These performances are from my TV show, The Jazz Set, taped in 1972. It was one of the first shows I did and the only one where the guest was not my choice. Barry Miles was a good musician who received very early recognition (notice his age on the poster above), but he was on my new show because a New Jersey politician had "suggested" it to station management. I should mention that the shows originated in Trenton at New Jersey Television and only 13 were picked up for network airing by PBS—this was not one of them.
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| Barry Miles in later years. |
This audio includes my interview with Barry, and three selections by the trio: Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," "Frenchie," a tune on which he performs an odd vocal form that I don't think caught on, and "White Heat," the title tune from his 1971 album. The tape ends rather abruptly, so I did a quick fadeout. The bassist is Gene Perla, the drummer is Barry's brother, Terry Silverlight.
Hi Chris... I don't contribute to the blue board anymore but I enjoyed seeing your name pop up in the Dec issue of Wire Magazine, which dedicates itself to cutting edge music, whatever you may think of it. There was an article about a recent reissue of Joe McPhee's "Nation Time", which you wrote the liner notes for, and you were mentioned by name.
ReplyDeleteLike Faulkner said, the past isn't dead, it's not even past...
J.
Thank you, J.
DeleteJoe McPhee and I go back many years and I daresay no other station would have put an open mike near his music back then. Sad to say, the great experiment that was Pacifica and included WBAI is, for all intents and purposes, over—the victim of ego and incompetence.