Comedy
I recently watched the Miles Davis documentary put together by PBS and available on netflix, among other sources. It re-ignited my life-long hero worship of Miles, reminded me why I chose to learn the trumpet as a kid, reminded me how much of an influence he has been on the core values of artistic expression I still aspire to in my own very small way. Although it was the In A Silent Way/Bitches Brew era Miles that forever changed the way I think about music when I was a teen, in my mid-life it has been his late-period, final burst of creative energy which fascinates me. One reason I keep coming back to Miles' late 80s energy is the outfits. The outfits are amazing. Another reason is that he seemed more open to talking about his process, somehow more humble and open while shrouded in garish 80s plumage. But underneath, above, around and beyond all of these things is the music - a fascinating approach to the modern synthesized sounds of the times, It might be so much projection onto the past, but he seemed unafraid to embrace the strange near-tepid mauve MIDI tones of the day and still come up with something subtle, elusive and sublime. And his paintings... reflecting a sort of afro-funk post modernism and a sense of a return to a willfully playful naïveté . Under all of the pressure to live up to the caricature of the intense, dangerous and adventurous auteur... humbled by health problems..bursting out of a depression that lasted years....he becomes playfully funky, bemused and inspired by his new context. Its an inspiring display of renewal and a return to the joy of growth into the unknown. The music I made for this episode today probably isn't directly related to Miles Davis' 80s period or, more specifically the 15 minute version of Human Nature live in Paris that I have watched a million times over the last couple of years, nor would I ever claim to even attempt to reach anywhere near his heights of genius... regardless, I hope you enjoy! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/adamforkner/support