Sketches of Excellence
Miles Davis passed away in 1991, but his majesty has lived on through any number of reissues, boxed sets of classic sessions and the reinterpretation of his music in a variety of settings.

This set - placing Miles in a World Music context - is sweeping in scoop and breathtaking in sound. The project was overseen by producer Bob Belden and co-arranged by Louiz Banks, who also performed on keyboards.

Utilizing classical and jazz artists from India and musicians who mostly performed with Miles during his "electric" years, the 12 numbers - which include In a Spanish Key, Silent Way, Jean Pierre and Miles Runs the Voodoo Down - are powerfully presented on an illuminated landscape that subtly changes with each listening.

But it's the title track - composed, produced and performed by guitarist John McLaughlin with U. Shrinivas on electric mandolin, Louiz Banks on piano and Sikkil Gurucharan on vocals - that merges the sketches of excellence of the past with the brilliance of the present.

The project is not just a tribute to the genius of Miles, but an absolute gem in the art of making modern music.

Truly enjoyable.
Davis may have died in 1991, but he lives on in reissues, tributes and memorial albums. You'd think there was nothing left to say, but this cross-cultural collaboration between original Davis sidemen, including Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, and Indian classical musicians is fresh, unexpected and indispensable.

"A Cross-Cultural Celebration of the Music of Miles Davis," it says, in which prominent Indian musos get down and dirty with prominent ex-Davis sidemen in... well, you've read the subtitle already. And guess what? It works, by and large. Miles always had a thing for Indian music and Davis-heads will recall his expansive use of tablas and sitar on various Sixties and Seventies records.

"Miles From India" is a remarkable collection of music featuring some of the best musicians of contemporary American Jazz, Indian Jazz, and Classical Indian music coming together to honour one of the most brilliant composers of our time.

Miles Davis not only created remarkable music on his own, but he provided the inspiration for some of modern Jazz's best and most creative minds.

Everybody from Wayne Shorter to Chick Corea and John McLaughlin played with and were influenced by Miles and his innovations. While some of them might have pushed the envelope of fusion much further then he did, he was the one who put their feet on that path.

It is only fitting, therefore, that a collection of music in his honour is such a bold attempt at fusing two such disparate types of music. The fact that it is so successful is surely a testimony to his genius as a composer.

"Miles From India" is not just an example of how to properly bring East and West together musically, it is as magnificent collection of Jazz music that you are liable to find anywhere these days.

Material is culled from both acoustic and electric eras: "So What", "In a Silent Way", "All Blues" "Jean Pierre" etc - and the approach is about as respectful of the original idioms as it could be. Highly enjoyable.

Amazing Indian Improvisation
Amazing work of fusion the boss would have been proud of.

'So What' has always been my favourite and the way it has been improvised in this CD is just marvellous.

For fans of Shakti there is 'Miles from India' with jaming by the dynamic Shankar Mahadevan and the amiable John Maclauglin.

Truly amazing album in the league of Bitches Brew.

Wishes do come true.
i've always liked Indian music, prob comes from the Beatles period, when they were into their Yogi friend & Ravi Shankar.
I've always been a big Miles fan too, from when my father & his drummer brother played Sketches of Spain, non stop, when it was first released about 50 years ago.
So to have a group of Indian musicians playing with some of the people I see mentioned in the small print on the CD jacket-covers of my Miles CDs, well I think, maybe they made this double CD just for me.
I saw Gary Bartz at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival 5 or 6 years ago & have been a big fan ever since, so loved the tracks on Miles from India that he plays on.
I rang the DJ who does a World Music programme late on Sunday nights on a subscriber radio station last week, as he had been playing some Indian music, lots of tablas,etc, that night & recomended he get a copy of M from I & play it on his programme. Be interesting to see if he does so tonight.
Thank you Amazon for recomending it to me.It is currently my favourite CD.
Regards, Geoff R from Melbourne Australia.

very smooth
new jazz sound, entertaining, good music. I f you like jazz and open for " new waves" this is the thing.