PBS fundraising week: jazz & soul tv abounds

Miles was playing his behind off during this period. His tone is so crisp and compact, yet deep and full. Thanks for posting!

I slightly disagree with your opinion, Howard, that "Kelly doesn't know what to do with the modal basis of the piece" ... I rather hear him improvising on it as it would be a gospel tune, which it actually is sounding like to my ears.

It's almost kinda spiritual, sung during a service: Paul Chambers is preaching while the others say, well, ehm "So What?" instead of "amen" ... I'm only half-kidding here, since Miles and Trane were completely aware of the origins of their music. They subconsciously might have reflected the sounds of their childhoods, as was the rest of the quintet.

HM: Hear it as you will, I perceive Kelly as somewhat stymied about what to do just going back and forth -- gospelesque it may be, I'm never very qualified to speak to that -- while Trane and Miles find plenty of options. And Kelly didn't play this on the recording, Evans did, exquisitely.

Slightly related...we all know how the acts on the bill for any random festival like Montreux will often be related tenuously at best to jazz (Lou Rawls, Anita baker, etc.)? Well OK, this is getting out of hand...a listing from one of the TV cable channels:

Montreux Jazz Festival 2004
NEW
Performances include Van Morrison, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple and Brian Ferry

HM: Good point, Chris, but what interests me about this is why Cheap Trick and Deep Purple would even want to be at a fest that dubs itself jazz (well, the fee of course. . .) Do such bands get any imprimatur from the identification? Van and Brian, at least I can imagine enjoying the cred.

Interesting and at the same time irritating, we never get these programs without the pitching.