No one takes more chances in contemporary jazz than lovingly incorrigible producer and keyboardist Jason Miles, whether it’s sweet tributes to Marvin Gaye and Ivan Lins or rambunctious, cutting-edge nu-soul and nu-funk like his recent Soul Summit project. His latest group, Global Noize, is a collaboration with turntable guru DJ Logic that’s a mind-bending, funky and melodic futuristic look at the world through music largely inspired by a trip the duo took to Morocco. With saxophonist and flutist Karl Denson, drummer Billy Martin and percussionist Cyro Baptista, they’ve created a vibrant musical journey fusing familiar old-word sounds with new ones that live dangerously close to the streets.
Whether it’s the trip-hop of “Bollyhood,” dance groove of “Dar’abeque” with trumpeter Herb Alpert or the delightfully creepy, dirge-like “The Souk” with John Popper’s harmonica solo, Global Noize offers a musical vision of a world you’d be happy to inhabit. Also contributing are keyboardist Bernie Worrell, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist James Genus and trumpeter Christian Scott, among others, and a bevy of international vocalists.
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