Miles Davis Magic

Tonight Gabriel Faja, founder of the Miles Davis Project Band, sits in St James Church, Piccadilly, preparing for his debut concert, Kind of Blue to kick off.

The event is the first of a series dedicated to Miles Davis ( Birth Of Cool and Sketches Of Spain are to come) and other key jazz musicians who have written, or improvised, the history of music.

British – Italian,Gabriel, 27, explains how he feels when immersed in Kind of Blue, originally released in 1959. "When playing this music I always feel as though it doesn't matter where you are or who you are or who is listening.
Once this sensation is transmitted across to the audience, the atmosphere becomes electric. After all we are all there for exactly the same reason".

Faja has gathered a team of renowned jazz players: including Pip Eastop - professor of trumpet at the Royal College of Music, tenor sax Nathan Hassall Jeff Darrohn, alto sax, Dave Brown on bass and Matt French on drums. Even though the music being played tonight is widely known, it retains its freshness and challenging spirit; from the point of view of the listener, the sheer quality of Kind Of Blue is a sufficient reason to enjoy the show, but why did the band choose this work?

"It was quite literally the obsession with Kind of Blue that started the whole project. I remember receiving my first copy of Kind Of Blue… Within a week I was completely seduced from what was coming from my stereo. I am not sure I will ever feel like that again about any music.

Finding suitable musicians for a first concert wasn't hard as everyone I spoke to had at some point been obsessed with the album as well!" explains Gabriel.

That is telling about Miles' artistic legacy and the urge of tonight's musicians to let the sound of Kind Of Blue permeate and absorb our space. One of the band's best assets is that they manage recreate the original improvisational style of the original.

"Me and Pip met and decided to work directly from a transcribed version of the album. This enabled us to retrace the musical and psychological steps taken by the original band in 1959. We only started improvising and experimenting after a lot of work on ‘their' notes".

A proof of respect and musical philology whose fruits are clearly heard.

Business-wise, since leaving the Royal College of Music Gabriel has founded Biaerbeck & Holmes an agency through which he promotes young musicians, ensembles, orchestras and opera companies as well as himself. Keep your ears open and the Miles Davis magic is sure to rub off.

For information on future concerts check www.biaerbeckandholmes.com

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