Customer Reviews

Aura

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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."

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.

Written by danish composer/trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg in connection with Miles receiving the Sonning Music Award in Denmark, this music is similar to a lot of the music Miles recorded in his career, in that it consists of soundscapes, that Miles is exploring with his trumpet. But whereas a lot of Miles' music was previously inspired by Gil Evans, Stravinsky, James Brown and Stockhausen, this music sounds more like it was inspired by Eno, as an earlier reviewer mentioned, and I think also french composer Messiaen, who thought of his music as colours. This gives the music a more ambient feel, just listen to the introductory notes by John McLaughlin, on the other hand it doesn't mean that it is music lacking guts, it is a lot of the time contrasting quiet meditative passages with more funky ones. So basically this is Miles in a more ambient mode, that he previously hadn't previously explored so much, "Miles In The Sky" in another sense, and something that he does pretty well on this record.

Yes, the electronic drums can be annoying, and this was clearly an album produced in the 80s. However, this is still a musical contribution to be reckoned with. The playing and the compositions are both top notch. This is Miles's last great work - buy it.

Miles Davis' Aura was his best album of the 1980's. Miles said of Aura " I think it's a masterpiece, I really do". Aura was recorded in 1984 and released 5 years later in 1989 when Miles had already left Columbia after 3 decades. Aura is a mix of different jazz genre's. It has a little bit of everything from hardbop, avant-garde, orchestra, fusion, rock and even reggae. Miles records with an orchestra here and it is conducted by Palle Mikkelborg who wrote all ten songs on the album. John Mclaughlin is a special guest on here as well. All the songs are named after colors except Intro, and Electric Red. My favorite songs are Orange, Electric Red, Violet, and Indigo. The 1980's is Miles' most hated period but this album is great and I do find it to be a "masterpiece".

First of all I just have to get this out of the way. The dufus with the user name of Funk Meister below probably doesn't even own this CD and hasn't heard it. That review asserts this is a Miles Davis/Gil Evans project. Evans had nothing to do with this and as far as I know that last time Evans arranged anything for Miles was on Star People in 1982. The last orchestral work they did together was the ill fated Quiet Nights circa 1965. There isn't an ounce of funk in this music so it sure isn't a "funk opera" as that reviewer calls it.

Ok, that's out of the way. Aura is unlike any Miles release I have ever heard. It is very different. If you know any thing about the ECM record label (Euro-jazz) one could imagine this release on that label. In fact, it reminds me of a release on ECM called Waves by Terje Rypdal with Palle Mikellborg - the guy who wrote the Aura suite. This is not an 80's funk opera - although there are some very beautiful vocals that simply sound out a chord in the background.

McLaughlin plays on 3 tracks, he's just so amazing on "Orange". Miles' playing on this release is VERY strong. I hadn't heard him play like this since the Live-Evil live material (culled from The Cellar Door Sessions).

The material is very interesting though the comments about sterility are understandable if one is not used to that ECM sound that moves jazz further toward the classical tradition in its overall sound. Still, I love the writing and the playing by the supporting players, including the booming electronic drums that Vince Wilburn plays. There are some portions of the music that sort of sound like Frank Zappa's later period.

Anyway, gotta go. If you are a Miles Davis collector, have no fear of this release. It is a great work of art and has little or nothing to do with entertainment. This is a serious as anything he did up until 1975.

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If you love music by Miles Davis, you may already have this in your music collection. However, it is a great introduction if you love smooth jazz with haunting atmospheric moods and breathtaking perfection.

"Aura" is especially poetic, intriguing and stunning in the most orchestral of ways. This album invites you into spacious vistas of mysterious moods and magical places. "Yellow" changes moods throughout and builds into a vibrant experience and then subtly disappears into a musical mist.

"Orange" is a little more psychedelic and darkly moody. "Red" has a refined clarity with passionate undertones. "Electric Red" is even more edgy. "Green" embraces a more natural mood with visions of misty mountains in Switzerland. "Blue" reveals deep echoes and sparkles as if this was being played under an ocean in a cave. Each "color" is magical and expressive with interesting and highly creative rhythms. "Indigo" is especially impressive with jazzy piano and rapid pacing to create an energetic, yet plush elegance.

I heard one track from this album and knew I would love this because it is so mysterious and you could only imagine hearing this music in dreams! There is a fairytale quality about this album that is very appealing.

~The Rebecca Review

I rarely give Miles less than 5 stars for his works, but it's difficult form me to give good marks to his early to mid 80's works. The music sounds lost at times, and Miles was not even close to 100% for many of those efforts.

"Aura," while an interesting concept album, falls short in the tradition of groundbreaking Miles Davis recordings. Miles' playing is ok on these tracks, but not inspired, so far as I can judge. The inclusion of electronically synthesized drums, while commonplace today, I found to be very annoying and gets in the way of the overall feel of the work.

Not essential for anyone except Miles fanatics or completists, "Aura" is one of Miles' most unrealized projects.

Miles was quite often harshly critical of his own work. "Kind of Blue", considered by many his greatest album, is only mentioned in passing in his autobiography. He was never content, and constantly moved forward, in new directions. "Aura" is possibly his favorite work. It is the only work he recorded that he used the word "masterpiece" to describe, and it is just that. It is very different from his other works, so prepare to be surprised the first time you hear it. Once past that, however, any hardcore Miles fan should recognize this as among his greatest works.