rihanna. The
trumpeter also served as an integral part of R&B star Maxwell's two-time
GRAMMY® Award-winning album Black Summer's Night. Harrold released his debut
album, Introducing Keyon Harrold, in 2009; the highly anticipated follow up
release is coming later in 2016 and will capture his journey through these many
styles of music to where he has now arrived as one of the most distinct musical
voices to emerge on the scene.
Harrold appears on four tracks of MILES AHEAD - Original
Motion Picture Soundtrack, available now via Columbia/Legacy. For inquiries
regarding the soundtrack, please contact
Maria Malta or Gabby Gibb at Sony Music.
Upcoming Keyon Harrold Performances:
April 6 / Brooklyn Bowl (w/ Dr. Lonnie Smith) / Brooklyn, NY
April 8 / Paramount Theatre - Asbury Park Film & Music
Festival / Asbury Park, NJ
April 9 / Annenberg Center (w/ Dr. Lonnie Smith) /
Philadelphia, PA
April 15 / National Sawdust (w/ Terrace Martin) / Brooklyn,
NY
April 19 / Le Poisson Rouge (as part of Revive Music's 10th
Anniversary) / New York, NY
April 26 / Refugee International Gala / Washington, DC
May 13 - 16 / Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola / New York, NY
June 3 / Party for a Purpose at Trinity Church / Chicago, IL
June 4 / Four Star Scholarship Music Festival / Chicago, IL
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