Yo Miles!: Sky Garden

• Artist: Henry Kaiser/Wadada Leo Smith
• Rating:
• Release Date: May 04, 2004
• Genre: Jazz

Review

Sky Garden and Upriver were recorded at the same sessions, featuring the same band. A parallel can be drawn to Miles' Pangaea and Agharta, which were both recorded on the same day by the same band. Agharta was the afternoon show and Pangaea the evening show, and it's reflected in the performances. Agharta was more aggressive and in-your-face while Pangaea was more subdued and introspective in comparison. Here, Sky Garden plays Pangaea to Upriver's Agharta: a bit moodier and playing with a bit more space, but burning with the same intensity. Where Sky Garden departs from the other entries in the Yo Miles! catalog is the number of original tunes. Yo Miles! and Upriver both had only a single original tune written by Wadada Leo Smith; Sky Garden has four tunes penned by Smith (out of 11 total) and a collaborative group effort (punningly titled "Cozy Pete" after Miles' great guitar player) making nearly half of this album original material. It's an interesting (and successful!) move for a so-called "tribute band." Here's why it all works: this is a group of consummate musicians, each with a strong solo voice, who know how to listen and work as a band. Beyond that, they've internalized this music to such a degree that a casual Miles Davis fan might be hard-pressed to differentiate between the songs that Miles himself played and which are new compositions. Highlights are numerous. Everyone gets some solo space, and they take full advantage. Smith's solos on both trumpet and electric trumpet are fantastic, as is the playing from Greg Osby and John Tchicai. The three guitarists (Henry Kaiser, Mike Keneally, and Chris Muir) are consistently dazzling and generally easy to tell apart, except on "Gemini Double Image," where someone does an absolutely amazing job of re-creating John McLaughlin's playing and tone. Michael Manring's bass playing is the same sort of anchor that Michael Henderson supplied, and Steve Smith shows why his talents were mostly wasted on Journey. "Shinjuju," one of the Smith compositions, adopts a nasty fuzz bass sound that Michael Henderson never used with Miles' band, and "Who's Targeted" has some bluesy slide guitar and a carnival organ solo. "Great Expectations" has guest percussionist Zakir Hussain trading off with Smith and Osby, with what sounds like a coral sitar in the background before Tom Coster turns in another nice solo. Only one of the 11 tracks is shorter than six minutes, and seven of the 11 are longer than ten minutes, and yet there isn't any wasted space. The playing is incredible from start to finish, and the recording quality is superb. Sky Garden is not an attempt to simply imitate the classic sounds of decades past; this is music that is vital and alive thanks to these top-notch improvisers. Anyone into Miles Davis' early-'70s legacy or folks wondering if there's any worthwhile, non-flaccid jazz fusion is urged to check out this band. They're hot. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
It's About That Time/The Mask	Miles Davis	Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Kaiser	(10:26)
Jabali, Pt. 1	Miles Davis	Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Kaiser	(6:36)
Shinjuku	Wadada Leo Smith	Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith	(22:38)
Great Expectations	Miles Davis	Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith	(35:24)
Directions	Joe Zawinul	Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Kaiser	(2:54)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Sivad/Gemini Double Image/Little Church	Joe Zawinul, Hermeto Pascoal, Miles Davis	Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith	(10:17)
Miles Star	Wadada Leo Smith	Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Kaiser	(9:38)
Who's Targeted?	Wadada Leo Smith	Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Kaiser	(21:21)
Jabali, Pt. 2	Miles Davis	Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith	(14:18)
Willie Dixon	Wadada Leo Smith	Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith	(6:53)
Cozy Pete	Steve Smith, Tom Coster, Henry Kaiser, Mike Keneally, Michael Manring, Chris Muir, Wadada Leo Smith, Karl Perazzo	Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith	(12:44)

Credits

Henry Kaiser (Arranger), David Greenberger (Art Direction), Zakir Hussain (Percussion), Wadada Leo Smith (Trumpet), Steve Smith (Drums), Henry Kaiser (Guitar (Electric)), Andy Marshall (Guitar Technician), Bob Bralove (Consultant), Gus Skinas (Audio Engineer), Greg Osby (Sax (Alto)), Zakir Hussain (Tabla), Mike Keneally (Guitar (Electric)), Henry Kaiser (Liner Notes), Henry Kaiser (Producer), Michael Manring (Bass), David Greenberger (Package Design), Tom Coster (Keyboards), Rova Saxophone Quartet (Guest Appearance), Wadada Leo Smith (Electric Trumpet), Karl Perazzo (Percussion), Chris Muir (Guitar (Electric)), David Glasser (Mastering), Mike Keneally (Keyboards), Flipper (Animal Sounds), John Tchicai (Sax (Soprano)), Andy Marshall (Technician), Steve Adams (Arranger), Andy Marshall (Critic), John Tchicai (Sax (Tenor)), Wadada Leo Smith (Arranger), Andy Marshall (?), David Creamer (Guitar (Electric))