Download Jimi Meets Miles #1 here as an MP3
Play: Jimi Meets Miles #1
The greatest ever musical collaboration that never happened! It was between Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis in 1970
I play Jimi style over a pastiche of Miles' track 'Right off' from his album 'Jack Johnson',
The original track from the early 1970's had these main musicians on
Anyway, I didn't have any of them! I play all instruments, well, the drums I sequenced in Midi.
It's funny how you remember your best work like you were still there (in my home office. a spare bedroom). I remember playing those dive bombs (heavy tremolo arm work) with a smile on my face 😊
This wasn't my first attempt at this track.
Originally, very unsophisticated I played over the original. This was before copyright detection wasn't a thing.
How my version happened
The track got really popular on YouTube (190K views in a couple of months). Then suddenly it was taken down and I got a strike with restrictions.
You can't imagine how this irked me.
So I said f*ck you and created my own backing track.
This second post seems just as popular as the first, well 80K views, still, not shabby for such a niche genre as jazz!
As I said earlier I used some sampled kits for the drums. The vibe is close I think. I played that bassline on real bass. It's like one of the top 10 basslines ever IMHO so I didn't mess with it!
How the original version happened
The track "Right Off" from Miles Davis' 1971 album A Tribute to Jack Johnson featured a who's who lineup of jazz/rock royalty, blending electric jazz with rock and funk.
The original happened as a sliding door moment. The band were jamming on their own. Miles walked by the studio, heard it, walked in and played his best ever solo - and his best ever is the best ever.
🎸 "Right Off" - Full Lineup of original Musicians
- 🎺 Miles Davis – Trumpet
- 🎸 John McLaughlin – Electric Guitar
- 🎹 Herbie Hancock – Organ (uncredited, played on a borrowed Fender Rhodes)
- 🎹 Chick Corea – Electric Piano (part of the sessions, but not on "Right Off")
- 🎸 Michael Henderson – Electric Bass (funky, groove-driven bassline)
- 🥁 Billy Cobham – Drums (hard-hitting, rock-infused playing)
- 🎷 Steve Grossman – Soprano Saxophone (added in later sections)
it's my version, so what?
I do hope I haven't offended you purists by daring to catch a vibe but actually, hell no I'm not sorry - read the comments on YouTube, most are positive including from Jason Miles, the keyboard programmer who played on the Tutu and Amandla albums. So, in the spirit of Miles, who was less than modest. I've always loved the liner notes on that album, a passioned few hundred words of praise, calling Miles a genius. In true Miles style he comments to this...
That's right!
I know this is good, not imitation, I'm not a tribute act. This takes it where all great music goes - to a new space.
Another famous Miles quote...
I know what they'll say about me when I'm gone
I'll add...
fuck yeah to that!