Today's #DrewsPicks is some very early Miles Davis. Specifically, the opening lick from Dear Old Stockholm, a track off of the 1952 10-inch LP Young Man with a Horn.
I chose a starting point about 10 seconds before his solo starts to get a sense of the groove.
Listen to how on the back of the beat his ascending lick is. It is essentially dragging but it's not. It is just waaaay on the back of the beat. And the rhythm section keeps perfect time underneath. #jazz
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There's so much that a musician can do in terms of manipulating a groove without speeding up or slowing down even a single beat per minute. Same goes for leaning way forward without speeding up.
Miles was one of the true masters of this.
In the jamband world, this level of nuance in the groove is largely lacking to my ears. #phish drips w/ it but they are the exception
I only say this because I get asked a lot about why fill in the blank band doesn't do it for me (and there's a bunch!)...
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And this is a good albeit very small example of why.
All four members of #phish are incredible at this but Fishman is a goddamn Jedi.
As the one driving the bus, there is an infinite number of ways that he subtly steers jams.
Sometimes into new territory, sometimes circling back, and sometimes staying right where it is.
He is a human cheat code who drips with nuance and can do so while punching you in the face.
But circling back, I'll be learning from Miles until the day I die.
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@justinbruce @drewphish 1960s for me, a person you did not ask.
"Second great quintet" albums on Columbia thru the early electric period, plus the many live recordings we have, particularly from Europe.
ESP and Filles de Kilimanjaro are my favs out of the 2nd quintet studio albums but every note from 1963 thru the end of the decade is worth your time
plus you get the albums from the Quintet members as leaders - Hancock and Shorter especially
a live set:
JDAntos
Drew but 7/27/25 GA ➡️ Reprise
Justin Bruce
Mr. Completely