Kind of Miles

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multikulti.com:
Nagrany w chicagowskim The Velvet Lounge nowy album Corey'a Wilkesa, jednego z najzdolniejszych chicagowskich muzyków młodego pokolenia potwierdza dobrą opinię, jaką Wilkes w ostatnich latach zdobył. Za Wilkesem idzie reputacja muzyka, który zastąpił Lestera Bowiego w Art Ensemble of Chicago, a także członkowsko w kwartecie Roscoe Mitchella, zarówno w warstwie brzmieniowej jak i talentu narracyjnego jest nieodrodnym synem chicagowskiego środowiska.
Cztery obce kompozycje, Jerome'a Kerna, Milesa Davisa i Marcusa Millera w pełni zadowolą fanów motorycznego jazzu, w którym warsztat aranżerski jak i instrumentalna inwencja są na najwyższym poziomie.
Corey Wilkes występował u boku licznych wirtuozów jazzu, takich jak m.in.: Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, James Moody, Kurt Elling, Von Freeman, Greg Osby, James Carter, Fred Anderson, Clark Terry, Harry „Sweets” Edison czy Mulgrew Miller. Teraz prowadzi swoje własne zespoły złożone z bardzo interesujących, młodych muzyków. O ile nagrania studyjne pokazują czasami niedostatki warsztatowe/koncepcyjne młodych muzyków, o tyle tutaj, w koncertowym zwarciu muzycy prezentują bardzo autentyczny jazz będący wypadkową free jazzu i chicagowskiej tradycji, zakorzenionej w bluesie, jeden z najlepszych koncertowych albumów ostatniego roku.

Editor's Info:
Kind Of Miles is a new release by young trumpet trailblazer Corey Wilkes. At a young age, Wilkes has established himself in the forefront of the current generation in jazz. From his work with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago to Will Calhoun and Kahil El'Zabar, Wilkes has been able to float in and out of several different forms of jazz and great black music in general, maintaining and developing his own identity and adapting to these situations in a very authentic way. He has evolved into a new kind of jazz musician by keeping his connection with his own generation. This release follows his debut release Drop It on Delmark, and his second release Cries From Tha Ghetto on Pi Recordings. This has him in a more traditional context with a sextet featuring Kahil El'Zabar on percussion. Recorded live at the Velvet Lounge, this is Corey's tribute to every trumpet players trumpet player, Miles Davis. He brings his own flavor to a few Miles hallmarks and gives a respectful nod to the unique style that has influenced just about every person that has picked up the horn since Miles.

freejazz-stef.blogspot.com:
A quick review of an album that is not really free jazz or avant-garde, but that is really worth mentioning to jazz lovers. Corey Wilkes plays Miles Davis at The Velvet Lounge in the company of Kevin Nabors on tenor sax, Greg Spero on keyboard, Junius Paul on bass, Xavier Breaker on drums, and Kahil El'Zabar on percussion.

Sure, Wilkes is not Miles, and usually tribute albums are a little disappointing as we all know how good the originals are, and their kind of ideal version sticks to our memories for comparison, but to Wilkes' credit, he turns this music into great fun, full of bluesy undertones, and some fusion elements, because this is of course mainly the electric Miles period. What the album lacks in power and musical vision, is compensated by five musicians and the audiences enjoying the playing, and then predominantly when Wilkes takes the lead, and even more so when El'Zabar's voice on percussion is heard. The latter is a real entertainer, and a great presence on stage, and the driving force on most of the tracks on the album.

Th album starts with "Yesterdays", a bland kind of warming up for the real thing to start with "It's About That Time", followed by "Tutu" and "So What/In It's Right Place", with great soloing by Wilkes over a strong rhythm section, and of course fantastic material to work with, but the great thing is the presence of the live audience. They applaud, they cheer, they laugh, they are part of the overall success of the album. Yes, the pieces are kind of crowd-pleasers, but who cares.

Great fun, and possibly one of the best live albums in quite a while.
By Stef


Down Beat, 3.5 stars out of 5
"Thermodynamic responses suggest this set out plays out differently every night but regularly wins over."