Jazz in July’s Aaron Diehl brings Echoes of Miles

As the world commemorates the centennial of music and culture icon Miles Davis, Jazz in July Artistic Director Aaron Diehl presents this summer’s festival in celebration of Miles’ extraordinary influence. The six nights of concerts (July 15-25) feature a who’s who of some of the most exciting artists in jazz, from NEA Jazz Masters to the music’s most compelling rising stars – Ron Carter, Terence Blanchard, Ravi Coltrane, John Patitucci, Kate Kortum, Renee Rosnes, and many more – each with either a direct or indirect link to Miles, and each of whom carries elements of his vision forward. We sat down with Diehl ahead of the festival to talk about his first exposure to the music of Miles Davis, what he sees as central to Miles’ legacy, what audiences can expect to experience – and what he hopes they take away.

When did you first hear the music of Miles Davis? Do you remember your impressions?

One of my early recollections of hearing Miles Davis was when I was a young teenager. At that time, the cable television my parents had included a music channel – a jazz channel. A track came on that I remember sounding very strange, with a kind of repetitive quality. I found it very interesting, because the horn players were playing this repeated melody and the rhythm section was embellishing and improvising around what the horn players were playing. It turned out to be Miles Davis’ “Nefertiti” – a Wayne Shorter composition – and while it wasn’t my first introduction to Miles Davis, it’s one of my earliest recollections of his music that made a very strong impact.

What was that impact? What was it that excited you or sounded distinct from the jazz you’d been listening to?

It was the combustible energy that the rhythm section created, and the simplicity of the melodic line juxtaposed against all of this controlled chaos that occurs with the rhythm section. Especially, with Tony Williams, the drummer on that album. This was Miles “Second Great Quintet” of the 1960s, with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams.

What kept you listening ? What struck you as something you hadn’t heard elsewhere?

It was a language I hadn’t become familiar with yet: post-bop. I mean, if you listen to Miles Davis when he was 19 and playing with Charlie Parker – that was bebop. And if you listen to this language 20 years later, it is incredibly evolved and dynamic.

Let’s talk about the festival. There are Miles Davis centennial celebrations taking place around the world – Tokyo, Berlin, across the US. You’ve shaped this summer’s Jazz in July around Miles and his influence – an approach that is distinct. Please talk about the perspective you’re bringing to his legacy.

Miles is an institution that can be illustrated almost as a family tree. You put Miles at the roots, and you’ll be able to connect musicians as diverse as Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Garrett, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and many more. And John Coltrane of course. And so, with those branches sprout many other musicians who are performing today. We are so fortunate to have in this festival a key alumnus of the Davis organization, Mr. Ron Carter, along with other artists with more indirect links to Miles. In presenting this festival, I hope to show the immeasurable effect Miles had on generations of musicians and their artistic output. And to illustrate that there are dustings of influence resonating through these artists. I’m very excited about the festival, and excited for people to come out and experience this music.

Two of the concerts are outright celebrations of Miles Davis. Please tell us about them.

Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltrane are presenting a very exciting Miles Davis and John Coltrane Centennial Concert (Thu, July 23). This project is guided, in part, by Terence’s own ever-evolving approach to musicmaking. Miles has made a significant impression on him since they met each other in the 1980s. Terence has stated that he’s not trying to replicate Miles’ approach, but rather celebrate his legacy by diving deeper into his own creative identity.

The concert celebrates the very special partnership between two icons. Miles introduced Coltrane to the world. Miles was the bandleader who gave Coltrane a platform – an international platform, at that – and with it, a vehicle to develop his sound. They worked together until around 1960, when Coltrane decided to leave and do his own thing. Theirs was a very, very special partnership, and a special collaboration. Ravi is, of course, John Coltrane’s son, but mostly he is a brilliant artist in his own standing. This will be a very special evening in celebration of both Miles and Coltrane, with Terence and Ravi bringing a unique take on their music.

Another pure Miles celebration features renowned drummer Gregory Hutchinson and his young supergroup, performing music from his acclaimed new Miles Davis tribute album, Kind of New. Talk about the perspective he brings to Miles.

Greg, or “Hutch” as he is known, brings a very dynamic take on Miles’ music, whether it’s the period with Charlie Parker or Bitches Brew. The album, which was just released in April and which will be the foundation of the concert (Sat, July 18), has a lot to do with the evolutionary qualities of Miles’ music, and is indicative of the wide-ranging possibilities of this music with his own band of terrific young musicians. Some of the tunes are by Miles, some associated with Miles. I’m very excited about this concert.

Singers aren’t associated with Miles Davis, but the American Songbook is. This is likely the only Miles Davis celebration anywhere featuring a vocalist. What sparked this idea?

Miles re-wrote a lot of classic American songs – “Autumn Leaves,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Stella by Starlight,” “If I Were a Bell” – there were many, and he really made them his own. And subsequent generations of jazz musicians know these songs because of Miles. The wonderful young vocalist Kate Kortum will be joining me and my trio for this concert (Wed, July 22). I’d been hearing about Kate for a year or so – she won the most recent Sarah Vaughan Competition – and I think she’s well on her way to being not only a magnificent singer, but a very convincing storyteller through song. We’re going to arrange some of these songs and do them our way, with a nod to Miles’ predilection for the American Songbook.

Being named an NEA Jazz Master is the highest honor in jazz. This year, three artists with that distinction headline three Jazz in July concerts. Along with Ron Carter and Terence Blanchard, you’re presenting Billy Hart. What does he bring to the festival?

Billy Hart worked with Miles on the 1970s album On the Corner and was a member of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi sextet – an outgrowth of Herbie’s work with Miles. He established a reputation and codified a certain sound with his own small ensemble. It’s a terrific ensemble, with Ethan Iverson, Ben Street, and Nicole Glover on saxophone, and I think their concert (Wed, July 15) will add another interpretation of the quartet sound.

You’ve talked about jazz as a living continuum. Tell us about your evening of duets with John Patittuci. His links to Miles are less direct, but still deep. Tell us about that.

John was a longtime member of Miles’ alum Chick Corea’s Electric and Akoustic bands, and he also played with Wayne Shorter. John and I have been talking about playing together for some time. We did one concert together in 2019, but this will be our first concert of duets (Tue, July 21), and I’m really looking forward to it. John is a prolific composer as well as an extraordinary bassist, and we’ll be doing a mix of standards and original compositions, celebrating directly and indirectly the music of Miles Davis.

Finally, The Maestro. Ron Carter was a member of Miles’ iconic “Second Great Quintet.” How did his foundational experience with Miles inform his music, and what can we expect to hear in the festival’s closing night?

Mr. Carter has been a prominent bandleader in his own right for many decades now. He is the most recorded bassist in music history. He has real resonance on this festival, because not only was he a member of one of Miles’ greatest bands, but he has such deep knowledge and understanding of ensemble playing and small ensemble collaboration. Ron plays jazz like chamber music. With him it is chamber music. And through the power of his instrument, through his bass lines, he commands a musical presence on the bandstand that locks in everyone in his amazing band, Foursight: Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene, Payton Crossley (Sat, Jul 25). It is probably one of the greatest examples of small ensemble interplay that we have today. Mr. Carter is such a treasure. He’s 89 now. And we are so fortunate that he is still performing and still contributing his work and his music to the world.

You’ve said that Miles Davis – along with Stevie Wonder and Bach – was fundamental to your musical foundation. In what ways did he and does he continue to impact your own approach to music?

Miles’ sound continuously evolved. Not only the language of his music, but his actual sound on his instrument. If you listen to early Miles versus Miles in the ‘60s, certainly the ‘70s, and beyond, his sound really evolved and opened up in significant ways. I’m always thinking about how to evolve my own sound – how to make the intention of my sound more deliberate, more clear, and more vocal in the literal sense – wanting to imitate the natural sound of the human voice. When I think of Miles Davis, I think of someone literally singing through their instrument.

Lastly, if you could distill Miles’ massive influence – in jazz, in music, in popular culture – into a single idea, what would that be? What did he bring that was new?

Space. If you think about where Dizzy was in bebop – Miles decided to go in a completely different direction. He knew he couldn’t compete with the virtuosity of Dizzy, so he decided he was going to play down low, and with more space, and to listen to the space. And that is something I continue to learn from him. It’s so important – he was so good at putting bands together because he was a stellar listener. More, perhaps, than he was even playing, I think Miles was always listening.

JAZZ IN JULY: Echoes of Miles – July 15-25, all concerts at 7:30 PM. Tickets and details here.