Last night, I played at Nublu 151 with Apocryphal, my band with Loren Stillman on tenor, Brandon Seabrook on guitar, and Eivind Opsvik on bass. The band’s been coming together for more than ten years, and finally, I’ve found the right material for us, tunes that allow our intra-band chemistry guide the music. Loren, Brandon, and Eivind know exactly what I’m trying to do, even when I don’t. Now, we can just play; I don’t have to know what I’m doing.
"Milestones' is the definitive jazz album. If you want to know what jazz is, listen to that album. It embodies the spirit of everyone who plays jazz." -- Tony Williams
While we're on the subject, what the hell is Philly Joe doing at 4:51-4:53 of Straight No Chaser, during Trane's solo moving through the 4th bar of that chorus? Some sort of mysterious rhythmic-hesitation shit. I've been listening to this for 48 years now and it's still startles me every time I hear it.
That’s a jazz miracle for sure! Jones plays one of his trademark licks right before— next time we’re in the same room I’ll show you, it’s a complicated but very swinging stick-on-stick pattern, and then coming out of it, yes, that’s some serious tension and release! What a moment, thanks for pointing it out Mark!
Thanks for this piece, I spend a lot of time trying to hear new stuff but then get reminded to go back to these perfect records and realize how much I missed in the first hundred listens. That now's the time chorus really is amazing and makes me wonder how obsessively these guys listened and studied Charlie Parker to have thought of this particular Miles solo. It's great hearing the Miles solo on straight no chaser in comparison and how it's in some ways just as "simple" but is on a totally different level of assurance and rhythmic magic. (Meanwhile the call and response Parker draws out with the huge space he leaves in his solo is so very "Miles"!)
I used to think this Miles band was kind of 'simple' compared to the later stuff but it's posts like this that have made me realize my mistake!
Fascinating. Another informed and heartfelt piece. Mark Sryker beat me to it but here’s TW again from another source:
Julie Coryell: If you were lost on a desert island and you were left with three albums to listen to, what would they be?
Tony Williams: One would be Milestones. I think that’s the best of any of them.
Jazz-Rock Fusion: the people, the music - Julie Coryell & Laura Friedman, Marion Boyars Publishing 1978.
Beautiful, thanks for sharing Bill!
Nice, thanks.
FYI -- https://x.com/Mark_Stryker/status/1662106600285274113
"Milestones' is the definitive jazz album. If you want to know what jazz is, listen to that album. It embodies the spirit of everyone who plays jazz." -- Tony Williams
That’s it Mark!!
While we're on the subject, what the hell is Philly Joe doing at 4:51-4:53 of Straight No Chaser, during Trane's solo moving through the 4th bar of that chorus? Some sort of mysterious rhythmic-hesitation shit. I've been listening to this for 48 years now and it's still startles me every time I hear it.
That’s a jazz miracle for sure! Jones plays one of his trademark licks right before— next time we’re in the same room I’ll show you, it’s a complicated but very swinging stick-on-stick pattern, and then coming out of it, yes, that’s some serious tension and release! What a moment, thanks for pointing it out Mark!
Thanks for this piece, I spend a lot of time trying to hear new stuff but then get reminded to go back to these perfect records and realize how much I missed in the first hundred listens. That now's the time chorus really is amazing and makes me wonder how obsessively these guys listened and studied Charlie Parker to have thought of this particular Miles solo. It's great hearing the Miles solo on straight no chaser in comparison and how it's in some ways just as "simple" but is on a totally different level of assurance and rhythmic magic. (Meanwhile the call and response Parker draws out with the huge space he leaves in his solo is so very "Miles"!)
I used to think this Miles band was kind of 'simple' compared to the later stuff but it's posts like this that have made me realize my mistake!
Nice thoughts Giles— thanks for reading and posting…