Oslo Jams III: Septet Offensive

This is probably not what anyone's gonna be interested in this morning, and it's understandable. But I planned to put this one up today and no forsaken High School Confidential popularity contest or Debbie Downer Dystopia is gonna stop me from sharing the very best of the rare and necessary gems I have here. Now, more than ever.

I promised one of my regular readers I would do something for the 45th anniversary of the Miles Davis Fall 1971 Eurotour and I am coming through with this one. I apologize for not doing more. This stuff is a full-time job, even the few days a month I post. So this is for you, musiclova.

And damn, I suppose I better blog this before Mssr. Dick de l'Orange takes office and abolishes Jazz altogether, right? I imagine the Kraven Kulture Kops in his new Ministry Of Whiteness will be on scene to police and punish even its mere mention. Perhaps Kenny G will be made Minister of Soprano Saxophone, who can say at this point? Just consider me Robespierre to their Louis XVI... we may both end up in the basket, but at least I want you to have more than just cake to eat.

And ohhhhhh boy, this one here is prime for life in solitary with no possibility of parole -- possibly even the 1791 Paris reenactment, blades and all -- for the likes of me, I can tell you. I was only 5 when this tour happened, and have been trying to build myself a time machine ever since to go back and see it in person. Shit, even pasty ol' Marty McFly could get down to this band.

Obviously if you know this period you've already scrolled to the links and have successfully avoided my (oh so laughably pale) attempts at explanation. For those that aren't, and especially those suffering under the weight of the (apparently now terminated) livable human future this morning, the only thing I can say is that this music is deeply primal and maybe can help get you through at least the morning before fleeing to Canada or outer space.

And speaking of the outer limits... what a band, eh? Keith Jarrett and Gary Bartz are the two main soloists besides Miles, with KJ doing his "I sure play electric shit well for someone who wishes it dead" energy-in-ivory thing, and Gary arguably supplying the best and most ferocious playing, as he often if not always does. This is a vicious band that will decapitate the ears off anyone listening, that's for sure.

On a day such as this, I feel we could all do with a bit of primordial Funk power, delivered without compromise or attenuation. Of all these NRK-TV high-def rebroadcasts, this might be the one to turn your TV or computer screen from orange to a healthier shade of some sort. We can try.

Miles Davis Septet
Chateau Neuf
Oslo, Norway
11.9.1971

01 Directions
02 Honky Tonk
03 What I Say?
04 Sanctuary
05 It's About That Time
06 Yesternow
07 Funky Tonk
08 "Sanctuary" theme + closing

Total time: 1:22:05

Miles Davis III - trumpet
Gary Bartz - alto & soprano saxophones
Keith Jarrett - electric piano & organ
Michael Henderson - electric bass
Ndugu Leon Chancler - drums
Don Alias - percussion & congas
James "Mtume" Foreman - percussion & congas

FLV file of an NRK webstream merging 2 rebroadcasts from the Norwegian TV archives

1.39 GB FLV/November 2016 archive link

This is a very hard day for a whole lotta folks, and I wish I didn't have to tell you it will get unimaginably -- perhaps irrevocably -- worse before it's bad enough that anyone will do anything real to stem the Fascist tideswell, I'm afraid. Try to remember what's important, and that music is the one thing our species does that transcends the overt deceptions we engage in in all other spheres of our lives on a daily if not momentary basis. To quote a great poet, "We are ugly, but we have the Music."

I advise turning off the "news" -- cuz face it, rampant bigotry and xenophobia aren't really news -- and turning on to this hour and a half of Electric Mayhem from the heavyweight champion of such things, and one of the acknowledged greats of all time. It will beat MSNBC and CNN today -- and honestly, any day ending in "y" -- trust me on that folks. Unlike their tawdry, traitorously sordid asses, I would never dream of lying to you whilst smugly chuckling in your face.--J.

5.26.1926 - 9.28.1991