Search For Sound

 Z2 Comics is proud to announce Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound, an innovative and stunning exploration of the musical pioneer’s winding, exhilarating life and the intoxicating music that followed. The graphic novel will be released by Z2 Comics on November 7th, 2023.

The graphic novel chronicles Davis’ journey from his childhood in Illinois to mastering jazz improvisation throughout the ’40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s. These formative experiences led him to redefine the form again and again, culminating into the psychedelic frontiers of afro futurism throughout the ‘70s and beyond. Cartoonist Dave Chisholm, who received his doctorate in Jazz Trumpet from the Eastman School of Music, takes readers on a meticulously researched odyssey charting this dynamic figure’s musical evolution. Throughout, Chisholm centers on the one obsession threaded throughout Davis’ sprawling career: a restless search for the sound. A search that shattered and redefined the limits of what jazz—and music—could be.

Featuring narration adapted from Davis’ own words and a shifting palette of visual styles that mirrors Davis’ famously varied oeuvre, this 150-page graphic novel follows Davis through four decades of musical innovation and ever-escalating obstacles.

Chisholm frames the narrative around Davis’ recovery from a stroke in 1982. With Davis unable to play his trumpet, his medical team urged him to regain coordination by scratching out patterns and scribbles with a pencil on paper. From there, the story hurdles back in time to the icon’s quest to find a mysterious tone he once heard on a moonlit country road in his childhood.

“Davis’ music has truly been a lifelong obsession of mine, inspiring me to pursue jazz trumpet in college and beyond—Sketches of Spain is the first music I ever remember hearing, and I even had the opportunity to perform all of the music he and Gil Evans did together at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy,” Chisholm explains. “Miles continually inspires me to pursue stylistic change as an artist, both visually and musically. This is the book I’ve always dreamt of creating; it’s the biggest honor of my professional life to be given this opportunity by the Davis family.”

“Dave Chisholm has captured the struggle, the genius, and the complexity of Miles Davis in this book. Each page brings the energy of his music to life with the same kinetic fluidity of Miles’ compositions,” Z2 Editor-in-Chief Rantz Hoseley continues. “This is a powerful story that pulls you deep within, whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the lasting influence and innovation of this jazz icon.”

Z2 Comics will release Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound on November 7th in standard hardcover and deluxe hardcover editions. The deluxe hardcover will be packaged with three art prints illustrated by Dave Chisholm and a limited-edition Miles Davis split 7” of Miles Runs The Voodoo Down and Spanish Key, with new art by Dave Chisholm. The Gold editions will be signed and numbered by Dave Chisholm and come with a set of accordion-style postcards with original paintings from Miles Davis and the split 7” of Miles Runs The Voodoo Down and Spanish Key will feature an exclusive colorway. Finally there will be only 10 of 10 Platinum editions of Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound and these will come with a 360° spinning Miles Davis Limited-Edition 3D sculpture, a Miles Davis T-shirt designed by Dave Chisholm and a split 7” of Miles Runs The Voodoo Down and Spanish Key on clear vinyl.

Preorder now at Z2 Comics.

Film Buff Friday: Betty - They Say I'm Different

Betty: They Say I'm Different

Before Beyoncé, Madonna and Prince - there was Betty Davis

"Astonishing and tantalising" - The Wire

Arriving on DVD on January 17th via MVD Entertainment Group

Funk Queen Betty Davis changed the landscape for female artists in America. She "was the first..." as former husband Miles Davis said. "Madonna before Madonna, Prince before Prince". 

An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty arrived on the 70's scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion and outrageous funk music. She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and the Commodores, and married Miles - startlingly turning him from jazz to funk on the album she named "Bitches Brew". 

She then, despite being banned and boycotted, went on to become the first black woman to perform, write and manage herself. Betty was a feminist pioneer, inspiring and intimidating in a manner like no woman before. Then suddenly - she vanished. 

Creatively blending documentary and animation, Betty - They Say I'm Different traces the path of Betty's life, how she grew from humble upbringings to become a fully self-realized black female pioneer the world failed to understand or appreciate. 

After years of trying, the elusive Betty, forever the free-spirited Black Power Goddess, finally allowed the filmmakers to creatively tell her story based on their conversations.

Bonus Materials

- Director Interview: Phil Cox on the making of Betty - They Say I'm Different

- Interview Extract with Betty Davis  

Jessi Teich Has A "Twisted Soul"

I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing the mega talented Jessi Teich recently. Her upcoming album which she recorded in Paris, Twisted Soul is due March 3rd and it's amazing!

Not familiar with her? Well let's get acquainted with the Jazz aficionado...it's time to know more about Ms. Jessi Teich!

JT: Hi Michael, this is Jessi Teich

MS: You and I were just in a Twitter frenzy.

JT: Yeah, that's exactly what was happening. (both laugh)

MS: I really loved Twisted Soul and the fact that you were Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music was not a real shocker.

JT: Awwwwwwww, Thank you. It's such a nice thing putting something out there that people respond to in a positive way. It means so much, it's great!

MS: The music biz is so up in the air it's the more unique artists that seem to be catching on.

JT: I tried to make this album accessible as far as the musicality of it. I know with jazz it's really easy to go into an eight minute solo...Not everyone wants to geek out on jazz. (laughs) People like simple music, I like simple music. I gravitated towards that with the album, I think it's a great marriage between jazz and simplicity. 

MS: Twisted Soul is described as "Poperatic." 

Jessi Hitting The Keys

JT: The story of it is autobiographical. Actually the booklet that is coming with the CD, each song is going to be presented as a chapter in the story and I do a little narration in each song. It's in third person, between a male and female character. This is all based on a previous relationship I was in which was emotionally abusive. The CD talks about how I was in the relationship, how I was able to break free from the relationship and how I was able to succeed in finding my own way, my own voice and emerging victorious. This is a very positive way in dealing with a terrible situation.

MS: I love your quote about "vomiting crazy emotions" out of yourself.

JT: (both laugh) I'm always afraid I'm going to gross people out when I say that, but it's true! It's like I am purging myself of these crazy feelings. It feels like vomiting, it's weird. (laughs)

MS: Yeah, it's like when I write. Something comes out that's so loopy I keep it because it's so cool.

JT: Yeah, it's you, it's unique. I think that is what people graft onto in this day and age. They want you the person, not you this unattainable artist. They want to be able to relate to you somehow. That is part of the reason I chose not to remain silent about my situation, not only does it help me, but I feel like it could help a lot of people, feeling they could live through this and get through something horrible.

MS: What I find interesting when artists do speak about these things is, it's not going to stop it. But it will help people.

JT: If I can benefit one person, I've done my job. When I was going through the worst of it, I really grappled onto who else has been in a similar situation to me. One things I did was I called one of the abuse hot lines. I talked to them about my options and protection and what I could do...because I was very scared. When I was able to reach out to somebody else, people that knew how to deal with situations like that I felt like I had a community. It was an amazing feeling. 

MS: You also had to overcome a cyst on your vocal chord.

JT: That was pretty intense. I was diagnosed with a cyst on my right vocal chord a few years ago. It was something that really kind of jilted me into reality, like oh my gosh! I might not be able to pursue my music career. When I was diagnosed I was teaching forty vocal lessons a week, eating pretty much what I wanted. I questioned myself first, and I asked my vocal therapist: is it me or my technique? She said: No absolutely not, this happens when you overuse your voice. I did everything I could for a while, speech therapy, singing therapy, changed my diet, everything that could be a trigger and the cyst went down about fifty percent, but it didn't go away so that's when I decided to have the surgery. But before the surgery, you're going to laugh at this, I still went to work and carried around a white board and wrote everything down, people did not know what to do with me. People thought I was deaf or mute, they thought I didn't speak English, even though I had a name tag and a white board that said: Hi my name is Jessi Teich and I'm on vocal rest. (both laugh) It really opened my eyes to how important your voice is. The only other universal language other than music is a smile, so I just smiled a lot, people were like: OK she's happy even though she's not talking (both laugh)

MS: It's interesting to me that you covered Justin Timberlake's Cry Me A River.

Jazz Baby

JT: Yes. I grew up listening to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin...My Dad had this amazing vinyl collection. I still was a child of the 90's and I listened to Justin Timberlake, he was on the radio, he was my guilty pleasure. It seemed to fit the album. I've always liked covering pop in a very different way. 

MS: When I first saw the song on your album, given your background. I thought it was a cover of the Arthur Hamilton version.

JT: Oh yeah the jazz standard. I think I have been throwing a few people for a loop, because they expect that. Then they hear Justin Timberlake  and they're like whaaaaaaat?! (laughs) 

MS: Throwing people for a loop is a good idea I think.

JT: I do too, and I do it on a daily basis anyway, why not do it on my album? 

MS: I loved your poetry on the title track of Twisted Soul. 

JT: Thank you. I could literally sit down with you and go through every line of that song, and really any song on the entire album, it all means something. Every lyric is prepared for a very specific reason. There are long and short stories behind each song. The album was so cathartic and so therapeutic, to write these songs and get them out in the world. I appreciate your compliments, it's so nice for me to get them out of my system. 

MS: You really love jazz, touch on that some before we say goodbye.

JT: Some of my greatest music teachers were Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington...I grew up listening to these women. Here I am this little white girl, so cool, all my friends are like: I listen to Brittney Spears, I listen to Christine Aguilera. I'm like: I listen to Billie Holiday. (both laugh) They would all look at me like: Who's Billie? (laughs) who is he?! I was such a different kind of kid I really walked to my own beat. 

Walk to your own beat with Jessi Teich at:
www.jessiteich.com
www.youtube.com/jessiteich
www.facebook.com/jessiteichmusic
www.twitter.com/jessiteich

All Of You: The Last Tour

Miles Davis & John Coltrane "All Of You: The Last Tour"  A unique 4-CD set of landmark 'Live' recordings coming December 2nd Davis' tour of Europe during the spring of 1960 that marked  the close of his five year association with Coltrane                                                   Get yourself some...Booyah!!!

Trapeze Music & Entertainment is releasing on its Acrobat label a 4-CD set of 'live' recordings from the 1960 tour of Europe by The Miles Davis Quintet featuring John Coltrane, which effectively marked the close of Coltrane's five-year association with Davis. The recordings comprise radio broadcast and private recordings which have previously been available in a patchy and piecemeal fashion, this is the first time that a substantial body of the material recorded during the tour has been brought together in one collection, providing listeners with a coherent appreciation of the extraordinary creative alchemy that the two front men delivered on a nightly, often twice-nightly basis. Featuring Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums, the performances saw creative sparks flying the instant the band took to the stage, and audiences witnessed the trumpeter and his star sidemen reinventing their regular repertoire like never before. The recordings have been carefully cleaned and re-mastered to achieve the highest possible quality and sound dynamics without prejudicing the essential character of the performances, and the result is a stunning, sometimes almost exhausting, six hours or so of absorbing listening, such is the intensity of the music. Comprehensive and in-depth notes in the 36-page booklet by noted writer and award-nominated tenor saxophonist Simon Spillett give a detailed technical commentary on the performances and solos, which gives a fascinating insight into the techniques and styles of the musicians. The set is specially packaged in a high quality box with each CD in its own individual wallet, making this a highly collectible and prestigious package befitting the provenance of the recordings.  Tracklistings, Additional Info, Pre-order:  http://mvdb2b.com/s/MilesDavisJohnColtraneAllOfYouTheLastTour/ACQCD7076