|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles A musical biography The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles is a refreshingly straightforward, candid, captivating, and agenda-free look at one musician's climb from the streets of Brooklyn in the '60s and '70s up to the top: specifically, the pop, R&B, and jazz world of the '80s to the present day. This saga could easily have sagged under the weight of legendary names like Miles Davis, Marcus Miller, Michael Brecker, Luther Vandross. But Jason relates his story with warmth and generosity, making gigs and recording dates, conversations and encounters, come alive with the excitement and often humor of the moment. Inspiration abounds for those who appreciate revisiting those years, but I believe even more for younger musicians and music devotees launching into their own journeys. Thank you Jason. —Ashley Kahn, author of A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature album, and other titles on popular music. Jason's beautifully entertaining memories and observations of the New York music scene of the 70's 80's and 90's, his tales of the work we did together, as well as the stories of J's subsequent successes as a producer on projects collaborating with artists such as Sting and composer Ivan Lins are all laid out in beautiful detail. Marcus Miller Through it all, though, Miles offers a sense of hopefulness and optimism. The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles... is a well-written and engrossing account of a musician who is passionate about everything he creates. All About Jazz In sharing his stories, Jason Miles invites us to be a fly on the wall at sessions he participated in for the likes of Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan, Marcus Miller, Michael Brecker, Gato Barbieri, Al Jarreau, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, George Benson, Ivan Lins and many more. A prolific composer and bandleader in his own right, Miles has recorded 18 albums as a leader, but its his memories of Miles Davis' Tutu and Amandla, David Sanborn's A Change of Heart and Close-Up, Grover Washington Jr.'s Strawberry Moon, Luther Vandross' Power of Love and others that captivate here. We follow Miles on the arc of his career, from egg creams and piano lessons while growing up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn to the studios of Manhattan and Monserrat, the endless stream of hotels and after-hour hangs on the road, the constant fixes in the studio, the numerous visits to Miles Davis' Upper West Side pad, all recounted with uncanny detail. An early convert to synthesizer technology, Jason was the guy who was frequently called upon by jazz heavyweights to unlock the mysterious of this new hardware. And his expertise paid off mightily. Along the way, he provides behind-the-scenes insights into his session work, including how a particular track was meticulously built up in the studio, along with an intricate breakdown of his tools of the trade. The book also traces Miles' emergence as a producer, beginning with the 1995 all-star Emmy-nominated People: A Musical Celebration of Diversity, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, and culminating in his own potent projects like his three recent Kind of New albums. He also gives his take on smooth jazz, provides detailed descriptions of recording studios and nightclubs all across Europe and the U.S., and runs down tiffs that he's had with other musicians (yes, he names names). A fascinating account of an Extraordinary Journey by a man with a keen eye for detail and an obvious love for the music. — Bill Milkowski Published by Book Writing Cube Printed in the United States Copyright (c) 2022 by Jason Miles ISBN: 978-1-955901-13-0 write your comments about the article :: © 2022 Jazz News :: home page |