I Can See For Miles

The hand of God…

cornerstone of not only jazz but funk, soul, bebop and beyond, Miles Davis was a hard musician to pin down.

Which makes this Saturday’s musical undertaking at The Whale all the more admirable.

Entitled Electric Miles, hearty musicians Michael Buckley (sax), Mike Nielsen (guitar), Greg Felton (piano), Derek Whyte (bass) and Shane O’Donovan (drums, electronics) will take on the plugged-in early 1970s work of Miles Dewey Davis III. Miles going electric was a major shock in the jazz world, a move spearheaded by the 1970 double-album Bitches Brew, which managed to knock Miles’ own 1959 album Kind Of Blue off the no.1 spot in the all-time best-selling jazz albums chart.

Before their Miles love-in on Saturday, March 4th, we asked guitarist Mike Nielsen to let us know the tracks that can still make him break down and cry.

Mike Nielsen. Pic: b-lieve.be

And where and when did the music bug first bite…

I was introduced to music by my parents who used to sing Danish folk songs in harmony while my father played guitar.

When I was three years old, he noticed that I keep the rhythm with them when I reached up to a small keyboard on a stand. He subsequently bought me a ukulele and was able to play it a the age of four. We used to play together. When he suggested we play
Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walking, he used to get a great kick out of me going into a rage as I hated the song for some reason. I think it was the descending double bass part which drove me crazy. It didn’t fit into my musical reasoning at the time (and still doesn’t!).

I started playing guitar at the age of 12. Lessons were arranged as a barter. My grandmother was a sail maker so she made a sail for the teachers boat in return for lessons. Only got seven. He wrote out chord symbols of standard songs played and sang them once, and I had to learn them from memory. He wasn’t an improvisor.

My father also played bass and trumpet in a Dixieland band. I started at an early age playing with them. Later I played in various bands from the age of 12, playing 3 nights per week. Later I studied classical guitar with Niels Krogsbøll in Denmark and on return I travelled to Dublin to continue my studies which included theory with Dorothy Stokes and counterpoint with Dr Joseph Groocock.

Other studies include, Berklee College, Boston, 1983-85 (Jim Hall Incentive Award); LTCL in Classical Guitar Performance; MPhil in Physics and Music , DIT (First Award) and PhD in microtonal improvisation, UU (Vic-Chancellor Scholarship).

It is difficult to pick tracks from an album as it is important to listen to the full recording. It gives you a perception of the concept of the leader. In my day we had fewer albums which meant we listened to them more, and for that reason the music filtered into our soul.

When returning to an album it’s like meeting old friends. I haven’t even mentioned, Monk , Ellington, Dexter Gordon, John Abercrombie, Toru Takemitzu, Bartók, Stravinsky, Paco De Lucia, João Gilberto, and so many more from the genres of jazz, classical and world music.

So, here are my current Tracks Of My Years…

Miles Davis So What (Kind Of Blue)
This seminal record is a must for all—Davis’ modal period. The album is always recommended for people who want to enter the jazz world. It became my children’s favourite bedtime music when they were in single digits. I knew they were internalising the music when I heard my daughter singing Coltrane’s solo on So What. Great introduction by Evans, followed by the unforgettable bass line and vamp; and the solos are exquisite from this stellar line-up.

Miles Davis Bitches Brew
An experimental jazz-rock album with a stark title and memorable cover painting by Abdul Mati Klarwein. It is a triumph of free jazz played over a groove rooted in rock and African music with interspersed motifs/texture changes. Almost all of the musicians gathered for the recording were at a high level in their own art. Namely Zawinul and Shorter from Weather Report, Herbie Hancock and Bennie Maupin set up Mwandishi, John McLaughlin (with Billy Cobham) created Mahavishnu Orchestra and Chick Corea founded Return to Forever with Lenny White.

Keith Jarrett Moon And Sand (Standards Vol. 2)
I also want to include The Way You Look Tonight here, from Standards Live, and So Tender, also from Standards Live Vol 2. These tracks show Keith in all his virtuosic creative glory. I bought Standards Vol. 1 and 2 when they were released, and I think this is his best work. I even got Pete Sluis, a Dutch painter and trumpet player, to paint Vol. 1. I have a beautiful painting in the Dutch Impressionist style which reflects the power of the performance.

Chick Corea & Return to Forever Light As A Feather
This music was new to me, it gave me a glimpse into jazz fusion and the music of Chick Corea. Wonderful playing from Corea and Joe Farrell.

Sonny Rollins Maritat (Mack The Knife) (Saxophone Colossus)
Beautiful solo from Sonny crafted over the melody using his individual rhythmic vernacular. Rory McGuinness, a sax player from Dublin, introduced me to this album.

Elvin Jones & Richard Davis Here’s That Rainy Day (Heavy Sounds)
Stunning ballad from the group and brilliant solo by Frank Foster, he plays the melody with space and has a beautiful warm tone, this is followed by an equally brilliant crafted solo which defines his original approach. The drum intro is unusual and unforgettable, not counted but felt. Rory McGuinness introduced me to this album also.

Joe Pass Night And Day (Virtuoso)
I went to Sligo town with my father in 1973 to buy a Christmas present. This album was it. It cost £3.50 pence. Love the acoustic sound of the archtop, so natural. Fantastic solo guitar playing which I transcribed on a record player. Lots of scratches from a consonantly repositioned needle. Bebop guitar playing at its best.

John Coltrane Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme)
From the heart, one of a kind, anything from Coltrane will do.

John Scofield Wabash III (Time On My Hands)
When this album came out, I transcribed the full album and did a concert of the music. Scofield’s musical output has great variety, a true original.

Stanley Clarke School Days (School Days)
When the first track started it was a wow moment as he was playing the electric bass like a guitar, using power chords. It is jazz-rock at its best. The opening riff is unforgettable and is followed by a rock guitar solo with lots reverb. Clarke’s solo stands out. He builds up to a climax with a sudden drop in volume which is quietly accentuated by a harmonic. A standout album.

Glenn Gould: J. S. Bach 6 English Suites BWV 806–811
Bach, a master of rhetorical writing. Glenn Gould brings the music to us at the highest level.

You can check out our Tracks Of My Years with Miles’ old mucker, John Scofield, here.