Global Noize – Sly Reimagined
When Sly and The Family Stone hit the scene back in the late ‘60s, the world – socially, culturally and politically – was in a state of upheaval. And their music perfectly evangelized the moment. Today, we stand dangerously at the edge of a similar precipice – and that message of celebratory potential and jubilant clarity is sorely needed. With that concept squarely implanted in his mind’s eye, visionary conceptualist, producer, arranger, composer and keyboard wizard Jason Miles has created the extraordinary Sly Reimagined on the Zoho Roots label. With his groundbreaking, genre-defying borderless mothership Global Noize providing the vehicle, Miles takes on eight classic Sly Stone journeys into the wilds of a reality nearly half a century beyond their point of inception.
Nobody is more capable or qualified to take on a project like this than the Grammy-winning Miles. His
groundbreaking synth programming for Miles Davis’ ‘80s masterpieces Tutu, Music from Siesta and Amandla; along
with his contributions to a genre-crossing array of artists – including Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Michael
Jackson, Ruben Blades, David Sanborn, Whitney Houston, Grover Washington Jr., The Crusaders, Chaka Khan and so
many others – have led to a variety of legacy-based dedications to Marvin Gaye, Ivan Lins, Vandross, Grover…and
now Sly.
Reimagined is the ideal description as the music on this CD doesn’t simply pay homage, but also defines the
timelessness of the music by translating it to the forefront of musical thinking here in 2013. Global Noize – with its
triumvirate of Miles, turntable master DJ Logic and vocalist Falu – is accompanied on this recording by an astonishing
array of nearly two dozen musical powerhouses, including Nona Hendryx, Roberta Flack, Jay Rodriguez, Amanda
Ruzza and the original Family Stone drummer Greg Errico.
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The true greatness of a man shows up in hard times in managing personal problems. George Duke created DreamWeaver after his beloved wife, Corine, passed away. In light of this event, he found his inner balance during the recordings. The epic Onomatopoeia of the introductory piece is reminiscent of the legendary Genesis on Illusions.
Akua Allrich, a native of the District of Columbia, taps into a variety of musical styles as her influences. She has roots in blues, soul, R&B and jazz. Hints of each can be heard in Uniquely Standard, Akua Allrich Live! (2012).
One wonders why a singer like Phil Perry is assigned to general jazz. For me, he is the embodiment of classic R&B. At festivals and also in recordings he worked often with representatives of smooth jazz. So you can listen to this singer on Najee’s The Smooth Side Of Soul or Rising Sun, Alexander Boynton Jr.’s Doo Bee Doo Bop or A. Ray Fuller’s The Weeper.
CM – Robin, what I wanted to do was go back to the beginning. You’re Californian by birth right?
Pop, rock, sass. All come to mind while playing Jim Peterik’s Lifeforce – Forces at Play (SMC Records, 2011). The singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist made his mark with rock groups Ides of March (“Vehicle”) and Survivor (“Eye of the Tiger”). Now, he culls all of his musical influences, including jazz, and stirs an elixir of love, joy and good vibes.
