Conceptually, this is a pretty strange release. It consists of two discs: the first documents a concert by saxophonist
Bob Belden's group Animation. The concert was itself a reinterpretation of the classic
Miles Davis album
Bitches Brew; working with a standard jazz combo and turntablist
DJ Logic,
Belden created new versions of the tracks from that landmark jazz-fusion record, versions that ranged in style (sometimes in the course of a single tune) from ambient through funk all the way to jungle and drum'n'bass. This first disc adds another layer of interpretation, however, by presenting these tracks in "3D60" mixes. 3D60 promises to both increase the dynamic range and provide a "fully immersive, three-dimensional 360-degree headphone listening experience…with sounds coming from all around the listener -- in front, behind, at different heights and even from overhead or below." The sonic reality is a bit less dramatic than that; the mix itself is spacious and attractive, but the promised experience of hearing sounds coming from above and below (in addition to left-right and front-back) never really materializes. (It comes closest during the intro to "Pharaoh's Dance," which seems to circle in a tight oval around the head at ear level.) But wait, there's more: a second disc in the package puts yet another layer of interpretation on the listening experience by presenting remixes of the live tracks by the likes of
Bill Laswell,
Grant Phabao, Youth, and
Gaudi (among others). Anyone who finds the original performances a bit too shapeless and discursive will surely enjoy the more structurally disciplined remixes, but both discs offer plenty of interest and pleasure. ~ Rick Anderson