Palle was someone I knew more from reputation than from listening, in retrospect a huge oversight on my part, but when I heard Aura I knew both that I wanted to bring it to life, live, and that I wanted to get to know its creator. I know of only one other, Gil Evans, who could do that. It is the voice of another musician, one who seems to know how to draw out the best in Miles in a large palate one who somehow, from a distance, shares his world. Of course, on first hearing, it is the unmistakable voice of Miles which catches the ear, but there is something about the setting, the larger piece, which stands it apart from any other Davis recording since the 1960s. I know of no other piece quite like Aura. Mikkelborg conceived the suite as an all-embracing live experience, a through-composed colour journey through the auras of Miles to be travelled together. This performance of Aura will be as close to the composer’s original vision as possible. The performance will begin with a pre-recorded audio track and excerpts from the documentary Days With Miles: The Making of Aura and a recent recorded conversation between Palle Mikkelborg and director Scott Stroman. In this concert performance, Guildhall Jazz Orchestra – under the direction of Scott Stroman and with special guest trumpet player Robbie Robson – return to the original orchestral score to present a fresh look at the material that was to become one of Miles’ finest works for the final decade of his life. It was described by Fred Kaplan of New York magazine as a “jolting synthesis of jazz, rock, and Messiaen-influenced classical music that lit up a future path lamentably unfollowed”. The work’s main theme consists of ten notes generated from the letters ‘M-I-L-E-S-D-A-V-I-S’, with each movement representing a different colour of Davis’ aura as seen by Mikkelborg. The ten movements encompass everything from blues to funk to reggae, and represent, in the broadest possible terms, what writer Herb Wong described as Miles’ “charismatic and nutritious aura”. It continues to be performed frequently to this day and its minor blues form makes it a popular choice for jam sessions.Composed in tribute to Miles Davis in 1984, and the final album to be released during his lifetime, Aura saw Miles collaborate with Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg to create a unique conceptual work. Many other notable musicians would record this piece from the likes of Ahmad Jamal, Herbie Mann, and Carmen McRae to name a few. Oliver Nelson would record the song himself 5 months later on the album The Blues and the Abstract Truth with a stellar line-up consisting of Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Roy Haynes, and this is often regarded as the definitive version of the tune. It was first recorded by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis as "The Stolen Moment" on his album Trane Whistle in 1960. This song has been recorded over 130 times to date. ![]() The B section features min11 chords moving chromatically in parallel motion, and although in practice bars 5-8 of the B section tend to also be treated with mi11 chords, the original recording by Nelson features Dmi11 - Ebdim7 - C7/E - Fmi7. Lead sheets often fail to mention that the melody resolves to Major on beat 3 of the 4th bar. ![]() While the solo form simply takes place over a minor blues, the melody and head arrangement feature some unique devices and rich voicings. The harmony of this composition is rather sophisticated. The solo forms take place over a standard 12 bar minor blues with a bVI7 - V7 turnaround. Swing, usually played at a medium slow tempo.Īn introduction moving through Imi7 - IImi7/I - bIIIMaj7/I - IImi7/I is often included to begin performances, and the head is typically played twice on the way in and out.
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