Music from Siesta
| Music from Siesta | ||||
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| Soundtrack by Miles Davis / Marcus Miller | ||||
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Publication |
1987 |
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| Label (s) | Warner bros. | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
8th |
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running time |
37:54 |
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| occupation |
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Studio (s) |
Sigma Sound Studio , New York City, Minot Sound Studios, White Plains (New York) and Amigos Studio, Hollywood |
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Music from Siesta is a jazz album by Miles Davis and Marcus Miller , recorded in January and February 1987 and released by Warner Bros. in December 1987. The album is the soundtrack to the film Siesta by Mary Lambert .
background
The album, as the soundtrack for the critically pegged film Siesta as "weird, confusing and sometimes downright ridiculous, full of absurd twists and turns," which earned Grace Jones and Isabella Rossellini a nomination for the Golden Raspberry for Worst Supporting Actress, was relatively successful.
After Davis accepted the offer to create the music for the film, he sent Marcus Miller a videotape of the film and a melody line as a model and commissioned him to write the soundtrack. It took Miller two weeks to finish composing the music with these specifications.
Marcus Miller created a contemporary electronic orchestration for Davis' lyrical solos on the album. Miller followed the traditional way of producing pop albums, recording the music layer by layer instead of developing it from the interaction of musicians in the studio. Miller first played the piano on the album and then almost all other instruments, with the exception of guest appearances by guitarists John Scofield and Earl Klugh , drummer Omar Hakim and flautist James Walker. Miles Davis, too, only came into the studio when trumpet sounds were needed. Since Miller did most of the creative work in the studio, his manager ensured that he was listed on an equal footing with Davis as the creator. The mood of the album is reminiscent of Sketches of Spain and the collaboration between Davis and Gil Evans , to whom the album is dedicated.
Track list
All music composed by Marcus Miller, except Theme for Augustine composed by Miles Davis and Marcus Miller
- Lost in Madrid, Part 1 - 1:48
- Siesta; Kitt's Kiss; Lost in Madrid, Part 2 - 6:54
- Theme for Augustine; Wind; Seduction; Kiss - 6:33
- Submission - 2:32
- Lost in Madrid, Part 3 - 0:49
- Conchita; Lament - 6:43
- Lost in Madrid, Part 4; Council Dance; The Call - 1:41
- Claire; Lost in Madrid, Part 5 - 4:33
- Afterglow - 1:41
- Los Feliz - 4:35
reception
In 1988 the ›Wochenpress‹ wrote about the album: “ Siesta is not film music in the traditional sense, no superficial music for use, nothing to just listen to on the side. Siesta unfolds even without the moving images. "
Scott Yanow rated the album three out of five stars on Allmusic and wrote:
"Dedicated to arranger Gil Evans, the music is greatly influenced by his style. [...]. This was the first of several instances in which Miles Davis, in the twilight of his life, returned to his roots."
“Dedicated to the arranger Gil Evans, the music is strongly influenced by his style. [...]. This was the first of several examples in which Miles Davis returned to his roots in his old age. "
Richard Cook and Brian Morton awarded the album three (out of four) stars in The Penguin Guide to Jazz . For Cook / Morton, the soundtrack is a denser, more focused and imaginative project than Sketches of Spain (1960) was, although one clearly misses the “blood-orange abundance of Gil Evans ' orchestration ”. The album is “appealingly abstract, if a little level; but we both have a better opinion after each hearing about it. "
Individual evidence
- ^ Review of the film at rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved December 31, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Review of Scott Yanov's album at allmusic.com. Retrieved December 31, 2013 .
- ^ A b John Szwed So What: The Life of Miles Davis 2012
- ^ The New York Times Biographical Service , Volume 22, p. 1008
- ↑ Wochenpresse, Volume 43/1988, p. 58
- ^ Richard Cook, Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz. 6th edition. London 2003, p. 384.