Summer is coming! Actually, summer came in Macedonia a week ago. With temperatures over 30°C (86 °F) afternoons are already becoming hard to get through. In these conditions, there is only one sonar escape - “Music from Siesta” by Miles Davis and Marcus Miller, recorded and released in 1987 as music for the movie “Siesta”, directed by Mary Lambert. It’s Marcus Miller’s masterpiece that showcased his enormous skills and superb qualities as a composer, musician, and producer. All of the songs on this release were composed by Marcus Miller, except "Theme for Augustine" which was written by Miles Davis and Marcus Miller. On the release, they are accompanied by John Scofield on acoustic guitar, Omar Hakim on drums, Earl Klugh on classical guitar, James Walker on flute, and Jason Miles on synthesizer programming.
The overall cool sound of the record is achieved through elegantly arranged flamenco rhythms, which support the Spanish-tinged melancholia that characterizes this music. Miles plays so subtly that this album brings some of the best, most sophisticated phrases he played in the 80’s. Miles in the eighties is pure essence - sound for its own sake, brilliant tone and sparse phrasing. And that’s what Marcus managed to capture in the best light, providing some smooth background for the legendary trumpeter to shine once more. Ole!... and stay cool.
