| Jazz |
Once upon a time, a press release dropped into our mailbox to announce a great album of only 5 tracks… But what tracks they are! So here’s the press release:
“On February 16, 2023, in New York, NY – Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, is pleased to announce the release of That You Not Dare To Forget, the first full studio album of new compositions and performances from M.E.B. (formerly known as Miles Electric Band), a star-studded ensemble, former collaborators of Miles Davis and contemporary disruptors of hip-hop/jazz, inspired and influenced by Miles and his music. The digital and CD editions of the M.E.B. album will be available on Friday, April 21. Independent record stores will offer an exclusive bright pink 12″ vinyl edition of M.E.B. – That You Not Dare To Forget on Record Store Day 2023 on Saturday, April 22.”
Of course, the spirit of Miles is omnipresent, and in an atmosphere of the latter part of his life which is certainly the most exciting, freeing himself from classicism to enter modernity, thereby setting the tempo for new generations of artists. Not a stranger to this affair, bassist Marcus Miller, who was instrumental in Miles Davis’ evolution, but on this album we find a large number of musicians who shared the stage with Miles:
That You Not Dare To Forget is produced by Grammy Award winners Lenny White (whose first concerts included drumming, at the age of 19, on Miles Davis’ groundbreaking album, Bitches Brew) and Vince Wilburn, Jr. (who grew up listening to music with his uncle Miles and honed his drumming on many of Davis’ albums, including 1981’s The Man with the Horn, 1985’s Human Nature and You’re Under Arrest, 1989’s Aura, and others; Wilburn toured with Miles and was co-producer of various Miles Davis projects, including the Grammy Award-winning album Aura.
Of course, this album brings its share of advances in the way of approaching music and arrangements. Two of the five tracks on the album, “Hail to the Real Chief (Long Version)” and “Bitches Are Back”, include previously unreleased performances by Miles and one can hear the transcendental electricity circulating between the musicians as they collectively ascend throughout the album.
So we start following the rhythm, swaying to the music, Miles’ trumpet making us relive memories, the talents of the artists on this album which is a real treat, a breath of life on music that dates back to a joyful time when we didn’t talk about Covid, when laughter was easy, just like life… All of these inspirations pass through here, so it’s safe to say that this album is a true gift from heaven.
Thierry De Clemensat
Correspondent in USA
Bayou Blue News – Bayou Blue Radio – Paris-Move
PARIS-MOVE, April 6th 2023
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Order M.E.B. – That You Not Dare To Forget HERE