Did you ever wonder who some of the first people to integrate sampling, drum machines, and sequencing into R&B, jazz, and pop were, and how they did it? Well, Jason Miles was one of those people, and this book tells his story over the decades. Subtitled, A Musical Biography, Jason – a talented musician, songwriter, arranger, synthesist, and keyboard player – leads us through decades of cutting-edge studio sessions, many with producer/writer/bassist Marcus Miller (who also wrote the book's intro). Records like Miles Davis' Tutu and Luther Vandross' Power of Love are good examples of his work, and studio stories abound here, including a long friendship with Miles.
Jason was locking up sequencers with tape decks before MIDI even came on the scene, and he shares some of the tech details with us along the way, but mostly it's all about the people and the music. In that vein, sessions with Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, and David Sanborn are brought to life in this book.
Journey... is an honest telling of a life in music, with financial insecurities paralleling working on hit records, wondering where he can live affordably, and navigating working with many egos and confusing situations. Near the end of the book, Jason sees the writing on the wall regarding recording technology and the music business, and guesses that a lot of the programming and sequencing work will forever shift with computers making it all so much easier. The extended major label sessions with flights to L.A. from New York start to disappear, and Jason finds work producing music soundtracks, new age collections, and some amazing tribute albums. He's since moved to Portugal, and is still playing music and making albums. We're lucky to hear Jason's story, as it offers a detailed view into a unique era of making records.
_disp_horizontal_bw.jpg)