Guided Listening: "OLEO" & Miles Davis

[@LR-oo8hq]

Love this song and it’s only now after your video come to appreciate the bass as much thank you. Also after you pointing out miles spaces and PC driving it felt to me that miles was already navigating those chord changes as a modal exercise, like already thinking that way a bit before kidnof blue what you think? Many thanks this is so nice video 👍🙏❤️🌈

[@JeffAntoniukEducator]

Great question. The old school guys (well before Miles even) played "modally" in the sense that they knew the key center of the moment, and they just played good melodies over that key area. That isn't exactly "modal playing", but it isn't dissimilar either. In those more sparse moments here, Miles sounds like he is doing that, "playing and thinking melodically, as opposed to harmonically/vertically."

[@robstevens9590]

This is the first time I hear "Oleo" (I thought it was the same as Coltrane's "Ole" -- not so). Interesting arrangement! (Afte playing alto for 25 years, I am thrilled to receive a tenor sax for Christmas!)

[@JeffAntoniukEducator]

#1 - congrats on the tenor. Welcome to the club. #2 - "Oleo" is certainly the most famous or popular Rhythm Changes tune. This should be #1 on your "to learn immediately" list. This one is as classic as it gets.

[@michaelbruce1847]

Patrice Rushen does a killer version of this on "Standards" Album . . .

[@JeffAntoniukEducator]

Very cool! I don't know that version.

[@owennovenski4794]

Avoiding for the moment that that period in Jazz performance was more than occasionally a blood sport in the studio (😬), it was certainly Olympic gold medal musical athleticism; both I suspect contributing a fair amount to the desire for drug support. Such astoundingly large shoulders to stand on. Thanks for this.

[@JeffAntoniukEducator]

All I know is that these guys weren't messing around here!