Jazz is not my go to, though I have experimented and picked up a few along the way.
I did freak out the librarians when I lived in Wauankee by ordering through the library loan an obscene amount of jazz CD’s to rip. It was as it turns out a good way to get familiar with the work of certain jazz performers that have a dizzying array of music over decades and through style changes and forays down different musical paths.
This album, released late in Davis’s career is a soundtrack to the film and all songs were written by Miles and Michel.
This is the same team that brought you “Ascenseur Pour L`Echafaud (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” which is another surprise soundtrack that I love.
I’ve never seen Dingo
but love the feel of the album and it’s Miles Davis’s only speaking role in a feature film. That’s something. The synopsis from the Wiki is pretty brief:
The story traces the pilgrimage of John Anderson, an average guy with a passion for jazz, from his home in outback Western Australia to the jazz clubs of Paris, to meet his idol, jazz trumpeter Billy Cross. In the film’s opening sequence, Cross and his band unexpectedly land on a remote airstrip for repairs in the Australian outback and proceed to perform for the stunned locals.
Honestly I can’t remember if “Dingo” came to me via the library haul or from my work buddy Kris B., but either way, it was an immediate hit with me. The music is a great mix of tempos, some mournful and slow and others boppy without being crazy. The prefect mix.
There is a bit of use of musical themes (one riff repeating in different songs) and there is even some spoken dialog from the film. This adds to the overall feel and it’s cool to hear Davis’s gruff voice.
This album, and this is meant as a compliment, is perfect for Sunday mornings or for drifting off to sleep. It’s soothing and unobtrusive and just a good vibe. There are a lot of players on this album, so as stated not strictly Miles Davis, but he gets top billing.
I have had this album digitally for years and years. It is among my most soul soothing selections, joining the ranks of “Neil Diamond – Jonathon Livingston Seagull”, “Jon Anderson – Olias Of Sunhillow” and “Everything But The Girl – Walking Wounded”.
Recently this album has been on my mind and I decided it was high time I got a vinyl copy. I found it shockingly cheap on Amazon and ordered. To my surprise when it arrived I had gotten a German pressing on red vinyl!
I didn’t even realize that it was a 30th Anniversary release. The shrink seemed really tight and was curling the cover a bit, so I opened it and saved the hype stickers, which I taped to the sleeve.
Red vinyl !
Though, to be fair, I only see the color for a second. My record player is a slide out, so when I play a record you don’t see it spinning. Still cool though.
There are a lot of styles of Miles Davis out there, maybe you like his be-bop stuff, or his rock stuff, but this is one you should at least sample if you get a chance.
The Aural Retentive 