Theo Croker: Miles Davis Mixtape in Neustadt a.d. Weinstraße

So this was a one-off last night at Enjoy Jazz in Neustadt an der Weinstraße: the Theo Croker Mixtape celebrating the 100th birthday of Miles Davis with special guests Gary Bartz and Ego Ella May. Never one to stick to a certain formula, trumpeter Theo Croker not only revisited some of the Miles Davis signature tunes, but had a lot more to say in terms of coming up with a tribute. We were treated to a variation on the adagio of the Concierto de Aranjuez as well as to versions of “Blue In Green”, “Milestones”, or “My Funny Valentine”. Samples, loops, and voice snippets of original Miles interview material was thrown in, but never to a distracting point, but rather to offer another glimpse of what Miles would probably sound like today. Or maybe not. Absolutely terrific throughout the evening was 86 year old Gary Bartz, the alto saxophonist who joined the band of Miles in the 70s. His solos were triumphant, sophisticated, heartfeld, angry, and poignant depending on the tune. His power and depth and wisdom just left me in awe. Truly a master at work.

But there were more surprises here too: on piano and keys, Idris Frederick managed to persuade all over the place: he was down to earth and spot-on on the slower numbers but also played his behind off on the grittier tunes. Certainly an artist to watch out for. Equally surprising was singer Ego Ella May who came up with a mesmerizing version of “My Funny Valentine”. It’s not easy treating this classic with a new twist, but with her unique voice and outstanding phrasing, she delivered. What a nice surprise. Rudy Royston and Eric Wheeler had this energetic drive, especially behind “So What”, the final piece of the show last night. I’m glad that Theo, who himself sort of directed the ensemble, left a lot of room for Gary to shine and leaving us both humbled and fascinated.