A gimmicky record, but one that's pretty darn great – thanks to a very unusual approach that mixes the music of Miles Davis with Indian instrumentation! The players are a big part of the album's success – as they include Miles Davis alums like Gary Bartz on alto sax, Lenny White and Jimmy Cobb on drums, Michael Henderson on bass, Pete Cosey on guitar, Dave Liebman on flute, and Ron Carter on bass – and although a few tracks feature Wallace Roney on trumpet, that instrument is possibly one of the least-featured in the set! Instead, Miles' legacy is traced through very different territory – with a much stronger emphasis on the sitar, sarod, and percussion used on the record – often played with a spacious, exploratory feel that's quite unusual. Most numbers are completely transformed from their famous original versions – and titles include "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down", "Blue In Green", "In A Silent Way", "All Blues", "Spanish Key", "So What", and "Miles From India". (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

A set with an unusual sort of flavor – one that looks at the influence of Spanish culture on modern music during the postwar years – brought together here in a mix of jazz and classical recordings with some very different styles! CD1 is all jazz – and showcases some key Spanish-themed projects – most notably the famous Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations, but also work by John Coltrane and Django Reinhardt too – music that maybe adapts Spanish classical themes for the modern idiom. CD2 dives more into the realm of classical – and features work by both French and Spanish composers with very vivid sonic imagery – longer pieces by Ravel, Debussy, and De Falla – heard here in classic recordings. CD3 is a bit more intimate, and features a range of classical themes, but with more up-close performance – often classical guitar, played by Sabicas, Julian Bream, and others – but sometimes with piano, and in one case a woodwind quintet. 37 tracks in all – with a detailed booklet of notes! CD