Barry Miles - 1971 - White Heat

Barry Miles

1971

White Heat

01. Little Heart Of Pieces 4:37

02. White Heat 8:04

03. Woodstock 4:25

04. Descent 3:33

05. Tangent 4:38

06. Foot Mother 6:06

07. Sound Song 4:44

Bass – Victor Gaskin

Congas – Warren Smith

Drums – Terry Silverlight

Guitar – John Abercrombie

Guitar – Pat Martino

Keyboards – Barry Miles

Saxophone [Tenor], Flute – Lou Tabackin

Barry Miles was considered a child prodigy: he began playing drums when he was three, piano at five and joined the Musicians Union when he was nine. Miles played drums professionally from the age of ten, including sitting in with the Woody Herman Orchestra. At age 12, he recorded his first album as a leader on drums, leading a sextet that included pianist Duke Jordan. As a teenager, he studied classical piano and soon switched instruments. Originally a bop-oriented player, Miles leaned towards fusion by the late 1960s, often playing electric piano and synthesizer. He led Barry Miles & Silverlight for several years (his sidemen at various times included Woody Shaw, John Abercrombie and Al DiMeola), worked as Roberta Flack's musical director in the early '80s to the mid-'90s, and became a studio musician in New York.

An overlooked gem from keyboardist Barry Miles -- and one of the most compelling early 70s sides on the Mainstream Records label! Barry's got a way of really making his keys sing out nicely -- playing both acoustic and electric piano with plenty of warm tones and gently flowing modes -- but never in a way that's too far out from jazz, or too smooth to be sleepy. The set features twin guitars from Pat Martino and John Abercrombie, both of whom underscore the chromatic nature of Miles' playing