Displaying items by tag: Miles Davis

After the success of Rock’n’Roll, many African American artists started to explore their musical heritage and look beyond blues and R&B for inspiration. The terms ‘funk’ and ‘rock’n’roll were euphemisms for sex, with the former referring to the smells of intimacy and the latter the act.

When you read about Mods, and many other cultural styles, such as Skinheads, and those that like to adopt a Preppy or Ivy style. You will sometimes read the acronym “OCBD shirt”. This stands for Oxford Cloth Button Down. It is quite possibly the most popular style of shirt in the last century, in that it is stylish, and can be worn both casually and formally. Here I look into the history of the style. It’s origins and the popularity of this versatile and seemingly timeless garment.

The name seersucker is said to originate from the Persian words shîr and shakar, which translates to “milk and sugar”. This most likely references the smooth and bumpy texture of the fabric, as well as evidencing the origin and popularity of the fabric in the Middle East - just like the popularity of the Madras fabric during the British Colonial era.

Tubby Hayes – The Life Behind The Tenor, is a brilliant, and insightful limited edition book, that takes a closer look at the life of the British Jazz icon, Tubby Hayes. It has recently been published by Mono Media Books and is limited to one hundred copies.

Behind-the-scenes footage to document the production of one of John Lennon's most enduring works. A fluid context of conflict, community, and craftsmanship.

If you put just one book on your Christmas list for Santa this year then please make that book Jazz Festival:Jim Marshall.

Miles Ahead is a fictional account set in 1979 of a caper between Miles Davis, the Howard Hughes of Jazz and a Rolling Stone Journalist,

In 1947 Miles Davis was playing in Charlie Parker's quintet, replacing Dizzy Gillespie, who had left in 1945 due to Parker's growing alcohol and drug problem. Davis recorded several albums with Parker at this time, including Parker's Sessions for the Savoy and Dial labels. By 1948 Davis had three years of bebop playing under his belt, but he struggled to match the speed and ranges of the likes of Gillespie and Parker, choosing instead to play in the mid-range of his instrument. In 1948 Davis, becoming increasingly concerned about growing tensions within the Parker quintet, left that group and began looking for a new band with which to work.

Although I enjoyed working with Oscar and Norman, and dining out at restaurants where supper cost more than double my monthly mortgage payments, I couldn’t relax and be myself. I was a little out of my depth and my working class upbringing hadn’t educated me to wine and dine with the (extremely) rich and famous.