Miles From Mars
It's been ten years since the writing and recording of Miles From Mars--and it is still sporting a long tail.
The album was all about process, meaning the ideas behind the compositions inspired how they were constructed, not unlike scoring to a film, where the music supports or embellishes the narrative. I had always been a fan of Teo Macero, and I also tried to incorporate some of that vibe.
The album title came long after I started composing the music. The synth trumpet I used on the track 'Miles From Mars' reminded me of Miles playing on a spacey Macero record. Also at the time (1999) there had been a landing on Mars, and they were sending back images of the surface, which inspired me, especially the 'face' image (actually taken in 1976 on the Viking mission). What I found most interesting was the notion of inhabiting Mars based upon the idea that a civilization had already thrived (and perished) there. The 'face' has long been explained away as a mere illusion or trick of the eye, i.e. something that appears to be real, and ultimately debunked. The corollary is that travel to Mars seems viable, but at the same time impossible. We are miles from Mars, meaning close, but so far away.
When the album first came out, a reviewer at the jazz webzine allaboutjazz.com was overly critical of my description of the album as being a nod to Miles Davis. This is definitely not jazz. But Miles himself had his share of dalliances to escape from genre by using synths, etc. It should be noted that I never sent the album to Mr. Sabbatini for a review. He discovered it in cyberspace and decided to write a review, where he does a good job of dissing it while flattering me at the same time. Touche...
Review by Mark Sabbatini at allaboutjazz:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14444
The album was all about process, meaning the ideas behind the compositions inspired how they were constructed, not unlike scoring to a film, where the music supports or embellishes the narrative. I had always been a fan of Teo Macero, and I also tried to incorporate some of that vibe.
The album title came long after I started composing the music. The synth trumpet I used on the track 'Miles From Mars' reminded me of Miles playing on a spacey Macero record. Also at the time (1999) there had been a landing on Mars, and they were sending back images of the surface, which inspired me, especially the 'face' image (actually taken in 1976 on the Viking mission). What I found most interesting was the notion of inhabiting Mars based upon the idea that a civilization had already thrived (and perished) there. The 'face' has long been explained away as a mere illusion or trick of the eye, i.e. something that appears to be real, and ultimately debunked. The corollary is that travel to Mars seems viable, but at the same time impossible. We are miles from Mars, meaning close, but so far away.
When the album first came out, a reviewer at the jazz webzine allaboutjazz.com was overly critical of my description of the album as being a nod to Miles Davis. This is definitely not jazz. But Miles himself had his share of dalliances to escape from genre by using synths, etc. It should be noted that I never sent the album to Mr. Sabbatini for a review. He discovered it in cyberspace and decided to write a review, where he does a good job of dissing it while flattering me at the same time. Touche...
Review by Mark Sabbatini at allaboutjazz:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14444
