Aura [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Miles Davis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1985
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00004WK3E
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,876 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Intro

2. White

3. Yellow

4. Orange

5. Red

6. Green

7. Blue

8. Electric Red

9. Indigo

10. Violet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Miles' Ambient Album, January 25, 2005

By 

Joe "Joe" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aura (Audio CD)

Though a lot of jazz fans, especially fans of pre-retirement Miles, tend to find this (and other albums of the 80s) a bit substandard, I find that I can't disregard this record so easily, as opposed to You're Under Arrest with it's smarmy version of "Human Nature". Perhaps one of the reasons that some listeners don't like this particular record is that they're listening to it with a completely different set of expectations than those who like the record. Some of these expectations, I suspect, come from what jazz ought to be & what a Miles Davis record ought to be. I'm certain that if you listen to this record from the viewpoint of what jazz was supposed to be from 1950 through 1968 (before In a Silent Way or Bitches Brew) you'll really dislike it. Even people who like the squidgy funk of On the Corner or the live performances in Agarta & Pangaia might find this a bit austere or quiet or whatever.

So how should someone listen to this record? What expectations should be discarded or created in order to appreciate it, not necessarily as a jazz record or a Miles Davis record, but simply as music? One way is to listen to this record as Miles' version of an ambient recording in the vein of Brian Eno. If you take a listen to Brian Eno's Ambient 4 specifically you'll hear a lot of similar "soundscapes" that you do in this record--especially in the reverberating bass lines that come rumbling in adding strange melodies. Listen to "Shadow" & "Lantern Marsh" on Eno's record & see if doesn't sound like "Green" on this one.

Of course, similarity to another record doesn't necessarily make it good, but it helps a listener to understand where the music is coming from & where the musicians wanted to take things. Yet, this album tends to be under appreciated since it defies classification. Purists tend feel cheated because it fails to live up to the benchmarks of their favorite time period (i.e. Kind of Blue, Nefertiti etc.); Fusionists tend to feel cheated 'cause it fails to push the envelope further than "Agarta". This album can't win! To which I say, too bad. It's a gem waiting to be discovered & appreciated for what it is.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well-produced Tribute to Miles, August 30, 2000

By 

M. Phillips (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aura (Audio CD)

An interesting and well-produced tribute to Miles by Danish composer and producer, Palle Mikkelborg, Aura attempts to represent Palle's vision of Miles' "aura" through the various colors of the spectrum. Each color is supposed represents a different emotion and a different side of Miles' personality. It's an interesting experiment, with Palle having written and produced all the material, but the end result is somewhat of a mixed bag. On the downside, while the various moods of the album are interesting, the album totally fails to produce any real emotion and comes across as cold and calculating. On the upside, the musicianship is very high, the production is great, and John McLaughlin rejoins with Miles on my personal favorite track, "Orange." There's a lot to recommend here, but don't expect any real innovation or the concentrated emotion of "Sketches of Spain."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miles Plays All The Colors Of The Rainbow, March 15, 2008

By 

Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aura (Audio CD)

Miles Davis,just about to leave Columbia records after a lucrative 30 year career witht he label turned to Danish composer and musician Patte Mikkelborg to record a ten piece suite in Copenhagan in the late winter of 1985. After a frenetic fusion intro there are nine compositions titled after different colors of the "aura": white,yellow,orange,red,green,blue,electric red,indigo and violet. Most of these songs,while musically very much in keeping with the early 80's part of the "electric Miles" period showcase impressionistic "sound paintings" that not only bare a striking resemblance to Miles' work with Gil Evans on albums like Sketches of Spain at least in terms of arrangement. The main difference is that on these Miles plays against the melody most the time rather then with it,which while very much in the jazz improvisation tradition gives the music that sense of organized chaos common in Miles' electric music:the idea melodies and rhythms that are completely different from eachother and never coming to a resolution.In this context it could be seen as mixing different shades to make primary colors.The only really funky tune here is "Orange" which is indeed very firey in nature. "Electric Red" and "Violet" are a slower burning kind of groove wheras "Blue" expressess a light reggae feeling for another musical "color"."Indigo" is the only real acoustic piece here. Some of these songs also feature the guitar of John McLaughlin who worked with Miles back in his Bitches Brew days. While the complex,almost ambient nature of 'Aura' might qualify elements of this album as off putting and some jazz fans might find some of these songs leaning towards the new age sound it is definately one of the more unique and individual recordings in Miles' vast catalog and he has many.