Truly the
Quincy Jones of contemporary jazz, Grammy winning composer and keyboardist
Jason Miles has always been a master at gathering high-profile artists and musicians and cleverly redefining the past. His discography boasts all-star tribute albums to
Ivan Lins,
Grover Washington, Jr. and
Weather Report, along with recent solo projects that tackle
Marvin Gaye and America's unique heritage of soul music (
Soul Summit). With
Global Noize, his fascinating, boundary-busting dual project with scratchmeister and turntable guru
DJ Logic,
Miles is firmly securing the vibrant future of modern jazz, creating a vibe that's a freewheeling swirl of jazz, funk, electronica, world fusion, and blues that's grounded at times, trippy and sensual most of the time, and -- on the wings of the ethereal vocals of
Falu -- truly transcendent and spiritual.
Global Noize is the 2000s equivalent to the way
Weather Report and
Return to Forever drove the spirit of jazz fusion in the '70s. The clear
Weather Report inspiration is a good reference point, as the hypnotically percussive and sensual, sometimes otherworldly opener "A Jam 4 Joe" is dedicated to
Joe Zawinal. As
DJ Logic scratches in the background,
Falu emotes dreamily, MeShell Ndegéocello bubbles on bass,
Vernon Reid (
Living Colour) sizzles on guitar and
Karl Denson's horns burn on through. That's just the warmup for the globetrotting to follow. First stop, the bubbling "Spice Island," where
Bernie Worrell holds court on clavinet and organ as
Miles creates cool vibes harmony lines behind him. Ever wonder what happened to
Blues Traveler? They're still around and
John Popper pops his insanely witty and soulful harmonica melody over some jungly retro-soul beats and atmospheres that will put you in a bluesy state of hypnosis. Some hot club dancing comes next as the hypnotizing gets groovier on "Quera Dancar," pumped along by the super sexy whispery vocals of Vanessa Fallabella.
Miles and
DJ Logic's guest list also includes trumpet greats from two generations,
Herb Alpert and
Christian Scott. Keeping things bright but moody where it counts,
Alpert's not in Tijuana anymore, but in "Dar'abesque," named after a villa
Miles and
DJ Logic inhabited during a life changing trip to Marrakech. On "Spin Cycle,"
Scott adds bright and increasingly intense improvisational energy to a realm fused with energetic percussion, crisp scratches, and wild runs by
Miles mood mixing synth sounds. The young trumpet master shows darker tones on the worldbeat jazz chillout tune "Exotic Secrets," which features
Suphala on tabla. These descriptions only capture pieces of the soul stirring texturing that happens throughout this extraordinary disc.
Jason Miles has lived well in jazz and R&B's storied past, and it's exciting to see him putting the same creativity into his embrace of a vibe that bodes well for jazz's future. ~ Jonathan Widran