Tony Williams: Live From 1971 & 1972
Tony Williams was the original headbanger birthed out of the jazz idiom. Less interested in the Sly Stone, Jimmy Hendrix, and James Brown aesthetic that Miles Davis was heading into at the time (circa 1969), Williams left the Second Great Quintet to put together a group of his own more aligned with his British rock contemporaries of The Who and Cream for instance. Those were the influences that birthed the Tony Williams Lifetime. Rounding out Lifetime — or the “organ trio on steroids” as Lenny White describes it — were John McLaughlin on electric guitar and Larry Young on organ, both of whom were equally as innovative with their own instruments and compositions as Williams was with the drums (though this lineup would change numerous times over the years).
Lenny White: A Kaleidoscope of Music
Before there was this obsession with jazz and hip-hop, there was a different intersection of music happening on the streets on New York, LA, and other cities around the nation. 24 hours after Jimi Hendrix played his first notes at Woodstock, Miles Davis called his musicians — Lenny White included — into the studio for what would become the ‘Bitches Brew’ sessions and that would be the beginning of a sound and approach to music that White would come to define. The marriage of these rock and jazz aesthetics brought us groups like Return to Forever, Tony Williams’ Lifetime Band, and more. Read along as we delve into the roots of this style, White impact on the history, and where he sees the music going today.
Lenny White’s Early Definitive Recordings: Bitches Brew & Red Clay
Few drummers so strongly represent a time in music more so than New York City native Lenny White. Coming out of Jamaica, Queens by 18, the left-handed drummer was picked up by serial bandleader and educator Jackie McLean with whom he gained his initial chops. Within two years White had already got the call to record the formative Miles Davis album Bitches Brew — alongside fellow drummer Jack DeJohnette — a record that would go on to become a staple of the jazz canon and ultimately jumpstart White’s fusion of jazz and rock, a style that he would come to help define.
SXSW Panel: Miles Davis Bootleg 2: The Lost Quintet
SXSW 2013 will be an exciting year for jazz aficionados with more and more live music and jazz being represented, honored, performed, and discussed. Among the exciting features is a panel entitled “Miles Davis Bootleg 2: The Lost Quintet” which will discuss Davis’ 1969 live lineup that toured Europe and the subsequent box set releases of this year as well as their significance.
Wayne Shorter’s Without a Net
The same Wayne Shorter behind game-changing standards like “Footprints,” “Nefertiti,” and “Kryptonite” was ever-present throughout this album, but that also indicates he’s on a pathway to unknown territory, too. Without a Net flies a heart-pounding trapeze of dizzying melodies and acrobatic rhythms that leaves the listener breathless and exhilarated. Never has it been so great to feel so unsafe.
Miles Davis Quintet: Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2
The second volume of one of the most exciting releases from the Miles Davis collection we’ve seen in the past few years drops January 29th, 2013. It features the “Third Great Quintet” of Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette.
Revivalist Mix: Joey DeFrancesco
Today we’re bringing you a mix from the heir apparent to the Hammond B-3 Organ, Joey DeFrancesco. DeFrancesco began sitting in on his father’s gigs by age 6 continually progressing on his B-3. By age 17 Miles Davis had asked Joey to join his band which resulted in DeFrancesco touring Europe with Miles and recording the classic Amandla album. Later he went on to record with other legends of the organ including Jack McDuff and Jimmy Smith as well as leading his own band. Check out below as we take a trip through his discography.
Marcus Miller: The Renaissance Man Pt. 1
After concluding a European tour for his new release “Renaissance,” multi-instrumentalist and composer Marcus Miller sat down to talk with The Revivalist to make sense of his experience putting together a new band as well as delving into some history of his own. Between his early years growing up as a fast-rising studio musician to learning from the great Miles Davis, Miller gives us the rundown on his experiences.
1962: Our Favorite Recordings 50 Years Later
1962 was a pivotal year in jazz. The music was adapting and changing with the times, joining with other styles, switching instrumentations, and more. This showed both in the musicians of the time and the recordings that were made from the era. As we look back 50 years later and some of the masterpieces from 1962, we can’t help but highlight some amazing duos and collaborations that defined the era. Check out just a few of our favorites:
Wallace Roney: Miles Ahead
Wallace Roney is having a career that many jazz musicians would envy. He is the protégé of Miles Davis and played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, but has worked hard to create his own sound. As a young musician coming up in Manhattan, Roney maintained a growing reputation on the trumpet, though he didn’t even own one of his own at the time. After playing a tribute to his Miles Davis, Roney got the chance of a lifetime to meet his idol who proceeded to give him a trumpet of his own. He recently shared his thoughts with The Revivalist on his mentors, where jazz has been and where he thinks it could go.
USPS Features Miles Davis, Edith Piaf on Stamps
The United States Postal Service today announced the joined issuance of new “Forever” stamps honoring two of the world’s most influential musicians, Miles Davis and Edith Piaf. The stamps will also be issued with the French postal service, La Poste in June. The stamps were designed by Greg Breeding using black and white photos from the two stars. Both of the stamps will be sold for 45 cents a piece or $9 a sheet.
Tia Fuller: Exposing Her Spirit
Saxophonist, bandleader, educator, and creator Tia Fuller sat down with The Revivalist to discuss where the music has been taking her this past year as well as where she sees it going in the new year. Check out below as she discusses her role in teaching the younger generations, her tenure as part of Beyonce’s band, and some projects in the works for 2012.
Celebrating our 1st Anniversary with The Miles Davis Estate
Today marks the One Year Anniversary of The Revivalist! Last year we kicked off the site with an entire issue dedicated to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, exploring not only the venerable and legendary musician, but also the innovations in music that emerged because of the album. Issue #1 was created in collaboration with the Miles Davis Estate, which we kicked off with an interview with our dear friends Erin Davis and Vincent Wilburn, Miles’ son and nephew, respectively. We thought to celebrate this milestone by reuniting with our dear friends. We got a chance to sit and chat with them about their most recent release the CD and DVD set of the Miles Davis Second Great Quintet Live in Europe 1967.
Chick Corea November Residency at the Blue Note
This year Armando Anthony “Chick Corea” turns 70 years old, and for the celebration of his life, he will be playing a month long residency throughout the entirety of November at Blue Note. Once a member of Miles Davis’ band, and one of the pioneers of the so-called fusion era, which merged jazz and electric rock music, Corea, the venerable pianist and keyboardist is one of the most celebrated jazz players in history.
Betty Davis: Funk Goddess
There would be no Prince, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis (in the 1970’s), or Lil Kim, if it weren’t for Betty Davis and her explosive, courageous, erotic, gender bending, bluesy, and funky music. Betty’s voice purrs, growls, and scratches through her deliciously written lyrics. A blues woman to the bone, Betty took her southern roots, and mixed them with raw funk, soul, and psychedelic rock. A woman well ahead of her time, she pushed boundaries with her avant-garde fashion sense, amazing afro, and provocative lyrics.
Funky Fashion!
There was a time not so long ago when artists were as concerned about their performance, their persona, and their outfits, in addition to the funky grooves that they were sending out into the airwaves. The Revivalist shares with you our favorite images of funk fashion royalty, artists who have carried trends over the decades, and pioneered aesthetic choices and started trends, while simultaneously audaciously declaring their identity through their choice of clothing.
Miles Davis Quintet Tribute: Ron Carter, Gary Bartz, Erin Davis, and Vince Wilburn at Apple Store Soho
Come celebrate the legacy of the great Miles Davis Quintet at The Apple Store Soho this Tuesday, September 27th at 7pm. Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1, the CD and DVD set is a must-have collection for Miles fans, including a visually stunning collection of live performances.
George Duke: A History of Funk & Soul, Part I
Artists can’t be afraid to really touch on other subjects and comment on the orders and disorders of the day. I think that’s important. Let people know what you feel and keep it real. It doesn’t mean we’re only making flowers here. You have to talk about the dirt as well.
Win a pair of Monster Cable Miles Davis Tribute Headphones Valued at $499.95
For avid Revivalist readers and supporters of Miles Davis from Miles Davis Properties, LLC, we want to thank you by offering a giveaway for Monster Cable Miles Davis Tribute Headphones, also known as the Musician’s Headphone valued at $499.95.
Vince Wilburn talks about We Want Miles–Brazil
We Want Miles, an interactive and multimedia tribute to the late trumpeter legend Miles Davis that made its first debuts in Paris and Montreal, is opening in Brazil today. Starting in Rio de Janeiro at the Centro Cultural Banco Do Brasil from today from August 1st until September 28th, and then in Sao Paulo at SESC Pinheiros from October 19th until January 25th, We Want Miles Brazil will display the same incredible artifacts, photos, and music of Miles, but will also include some new special features.
Free Video Streaming of 1970 Miles Davis Tanglewood Performance
Tanglewood, in the rolling hills of Lenox, Massachusetts has been a hotbed for sophisticated and legendary concert going for decades now. A live recording of a Miles Davis performance in 1970 has just been released for free streaming on Wolfgang’s Vault, according to Jazztimes, and also features Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moriera, Keith Jarrett, and Gary Bartz.
Fela Kuti: Sifting through his Afrobeat
Afrobeat is by definition a combination of many different styles of music that have come together into a hybrid form. It was most notably brought into prominence by the man who coined the term, Fela Kuti, along with his band members which included the likes of Tony Allen among others. Kuti took his political messages to the people through a mixture of the contemporary forms of music at the time – jazz, rock, funk – along with his African roots in highlife, Yoruba, and various other harmonic and percussive styles.
Miles Davis: 85 Years of Legacy
85 years ago today, on May 26, 1926 Miles Davis was born. The ’40s saw Miles emerge in the NYC music scene, coming and going from Juilliard, jamming at Minton’s, joining Charlie Parker’s quintet, and finding his footing. The ’50s saw Miles release nearly 30 records on his own name with countless others as a sideman. The ’60s saw the outpour of success from Kind of Blue and the emergence of the “second great quintet” with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams.
Sing a Song for Miles: An 85th Birthday Tribute with Lyrics
Miles Davis, one of the most innovative, provocative, and iconic musicians of the 20th century, was born on May 26th, 1926, and ascended on September 28th, 1991. To commemorate the anniversary of his birth, New York’s Le Poisson Rouge will be hosting “Sing a Song for Miles: An 85th Birthday Tribute with Lyrics” on May 25th at 7pm.
