by Don Berryman
“Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing”. Miles Davis
Celebrating the year of Miles Davis’s centennial, drummer Gregory Hutchinson is releasing Kind Of Now, The Pulse of Miles Davis on Warner Music this April 3rd. The album features the extraordinary Ambrose Akinmusire, who is ideally suited to the task of sitting in Miles’ trumpet chair. Gregory Hutchinson, hailed by Jazz Magazine as “The drummer of his generation” is adept at honoring and evoking the echoes of the drum masters who worked with Miles while they both maintain their distinct voices.
Throughout his career spanning decades Miles Davis was on the leading edge of major jazz movements including bebop, hard bop, modal, post bop, and fusion. Miles’ genius as a bandleader included making personnel changes as needed to fulfill his vision. Gregory Hutchinson said “When I think about Miles Davis and the drummers that came through his bands, I’m really thinking about the evolution of the music itself. Each of those cats represented a different chapter of Miles’s story — and every one of them changed how we all hear and play this music.” Gregory has assembled a stellar band to play music that represents significant segments of Miles’ career. This band features Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Ron Blake on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Jakob Bro on guitar, Emmanuel Michael on guitar, Gerald Clayton on piano, Joe Sanders on bass, and Gregory Hutchinson himself on drums.
Kind of Now includes music performed by Miles Davis’s different ensembles, including four Miles Davis compositions, four Wayne Shorter compositions, one by Tony Williams, and three Gregory Hutchinson originals. It opens with Charlie Parker’s bebop classic “Ah-Leu-Cha” which Miles had recorded with the Charlie Parker Allstars in 1948 and with his first great quintet in 1955 on ‘Round About Midnight With Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, pianist Red Garland, and John Coltrane.
“Fran-Dance” is from Davis’ 1958 sextet with Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb – the same group that would record Miles’ modal jazz masterpiece Kind Of Blue the following year.
“Seven Steps to Heaven” was recorded in 1963 with an early version of Miles Davis’ second great quintet with George Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams.
A plurality of the material pays homage to Mile’s work in the 60’s by his second great quintet when it was complete with Wayne Shorter replacing George Coleman with bold expansive covers of “Fall”, “Orbits”, “Water Babies”, “Circle in the Round”, and “Black Comedy”.
Kind of Now also honors Miles’ pioneering fusion work by including “Bitches Brew” and “Feio”, two tunes from Bitches Brew which was recorded in 1969 and 1970 with Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Dave Holland, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette,
Gregory Hutchinson said “This project is not about trying to recreate Miles, It’s about continuing that conversation he started.” So this is not a period piece, but a 21st century jazz statement that pays homage to the music while honoring the spirit of improvisation and creation. As Christian McBride says in the liner notes, “Hutch allows the band to stretch in ways that keep Miles’ music sounding vital and brand new. Kind of Now is proof that when you have the right leader, the right vision, and the right band, Miles’ spirit still speaks loud and clear. And with Hutch at the helm, it speaks with fire, grace, and deep love. And for good measure, make sure you take a good listen to the drum interludes. Hutch is deep. Very deep.”
Track Listing
- Ah-Leu-Cha (Charlie Parker)
- Fran-Dance (Miles Davis)
- Fall (Wayne Shorter)
- Orbits (Wayne Shorter)
- Marley’s Mood (Gregory Hutchinson)
- Feio (Wayne Shorter)
- Water Babies (Wayne Shorter)
- Seven Steps To Heaven (Miles Davis)
- Bitches Brew (Miles Davis)
- Black Comedy (Tony Williams)
- Ellehcem’s Time (Gregory Hutchinson)
- Circle In The Round (Miles Davis)
- I’m Done (Gregory Hutchinson)
link to original article: https://www.jazzpolice.com/archives/20312
