Customer Reviews

Star People

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

 

 

Little known, yet great Miles recording. Highlights are the first track, "Come and Get It" and the performances of a few key personnel, particularly guitarist Mike Stern and bassist Marcus Miller. If you're a fan of these guys, the first track alone is worth the price of the CD. The bluesy "It Gets Better" features fabulous solos by both Miles and Stern also. If you're a fan of later Miles recordings such as "The Man With the Horn" and "Decoy," this CD is probably one you'll want.

I have no idea why Columbia has not remastered this one, it is an excellent, blues-driven album from 1983. It has the same electricity and energy of Miles' 70s recordings, but with less of the chaos. To be certiain, Marcus Miller and Mike Stern are great. However, for me, the key to why this album is so good is the presence of John Scofield on guitar and Al Foster on drums. The two collaborated with Joe Henderson to do a tribute to Miles in the 1990s and it is great to hear them with meastro himself in this set.

More people should listen to this album - it may not stand up to the purists and critics but who cares, it's enjoyable, high quality jazz-funk. Nobody ever called this "essential" but this is what fusion should be - hard-nosed mixture of blues/jazz/funk. Unlike Chick Corea this never gets syrupy - no flute, no soprano sax - even the slow passages are far from that, which is the achilles heal for me with alot of fusion. Weather Report get into some great funky stuff and its playing maybe be technically better but for me they get closer to that corny vibe. The cast here(Marcus Miller, Al Foster, and John Scofield) definately clicks and Miles' playing is just right - obviously not his pinnacle but it works. His horn sound is bright and chirping just like the production. The recording and mic-ing are very good in my opinion and create space, almost like a live-in-the-studio - lots of energy. "Come Get It" and "Speak" are burners and "U'N'I" is also great - a mid-tempo tune with a head-bobbing groove, a lock-in bassline and nice horn/guitar parts. It's more produced than the Live-Evil era and not as daring but its appeal is that it doesn't try too hard. Great album cover too - somehow it says exactly what it is - 1983.

You'd think that Miles was over his zenith by the time he and his band were recording this record.
Even though that may be true, Star People is an exciting experience. Maybe not for Miles' personal performance which is rather undistinguished. But the way the other guys play is just incredible.
I'd call it hard-on jazz-funk. Unbelievably tight. Very smart. It's a lot of fun to listen to this record, even if it is not groundbreaking (as we got used to by Miles).
Give Star People an opportunity. My guess is that you will like its groove.

This is oddly unavailable on CD in the US (Columbia/Sony: why?) but is, possibly, the consistently strongest effort of Miles' last "comeback". Driven by guitarists, blues/funk inspired, and there's no Cyndy Lauper or Michael Jackson pop filler. Some arranging is by Gil Evans, some by Marcus Miller, stretching his wings as Miles' music director. Scofield's phrasing is so far behind the beat it's like he's mailing it in. Lotsa fun, if not the earthshaking mind-boggling music Miles made in the 60's and 70's.

I bought this sight unseen. As a long-time Miles fan who first encountered him during the fusion days, I thought I knew the masterpieces, but this was an unexpected joy when I heard one track from it on Pandora. I had no idea of the stellar cast: Mike Stern and John Scofield on guitar, Marcus Miller on bass, Bill Evans, Manu Katche... wow. This was expensive even used, but well worth it. Miles blends blues, funk, and hard rock into the swing so easily it seems like he was channeling Jimi and about a thousand others.

In terms of his studio work this was Miles's follow up recording to The Man with the Horn. Miles himself said of that album that his playing wasn't what he felt it ought to have been because of years of not picking up his horn and practicing. Well no one could say that of this album for sure. With Marcus Miller still in tow and new guitarist John Scofield Miles is taking this opportunity with his new band to rediscover the blues by means of his electric funk/fusion concept. In terms of the group itself all of this music owes it's real heart too to Al Foster and percussionist Mino Cinelu who really bring out the punchiness and richness of this music. "Come Get It" and "Speak" really bring the strongest funk element into play as the rhythms play out far more relentlessly than the previous album and they band interplay is incredible. Everyone sounds so involved with the sound and the tropics/carvinal flavors in the rhythm remind one how much cross influence there was between Miles and his old keyboardist Joe Zawinul's band Weather Report. Now on the 18+ title song and somewhat shorter"It Gets Better" Miles is playing some serious blues with John Scofield buring on every solo and riff both of them come across. With no doubt Miles is leading the way for newcomer Scofield to build his playing on and everything just comes right together in every way. With Gil Evans even again being onboard as arranger his own influence with Miles comes across again on "Uni" and "Stars Of Cicely" where Miles is in that wonderful melodic place where he's coming up with his own standards in this world of funk he was so happily involved in. To those naysayers who thoughtlessly never forgave Miles for going electric this might be the best place for even them to deal with him in that world because,even if you don't care for funk and fusion the playing and musical ideas here are very infectious and the spirited nature of the playing is just incredible. If you really just love Miles Davis's musical character and want to hear him making some great music in this 80's this relatively obscure gem (with it's great Miles painted album cover to boot) is more than a huge booty of treasure.

Davis with his last mean crew are at their post-comeback strongest even if the recording completely does injustice to these eccentric rock fusion freakouts. Some may find the sound, keyboard in particular, too corny for its own good, but even the overabundance of cheesy riffing feels incorporated in organically powerful ways, including as its centerpiece still one of the more inspired blues interpretations found.

After Miles Davis had revived gallantly by "The Man with The Horn" and he had made a demonstration of live-performance by "We Want Miles",he has released "STAR PEOPLE" on 1983.
I think the purpose of his musical activety on the start of 1980's was getting his natural sound back and letting it fuse the contemporary music so reviving as the king of jazz.
Lonard Feather said "It gets better ,Miles could have been referring to his band,his playing,his health,or concievably just his life at large.Whatever the thought behind it,the title applies on every level to the conception and execution of Star People."
I wonder what the thought behind it is and what the meaning of Star People is. Of cause, I guess "Star People" means black people produced blues,soul,jazz, reggae...hip hop and every black music in the world or hip star(composer) produced so many great black music. And I guess "Star" means "Star People" having the talent produced such wonderful and amazing music. So I think that Miles Davis says "We are the Star People!". Miles said "Wynton plays old european music by white people's adulation. Why doesn't he play the tune of black composer in America? Why does he make the chance for them?" in his autobiography.
Well,well, I think the taste of "Star People" is the taste of blues set with and the taste of lyric,melodious and beautiful mute play by Miles. But this blues were played jazzy,rocky,funky ,soulful and some blues is fast and some blues is slow. I can listen funk-rocky hot blues on 16 jazzy rock beat just like opening theme of new miles band by "Come Get It". By "It Get Better" I can enjoy soulful and funky slow blues with John Scofield and I can listen funk-rocky blues on 8 rock beat by "Speak". On Bside "Star People" of title tune is put in and I can listen amazing,soulful long slow blues by Miles's mute play. He said " I think my solo is perfect in Star People." in his autobiography. I feel a long history of the soul of blues by this long blues. Next cute and pop "U 'n' I" is put in, the last tune is "Star on Cicely". This blue funky tune let me feel delicate and nervous image of miles for his wife. But Star on Cicely is happy and hot!
Finally,Miles didn't retern his blues but he created his new blues. He took back his natural taste of playing blues from 50's to 60's and he fused his natural taste of blues to what evoluved the accumulation of sounds he tried on 70's to contemporary jazz music so he re-constructed blues of "Star People".
After Miles had gone,one day I had listened the live of John Scofield at Roppongi in Japan. For me I had been happy to listen his splendid play of electrec guitar and to see the illusion of Miles in front of him. After live I asked him to write his signature on "Still Warm" I brought and said to him "But I'm still hot!". He was writing signature and said to me "Oh!You are still hot!" with smile. When I looked his signature,there was a letter of "Good Luck!" with his name.I named that wonderful night the night of John Sco.

After Miles Davis had revived gallantly by "The Man with The Horn" and he had made a demonstration of live-performance by "We Want Miles",he has released "STAR PEOPLE" on 1983.
I think the purpose of his musical activety on the start of 1980's was getting his natural sound back and letting it fuse the contemporary music so reviving as the king of jazz.
Lonard Feather said "It gets better ,Miles could have been referring to his band,his playing,his health or concievably just his life at large.Whatever the thought behind it,the title applies on every level to the conception and execution of Star People."
I wonder what the thought behind it is and what the meaning of Star People is. Of cause, I guess "Star People" means black people produced blues,soul,jazz, reggae...hip hop and every black music in the world or hip star(composer) produced so many great black music. And I guess "Star" means "Star People" having the talent produced such wonderful and amazing music. So I think that Miles Davis says "We are the Star People!". Miles said "Wynton plays old european music by white people's adulation. Why doesn't he play the tune of black composer in America? Why does he make the chance for them?" in his autobiography.
Well,well, I think the taste of "Star People" is the taste of blues set with and the taste of lyric,melodious and beautiful mute play by Miles. But this blues were played jazzy,rocky,funky ,soulful and some blues is fast and some blues is slow. I can listen funk-rocky hot blues on 16 jazzy rock beat just like opening theme of new miles band by "Come Get It". By "It Get Better" I can enjoy soulful and funky slow blues with John Scofield and I can listen funk-rocky blues on 8 rock beat by "Speak". On Bside "Star People" of title tune is put in and I can listen amazing,soulful long slow blues by Miles's mute play. He said " I think my solo is perfect in Star People." in his autobiography. I feel a long history of the soul of blues by this long blues. Next cute and pop "U 'n' I" is put in, the last tune is "Star on Cicely". This blue funky tune let me feel delicate and nervous image of miles for his wife. But Star on Cicely is happy and hot!
Finally,Miles didn't retern his blues but he created his new blues. He took back his natural taste of playing blues from 50's to 60's and he fused his natural taste of blues to what evoluved the accumulation of sounds he tried on 70's to contemporary jazz music so he re-constructed blues of "Star People".After Miles had gone,one day I had listened the live of John Scofield at Roppongi in Japan. For me I had been happy to listen his splendid play of electrec guitar and to see the illusion of Miles in front of him.
After live I asked him to write his signature on "Still Warm" I brought and said to him"But I'm still hot!". He was writing signature and said to me "Oh!You are still hot!" with smile. When I looked his signature,there was a letter of "Good Luck!" with his name.I named that wonderful night the night of John Sco.