Davis miles ahead

Press, 1 September 1982, Page 18

Davis miles ahead

review f

ALLAN FRANCIS

MILES DAVIS VOLUMES 1 and 2. Horace Silver, J. J. Johnson, Percv Heath, Art Blakev. WORLD RECORDS WC 4500 and 4520 from Blue Note 1501 and 1502. The ranks of Miles Davis fans may possibly be thinning now; it is hard to tell just how many of the school that hotly followed his every move in the fifties were disillusioned by some of his later efforts and did not recover. It is pointless to emphasise the rubbish that is no longer even listed, when his lean brilliance was heard at its best in records such as these under review. There are more sidemen involved than those listed above in tracks such as Tempus Fugit, Wouldn' You, Yesterdays, How Deep is the Ocean, C.T.A.. Take-Off and It Never Entered My Mind. This was the time when Davis topped the Down Beat Poll and he deserved it. The style is eloquently simple when all around him were straining for complex harmonies which didn't always jell. For those interested in creative jazz either from an academic or purely enjoyment point of view this pair would be, hard to better unless you can find Kind Of Blue or Miles Ahead'albums still around somewhere.

DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET. 25th Anniversary Reunion. Eugene Wright, bass. Paul Desmond, alto. Joe Morello, drums and Dave Brubeck, piano. WORLD RECORDS issue from Horizon AM SP-714.

It is a good idea sometimes to hold reunions but the only snag is that they don't always recapture the magic of the first union. This, unfortunately, is one of those. This quartet would unquestionably be the best line-up Brubeck had the good fortune to attract and technically they are, in the main, as good as ever. What has gone wrong and it is perfectly obvious, is that the players have lost interest and perhaps in the case of Desmond he was feeling the effects of the fatal illness which overcame him soon after this date. Most of the old favourites are given an airing but Brubeck is in one of those moods where he is fumbling for ideas, a ploy which is marked by his block chords which substitute for any real inspiration. Desmond, too, is for the first time below par and I can only offer health reasons as an excuse.

Eugene Wright was the author of African Times Suite, an ambitious work which is the only genuine attempt at innovation. Take Five is dreary and St Louis Blues sounds as though it has been played too often.

Brubeck, at best, is a variable quantity, at times a clever composer, but here he proves nothing whatever. v ZAMFIR. Rocking Chair with the LSO featuring the pan flute of Gheorghe Zamfir and rhythm section. PHILIPS 6313 169.

Where does a player like Zamfir go after he has produced all the haunting sounds in She and those other melo-

dies which sound custombuilt for an instrument so old,' so primitive?

The onlv wav to go is to build it all out, fill out the arrangements with extra rhythm' and strings in a series of originals and littleknown numbers such as Sylvania and Nausicaa. two essentially Greek pieces.

Most’ of the others are colourful originals, the quirky And Why Not or Colours of Spring and Sunrise. If a diversion is needed by this very talented player then he has got his target here.

ORCHESTRAL GOLD VOLUME 2. Radio N.Z. Studio Orchestra plays another 12 tracks of “Easy Listening” numbers arranged by Don Richardson, Dick LeFort and William Southgate. KIWI PACIFIC TRL 019.

Unlike Zamfir. the Radio New Zealand Studio Orchestra has opted for an extension of the same mixture as before. Those familiar with the ear-catching arrangements can expect a repeat of the formula with different tunes.

Tastefully done, beautifully recorded and a wellchosen array of solists. this will appeal to those who

enjoved the last volumq,’ which obviously made’ enough impact to warrantanother dose. The lush ar. rangements. mainly, by Don Richardson and Dick LeForf; this time, make a splendid! adjunct to that anniversary' dinner, or any rather special occasion for that matter.

THE FIVE STARS. Fetu e Lima. Samoa with Love. 10 tracks by the well-known Five Stars on Hibiscus label KIWI PACIFIC HLS 92.

Yet a fourth album from this popular group. Kiwi Pacific is to be commended for its service to the music of the South Pacific Islands and this is no exception, 1 The bubbling, extrovert batch of songs based on Island culture carries on the story like a well-loved serial and the ingenuous charm will capture the hearts of anv in tune with Island heritage. No surprises but many delights.