New York (Top40 Charts/ Warner Bros. Records) - The Trane Studio in conjunction with Brownman
Music Inc. proudly presents: FIVE WEEKS FOR MILES
A month-long Tribute to MILES DAVIS
Produced & directed by: Brownman Ali | Executive producer: Frank Francis
Every Fri in Oct @ Trane Studio, Toronto
Info: Miles.Brownman.com
Over 5 Fridays in October multi-award winning trumpeter/composer BROWNMAN will lead 5 different 5-man all-star ensembles through 5 historic eras of jazz which Miles Davis catalyzed and immortalized.
5 Fridays... 5 Ensembles... 5 Eras of Miles Davis...
Week 1 - Fri. Oct 02, 2009 : "Young Miles" - The Bird Years
Week 2 - Fri. Oct 09, 2009 : "Birth Of The Cool" - Post-Bop Miles
Week 3 - Fri. Oct 16, 2009 : "Plugged Nickel" - The Shorter Years
Week 4 - Fri. Oct 23, 2009 : "Bitches Brew to Tutu" - Electric Miles
Week 5 - Fri. Oct 30, 2009 : "Doo-bop" - Had He Lived �
Trinidadian born multi-award winning trumpeter Brownman, when asked about the tribute and the musicians behind the music, states, "For those who appreciate jazz as a true art form, FIVE WEEKS FOR MILES represents a rare opportunity to understand it's greatest legend's career, where he could have gone and a reminder of what he might have meant to us today. I'm truly honoured to be fronting this sequential tribute and performing with such a monsterous cross-section of players." Brownman has put together a spectacular all-star cast for his production featuring everyone from Canadian jazz legends Pat Labarbera & Bob McLaren, to luminaries in his own generation such as Adrean Farrugia & Dave Restivo; to the best of the youngest new breed of jazz modernists like Jon Maharaj & Colin Kingsmore. This year will also feature a few New Yorkers with acclaimed pianist Chris Ziemba and highly sought after U.S. drummer Aaron Staebell making the border crossing� "Whatever age, whatever background, whatever colour - we're all going to be giving all of ourselves over to Miles' music� to try and do the man and his vision justice', Brownman concludes.
TRANE STUDIO
964 Bathurst Street W., Toronto, Canada 416-913-8197
www.TraneStudio.com (reserve early!)
Every Friday in October 2009
6:00pm - open for dinner | 8:00pm - show
$20/show at the door | $15/show advance list booking
Email [email protected] to get on the advance list
or call 416-913-8197 to make a reservation
* Seating is reserved for dining customers or on a first come first serve basis.
Please arrive early to ensure seating.
Week 1 - Fri. Oct 2, 2009
"Young Miles" - The Bird Years
At 17 years of age Miles would travel across the river from his home in East St. Louis, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri to hear well-known jazz musicians play in clubs. Mesmerized by their talent and style, he would listen to their all-night jam sessions until Charlie "Bird" Parker arrived in St. Louis with the Billy Eckstine Band in 1944. Charlie was the creative force behind a new form of jazz later dubbed "bebop"; the young Miles would become fascinated with it's complex melodic and harmonic structure leading Miles to follow Bird across the country until he was allowed to substitute for Parker's trumpet player at the time - Dizzy Gillespie. His tenure as Bird's sideman would most exemplify this hard-swinging period of his life.
Brownman - trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Bobby Brough - alto sax (acclaimed jazz artist)
Chris Ziemba - piano (up from NYC!)
Ross MacIntyre - upright bass (Matt Dusk)
Bob McLaren - drums (T.O. jazz icon)
Week 2 - Fri. Oct 9, 2009
"Birth Of The Cool & Kind Of Blue" - Post-Bop Miles
The term "cool" came to particular prominence in the 1950s to describe a more cerebral, less impassioned way of playing jazz. It's generally supposed that these sessions were part of the inspiration for the 'cool school' of jazz which flourished, particularly on the West Coast, in the 50s. Miles would confound the public's expectations by departing the bop world of Charlie Parker and embracing this new order of jazz, examples of which are heard on "Birth Of The Cool" (Capitol Records, '50), a pillar of this era of Miles' jazz development.
Brownman - trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Pat Labarbera - tenor sax (Canadian jazz legend)
Adrean Farrugia - piano (National Jazz Award nominee)
Jon Maharaj - upright bass (just back from NYC!)
Anthony Michelli - drums (Juno Award nominee)
Week 3 - Fri. Oct 16, 2009
"Plugged Nickel" - The Shorter Years
Two quintets in particular featuring 2 tenor saxophone giants dominated Miles' musical life almost exclusively from the mid 50's, right up until the 70's; one featuring John Coltrane and the other featuring Wayne Shorter; primarily demonstrated on "Kind Of Blue" (Columbia, '64) and "Live at the Plugged Nickel" (Columbia / Legacy, '65). This period would feature an assortment of quintets and sextets, all pushing the boundaries of improvisation within a simple modal framework; the two teamings that would leave the world breathless would be those with Coltrane and Shorter.
Brownman - trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Ryan Oliver - tenor sax (back from NYC!)
Dave Restivo - piano (National Jazz Award winner)
Mark Cashion - upright bass (Shuffle Demons)
Aaron Staebell - drums (up from NYC!)
Week 4 - Fri. Oct 23, 2009
"From Bitches Brew to Tutu" - Electric Miles
Legendary as a kind of 'line in the sand' challenging jazz fans during the ascendance of electric, psychedelic rock, "In a Silent Way" (Columbia Records, 1969) hinted at the repetitive polyrhythms Davis would employ throughout the early '70s. It also partook generously of electric piano and bass tonal colourings previously explored in acoustic settings, but "In a Silent Way" and the subsequent "Bitches Brew" and "Live Evil" recordings remains a clearly electric jazz record, part ambient colour exploration, part rock-inflected energy and vibe, and part outright maverick creativity. Long, breathy solos would be a feature of this era, glistening against his new groups' strange admixture of musical moods. Miles' funkified ventures would continue through the 70's until his fateful meeting with Marcus Miller, which would lead to a long collaboration in the 80's with Miller playing producer and musical director to Miles' haunting horn.
Brownman - electric trumpet (Guru's Jazzmatazz)
Kevin Breit - electric guitar (Sisters Euclid)
Eric Boucher - rhodes (David Clayton Thomas)
Lionel Williams - electric bass (R&B great)
Colin Kingsmore - drums (Brownman Electryc Trio)
with special guest: Marcus Ali - alto sax (Cruzao)
Week 5 - Fri. Oct 30, 2009
"Doo-bop" - Had He Lived�
Towards the end of Miles' life he began an exploration of another sub-component of modern popular music - hip-hop. The "Doo-bop" recording (Warner, '92) would feature rappers and loops and would have marked the beginning of Miles' exploration or this artform. It is often harshly referred to by critics as his "worst" documented recording and as a "forgettable" era of his life, but it still stands strongly as a prime example of the Milesian ethic - his ability to recognize "what's next", to creatively move within and extend that artform. Brownman states, "I believe it is extremely probable that, had he lived, Miles would have worked closely with the likes of Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Guru, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, junglists, DJs, rappers and beat-makers alike. Tonight will be a salute to what MIGHT have been."
Brownman - electric trumpet (Brownman Electryc Trio)
(* Brownman Electryc Trio CD Release Party Sat Oct 31 @ Trane Studio!)
Enlight - rapper (Gruvasylum)
Lil Jaz - turntables (K-OS / Nelly Furtado)
Marc Rogers - electric bass (Philosopher Kings)
Mark Kelso - drums (Chaka Khan)
* STUDENT SECOND SET:
For Week 5 - the last and final installment of Brownman Ali's FIVE WEEKS FOR MILES Tribute Series
- all students will be admitted for 1/2 price with student I.D. ($10) for the second set.
About BROWNMAN
Born in Trinidad, schooled in New York City under Randy Brecker's watchful eye and now heralded as 'Canada's preeminent jazz trumpeter' by New York City's Village Voice magazine, the ever dynamic Brownman tirelessly leading no less than 7 highly respected ensembles of his own. He is best known for his work as the leader of Canada's premiere latin-jazz ensemble CRUZAO and his electrified Miles Davis' influenced BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO (2007 National Jazz Award winner for 'Electric Group of the Year'). Despite the demands of leading 7 groups he is still one of the most called upon trumpet players in the studio scene, his recording credits sitting at just under 300 records to date.
He is currently touring the world as the featured soloist with the legendary New York City jazz-hip-hop artist GURU (of Gangstarr fame) in his JAZZMATAZZ ensemble, and is deeply honoured to be occupying the position formerly held by Donald Byrd in that seminal group.
Since returning to Canada from NYC, he has been on the cutting edge of modern music in the nation for the last decade, winning multiple awards nationally and achieving international recognition while touring the globe.
Please visit www.Brownman.com for more information.
