This project was a dream come true and now I am able to share it with you!
Words by my dear friend Noel Langley (Also Yazz’s partner)…
How lovely to be able to share this on Miles’s 100th birthday.
A month ago Yazz and I went to Paris with an incredible band to film a special show for France Télévisions as part of a series of concerts celebrating the Miles Davis centenary.
Alongside Samuel Hällkvist, Alcyona Mick, Rod Youngs, Rosa Brunello and Jason Singh, Yazz delivered a sensational reimagining of Bitches Brew.
They gave two performances of Yazz’s beautifully crafted 35 minute suite, with the Bitches Brew quotes acting as launch pads for organic collective improvisation, honouring the ethos of the original, but informed by the evolution in music over the last 50+ years, perhaps with a particular emphasis on British genres and Yazz’s own aesthetic.
The result is jaw dropping - especially given that this is the very first time they had performed together. When we reviewed the two takes we felt that the first take had the edge, the atmosphere in the studio was electric and the band were playing as if their lives depended on it.
So here it is - the world premiere - take one!
After the second take the audience demanded an encore - so Yazz said, “let’s do an improvisation”. “Jungle!”, shouted Jason, and the band launched into the joyous frenetic finale - a spontaneous collective composition, absolute perfection, and what a drop!!