Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Visions Of Miles: The Electric Period Of Miles Davis (2016) [Hi-Res]

London born pianist, composer and arranger Colin Towns here leads his fabulous Mask Orchestra. Hailed as one of the most dynamic and original ensembles in European jazz, the Mask Orchestra features some of the finest players in British jazz. Towns, who has worked with the likes of Michael Brecker, Norma Winstone, Guy Barker and Sting, brings a unique vision to all that he does drawing on jazz fusion, film music and of course the inspiration of Gil Evans to create stunning new arrangements of classic material. Tonight’s very special concert features arrangements of music from Miles Davis legendary electric period.

Towns is a brilliant deployer of a big jazz band’s textural variety and raw power, and he combines it with the movie-composer’s sense of drama. The UK’s Julian Arguelles is among an A-team of soloists, but the dominant instrument is the entire band. The unnervingly hypnotic Spanish Key surfaces in wold, slewing brass fanfares and racing percussion patterns; Back Seat Betty soars on the searing trumpet sound of Axel Schlosser; and the rhythm section triumphantly handles everything from the lazy shuffle of Agartha Prelude to the breathless conga shuffle of Aida. It must have been a stunning show to witness. (John Fordham, The Guardian 20.11.09, 4 stars)

Towns has already created big-band Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa; now he completes a trilogy of jazz-rock heavyweights with electric-era Miles Davis. This is the hardest job so far – Miles’s arrangements were often skeletal and raw, and relentless pieces sucht as Moja (Part 1) defy much orchestration. Still Agharta acquires a new bounce and delicate readings of In a Silent Way and My Man’s Gone Now, plus a muscular Tutu, make this an absorbing set. (John Bungey, The Times, 5 stars)

Towns’ writing is highly imaginative, even on pieces of absolute music, such as ‘Bitches Brew’ … There are some fine soloists in the band who are all given their head by Towns, lifted by a powerful rhythm section that gives this music bite, inspired by Wolfgang Haffner’s drumming. (Stuart Nicholson, Jazzwise Nov. 09, 3 stars)

Davis’s 1970s and 1980s work presents a special challenge since it contains so few actual melodies. Fortunately, Towns is a master of texture and pacing, and he and his top-notch players have together crafted a pulsating suite that is at once thoroughly Miles-ish and highly original. It’s a great advert for both Davis and contemporary big band. (Robert Shore, Metro 27.11.09)

Colin Towns, arrangements, direction
Heinz-Dieter Sauerborn, alto and soprano saxophones, flute and alto flute
Oliver Leicht, soprano saxophones, flute, alto and bass flute
Rainer Heute, baritone saxophone, bass and contrabass clarinet
Andy Greenwood, trumpet, flugelhorn
Thomas Vogel, trumpet, flugelhorn
Martin Auer, trumpet, flugelhorn
Axel Schlosser, trumpet, flugelhorn
Gunter Bollman, trombone, euphonium
Peter Feil, trombone, euphonium
Christian Jaksjø, trombone, euphonium
Manfred Honetschläger, bass trombone
Martin Scales, guitar
Vladislav Sendecki, piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
Thomas Heidepriem, bass
Farouk Gomati, percussion
Wolfgang Haffner, drums

Tracklist:
01. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Bitches Brew / Spanish Key (05:58)
02. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Moja (Pt. 1) (04:31)
03. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Black Satin (05:11)
04. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Wili (Pt. 1) (03:03)
05. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Back Seat Betty (05:14)
06. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - He Loved Him Madly (03:16)
07. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Agharta Prelude (05:21)
08. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Calypso Frelimo (02:24)
09. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Aida (08:56)
10. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - In a Silent Way (02:50)
11. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Full Nelson (03:58)
12. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Hannibal (04:52)
13. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - My Man's Gone Now (06:18)
14. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Fast Track (08:29)
15. Miles Davis, Colin Towns, HR-Bigband - Tutu (07:34)