I'll simply quote another reviewer who said "I know of no other music as beautiful as this." Amen. James and I have been on a Miles Davis kick as of late, especially late '50s Miles, especially his collaborations with Gil Evans. Of those, which include Sketches of Spain and Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess is my favorite. If you've never heard what he does with that overdone chestnut "Summertime", you're in for a real treat. Gil Evans was an orchestral arranger, and here he teams Miles with a 20-piece jazz "orchestra" that featured extensive brass and woodwind (and no strings). I love Gershwin, and there's no other version of "Porgy" that comes close to portraying the sense of sadness, loss, and then joy, that this one does.
Beyond that, if you've never experienced the cream of Miles' work in the '50s ("Kind of Blue", "'Round Midnight", etc.), you need to rectify this immediately! They're the ultimate in Chill, and are those rare few records which simply cannot be played too many times.
1 comment:
Amen on the "Porgy & Bess"
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