Yo Miles!: Upriver

by Bill TillandApproached without preconceptions, this third double-CD in the Yo Miles! series should be a sure winner for any jazz fusion enthusiast. Doubts will insinuate themselves only if the listener starts trying to draw comparisons between the original, electric-period Miles Davis compositions and the updated versions that form the bulk of all three of the Yo Miles! recordings, including Upriver -- which on the first disk alone features "Go Ahead John," "On the Corner Jam," "What I Say" and the classic "*****es Brew." It could be argued that the name itself invites negative comparisons. After all, tribute bands don't generally get high marks for creativity. But while the Yo Miles! sobriquet may be ill-advised, it seems motivated solely by trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and guitarist Henry Kaiser's desire to honor Davis' major contribution to jazz and funk history without wrapping the whole project up in a shroud of high seriousness and musical purism. Still, when all is said and done, the music should speak for itself -- and this music speaks loud and clear.... Read More...