The Art of Criticism 1

Introducing an occasional series which highlights customer reviews of classic jazz albums on Amazon.com. Consider all material (sic'd).

Miles Davis: On the Corner

One star (out of five), Categorical dismissal: absolute junk

Jazz purists please avoid this title and stop with nefertiti or Miles in the Sky...You will be very happy that you didn't waste your money like I did. This cd got traded in to the used department so quickly out of my collection. I wouldn't even call it fusion let alone good funk.

One star, Off topic: Concerning the credits

This issue of 'On the Corner' contains a mistake in the credits. Not a single percussionist is mentioned, although at least half of the music consists of percussion. The German issue of the Miles Davis autobiography (which includes an elaborate discography) lists three percussionists: Billy Hart (who is mentioned in the credits for drums, but not for percussion), Don Alias and M'tume. (P.S.: The single star is NOT for the music, but for the credits!)

Five stars, Overwrought metaphor: Not for weak ears

So much has been said about this album, I couldn't write anything further, in general terms I agree totally with what Ashurra wrote(see his review below). What I can tell you is this: this album is just a like a hard drug, it will totally blow your mind the first time you listen to it, you will problably never go back to it, but if you dare, it can prove to be the most addictive thing on earth. If you're looking for something "pretty", go buy Kind of Blue and don't go back here, but if youre open to new experiences and if you have a pair of very adventoruous ears, then maybe you can get hooked by Saint Miles. This is NOT a jazz record, this is NOT a funk record, whatever that is, this is music that admits no cathegorization and only reveals its beauty after repeated listenings. Amen

A Non-Jazz Recommendation

Via kottke, Amazon has a free Philip Glass sampler available.

Local Legends

Despite the occasional pronouncements of the death of jazz, it is still possible in many American towns to find a small but dedicated community of musicians keeping the oral tradition alive. This is especially the case in college towns like Charlottesville, my current base of operations, where jazz studies programs at colleges and universities provide real value to local residents interested in jazz.

Each community has its own share of local legends who do much to spread the word, and in Charlottesville, John D'Earth does the yeoman's work of teaching and gigging incessantly. Last night I finally caught D'Earth in action with his quartet at Bel Rio, a local restaurant that books a lot of live music. It was an enjoyable evening of straight-ahead hard bop reminiscent of the great Miles Davis quintet of the mid-1950s. And though the music wasn't necessarily cutting edge, neither was it a museum piece. D'Earth's quartet swung nicely and offered thoughtful takes on a number of standards. And the audience at Bel Rio (which was nearly full through the first set) was younger than you would have expected in light of Terry Teachout's recent piece on the decline of the jazz audience.

Musicians like D'Earth are integral to the survival of jazz. They promote the development of young musicians (giving lessons and leading ensembles at high schools and colleges) and perform at just about any venue willing to have them. Find out who these figures are in your community, and go see them live. They deserve at least that much from us.


D'Earth photo via UVa

A Very Special Friday Album Cover

Today the British newspaper The Independent reviews Freedom, Rhythm and Sound by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker, a compendium of rare jazz cover art from the 1970s. Many of the covers in the book reflect the Black Power aesthetic of pride in blackness, signifying on African and African American cultural forms and tropes.

You can view a slideshow of some of these album covers here. The book makes a great holiday gift for any album coverphile you know.


h/t: jazz.com

Money Jungle

Time for the October links...

• Slate's Jody Rosen breaks down NPR's taste in black music.
• On Slate's business website, The Big Money, Kevin Kelleher says it is time for a redesign of US currency. He examines a number of designers' suggestions, including one who puts Duke Ellington on the $20 bill and another who places Billie Holliday on the $1 bill. I like both.
  
• Nate Chinen on Medeski Martin & Wood.
• Bob Boilen of NPR's All Songs Considered recently lamented that very little jazz seems to interest him lately (This is not a surprise, since every year he laments in retrospective of the lack of compelling jazz releases that year). He recently invited Josh Jackson of WBGO to discuss some of 2009's best jazz albums (so far).
  
• Via D:O, a collection of Columbia Records jazz album covers at The Birka Jazz Archive.
  
• Via Nextbop, Christian Scott performs Died In Love. Very haunting.
• Crooner Harry Connick Jr. may or may not be a sellout, but he nonetheless has the decency to explain to a group of Australians exactly why blackface is a vulgar and offensive relic of American popular culture that need not be resurrected for any reason (via Warming Glow).
• Vikram of Twenty Dollars tells us why he loves jazz. Read it.
• Why I love jazz:
  

Image via The Big Money