I’ve had the good fortune to witness Miles Davis at various stages in live performance beginning in 1963 the Brown Theater in Louisville, Kentucky with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, and Hank Mobley; 1964 Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, George Coleman, Ron Carter; 1971 at the Colonial Tavern in Toronto – Bitches Brew era with Chick Corea/Keith Jarrett keys, Miroslav Vitous bass, Jack DeJohnette drums, John McLaughlin guitar and a final performance 1987 at Roy Thomson Hall with Bob Berg, Robert Irving lll, Rodney Jones and company. Each appearance registered as a statement of possibilities. Where can we go from here? Miles to Go is not a tribute but an organic creation beginning with a rhythm loop crafted and passed my way by Jesse King, who also plays bass, drums, guitar, and percussion. I added keyboard Rhodes, clarinet, strings and scripted a melody. Then it hit me, Miles 1985.
Boldly brilliant work from tenor saxophonist JD Allen – a player who's always been great, but who seems to be hitting a whole new side of his powers in recent years! The set continues a trio format explored by Allen on a previous date – and like that one, it's got a wonderfully unfettered feel – just the bass of Ian Kenselaar and drums of Nic Cacioppo setting the stage, while JD soars out in these long, soulful solos – filled with energy and power that we might not have imagined a decade ago, making some of his strongest statements as a leader to date! The set includes a fair bit of original titles, but these are just more like sketches for the open energy of the tenor – on titles that include "Die Dreaming", "Red Label", "Toys", "Elegua", and "You're My Thrill". ~ Dusty Groove
The first we've ever heard of Loren Oden – a singer with a falsetto style that's perfect for the sweetly soulful backings of Adrian Younge – a mix of modes that's almost in the same territory as Adrian's record with The Delfonics a few years back! Yet the style here is also more contemporary – warm currents of 21st Century soul, tripping along in a gentle Linear Labs sort of way – beats on the backburner, as the keyboards often carry as much rhythm ad melody – with the right sort of gently bubbling vibe to match the mellow soul energy of Oden's vocals! The whole thing's a contemporary sweet soul album to rival the greatness of gems from the 70s – with titles that include "All Roads", "Galaxies", "Addicted", "Queen", "My Heart My Love", "Somber Sonnet", and "Timeless Answers". ~ Dusty Groove
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