Miles Davis

Certain Songs #1145: Miles Davis – “One and One (unedited master)”

March 3, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: The Complete On The Corner Sessions
Year: 1972

While In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew proved that Miles Davis could make jazz — or depending on you feel about it “jazz” — music that to appealed to a younger audience who were listening to rock and soul and funk, it wasn’t quite enough for his musical restlessness.

Because in the early 1970s, shit got weird, culminating in albums like Jack Johnson and On the Corner, which didn’t so much fuse elements of jazz, rock, funk, and Indian music but rather take them and throw them into a large industrial fan.

Certain Songs #1144: Miles Davis – “Shh/Peaceful”

March 2, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: In a Silent Way
Year: 1969

On one hand, only a decade separated In A Silent Way from Kind of Blue. But on the other hand, centuries separated the two records, as In a Silent Way mixed jazz and rock instrumentations, rhythms and production techniques into something that was completely and totally new under the sun.

And nearly 50 years later, I’m still not sure anybody has quite caught up to it.

Certain Songs #1143: Miles Davis – “Freddie Freeloader”

March 1, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: Kind of Blue
Year: 1959

One of the most universally loved albums ever released, Kind of Blue is most likely the classic jazz album that people who only have one classic jazz album own. Or have at least heard.

And while it’s not my favorite Miles Davis album — we’ll get to that tomorrow! — I did go through a phase where I listened to Kind of Blue a lot, and while I don’t really have the musical chops to fully understand what modal jazz is all about, I could certainly appreciate the calm, unhurried brilliance of the music on this record.

Medialoper Bebop Episode 9: Kirk’s New Aloha Spirit

June 27, 2011 by Jim Connelly

This week, a mellower Kirk is just back from Hawaii — where he has learned how to believe — and he, Jim and Tim discuss the veracity of reports of celebrity death over social media.

In the middle of the discussion, Tim dies, so we tweet that. But it turns out this his death was just a bad Skype connection.

After that, Jim’s Musical Moment to Die For is “Ceremony” by New Order, which naturally leads into a discussion over the concept of Fair Use, and how that concept is useless if you don’t have the money to defend yourself in court. Which sucked for entrepreneur Andy Baio, who was sued for a pixel art version of the cover of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue album.

In a brand-new segment — entitled “You’re An Idiot!” — Jim and Tim take Kirk to school for his ongoing hatred of one of their favorite bands, The Smiths. As always, is comes down to one word: Morrissey.

And finally, Jim shares what’s in his mix: the latest from Fucked Up, TV on the Radio and Fleet Foxes. Also, Tim dies yet again!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:41 — 58.7MB)

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25 Musical Moments To Die For

July 25, 2008 by Jim Connelly

You can talk about genres, artists, albums, or even songs, but sometimes what keeps us coming back to music is the discovery of the transcendent musical moment. For me, “the moment” is the part of the song that fully and utterly engages me; the reason that I keep coming back to it.

I’m not necessarily talking about hooks here, because the purpose of hooks is the draw you into a song. I’m really talking more about traps: the part of a song that that keeps you there.

Every single moment I’ve listed below kills me single every time I hear it.