Another Miles Davis Post on the Bloop

May 13, 2009 5:21 PM

Kind of Bloop an 8-bit tribute to Kind of Blue, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this August 17. (Don't get too excited just yet, it's not going to be released until the actual anniversary).

The project is currently in production, taking donations to pay for royalty fees to the Harry Fox Agency, and the a r t i s ts. Hopefully this isn't some huge scam.

To hold you over, here's a BBC documentary on the production of Kind of Blue. Hopefully people have as much to say about Kind of Bloop.

The upcoming anniversary has been discussed a few times times previously on MeFi.
So has redoing things in 8-bit:
- 8-bit Jesus
- A Very 8bit Christmas
- 8-bit Porn

posted by azarbayejani (29 comments total)

Project conceived by MeFi's own Andy Baio.
posted by eyeballkid at 5:27 PM on May 13

Good luck to 'em on recreating that Cannonball solo on “Blue in Green.” That thing makes me weep.
posted by koeselitz at 5:38 PM on May 13

koeselitz, I was under the impression that Cannonball doesn't play on "Blue in Green." Wikipedia gots my back. Not trying to be a dick, just thought you'd appreciate the info. Cheers.
posted by barrett caulk at 5:49 PM on May 13

Don't miss _why's bloopsaphone, given some more explanation here for non-rubyists
posted by crayz at 5:54 PM on May 13

I put in $40, can't wait to get this.
posted by furtive at 5:58 PM on May 13

Andy's original post on Waxy.org includes links to some other 8-bit jazz songs.
posted by furtive at 6:00 PM on May 13

Seriously, are there really people out there who want to hear how KoB would sound this way? (cheesy for sure, I would think) For one thing, Bill Evans' piano tone would be ruined, Trane's phrasing mechanical and tortuous. Buy the CD. That is all.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 6:11 PM on May 13

I just listened to some of the others on 8bitcollective. Friggin' HORRIBLE! God save us from this horrific, sleazeball insult to great art.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 6:18 PM on May 13

barrett caulk: koeselitz, I was under the impression that Cannonball doesn't play on "Blue in Green." Wikipedia gots my back. Not trying to be a dick, just thought you'd appreciate the info. Cheers.\

You're right. Listening to it now, the tone is all 'Trane—I don't know how I could've missed it, except that it's an alto sax, which Cannonball plays on the rest of the album. I might have gotten confused because that solo is so warm—prettier and lusher and sparer than Coltrane's work usually was.
posted by koeselitz at 6:24 PM on May 13

One of the artists is Metafilter's Own™ jake.
posted by zsazsa at 6:27 PM on May 13

Heaven forbid people engage with and enjoy art actively, Seekerofsplendor.

Isn't that part of what made the blues great? Improvisation and tweaking age-old tunes?
posted by sonic meat machine at 6:32 PM on May 13

I'm one of the artists in the lineup (virt) and I can't believe this project was posted here (or that it's taking off so fast).

8bitcollective and the cheesy Somethingawful conversions are NOT the places you want to go to hear chiptunes for the first time. I promise you, the people involved in this are treating the original music with utter reverence, and approaching chiptune music as minimal art, NOT as the kitschy retro ironic LOLSUPERMARIO parody / insult you're imagining. That would be a crime, given the sheer brilliance and importance of the material in question.

This puts me in an odd place, but if you want to hear at least what I can do, search MeFi Music for "Staring at My Spaceship" and let it play through. I'm a jazz man who has been deeply touched by KoB, and so are the other guys on the project. We intend to do it right, and won't put anything out there that doesn't add to the original album. It's an unbelievable challenge.

These won't be transcriptions, they'll be covers/interpretations in a new medium. Trust me on this one, it's not what you think.
posted by jake at 6:35 PM on May 13 [4 favorites has favorites]

(not to belittle 8bitcollective, which is home to some really great artists -- but it's really a total grab bag, not for the faint of heart or the chiptune neophyte. It's kind of phase two, once you've acquired the taste and are ready to go crate-digging.)
posted by jake at 6:39 PM on May 13

I'm looking forward to this... and in fact i vote yes for all types of remakes/tributes/covers of everything else that i've ever loved (as long as they're done lovingly and not merely to take advantage of my sentimental attachments for monetary gains). Nothing's sacred, folks.

8-Bit versions of any kind of jazz does seem like a gigantic hill to dare climb, but bless the hell out of you lot for the attempt.

Go team!
posted by phylum sinter at 6:42 PM on May 13

Our secret weapon is Sam "Shnabubula" Ascher-Weiss, one of the most brilliant young undiscovered jazz pianists I've ever seen. No slouch with a Nintendo, either. I cannot wait to see what he does; if anyone alive could do those songs justice, it's him.
Okay, I'm done thread-cheerleading now. Thanks for the support, almost everyone!
posted by jake at 6:47 PM on May 13

Seriously, are there really people out there who want to hear how KoB would sound this way?

Seriously? Yes, seriously.

As someone whose first experience with "real" electronic music was probing a Heathkit microprocessor demonstration board with a pair of headphones and some bare wire soldered on to the leads - oh hell yes.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, if you don't get how live, raw, and jazz-like good electronic music is you're listening to the wrong bits and you probably don't know what's going on well enough to really appreciate the totally valid musicianship that goes into this stuff - which is exactly the same statement people make about not getting jazz - it's brain-heart music full of complications and stories and what was once known as "call and repeat".

If you don't get call and repeat, does one really dig and get jazz?

If you don't know your LFO from a VCF and a cutoff/resonance filter sweep, do you dig and get electronic music?

But as jake notes 8-bit Collective is sometimes hit or miss. This is a job for Senor Coconut/Atom Heart. And, well, if you don't dig bleepy noises, there's not a lot I can do about that. Granted I used to dance to my modem, so your mileage may vary.
posted by loquacious at 7:36 PM on May 13 [2 favorites has favorites]

Seriously, are there really people out there who want to hear how KoB would sound this way?

It would be presumptuous of me to expect the recording of Kind of Bloop to be as pivotal as Miles Davis encouraging Herbie Hancock to use an electric piano in his second quintet, but we might not have music like In a Silent Way, Headhunters or perhaps fusion as a genre otherwise. Your nay-saying goes against the spirit of jazz and that's not cool.

"I try stuff. I synthesize what's of value with some of the other things I have at my disposal. " – Herbie Hancock

posted by furtive at 9:26 PM on May 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

Two words: Doo Bop.
posted by swift at 9:27 PM on May 13

I really wasn't sure there'd be anyone else in the world interested in hearing Kind of Blue reinterpreted in this way, so was totally stunned by how quickly we reached the Kickstarter goal. I set an 80 day deadline, and it hit the $2,000 goal within four hours! It's up to 160 backers now, kicking in over $3,300, and still growing. So I guess I wasn't alone, after all.
posted by waxpancake at 10:10 PM on May 13

not for the faint of heart or the chiptune neophyte

jake (or anyone),

Can you recommend some places that would be good for a newbie to start? I've been wanting to try and learn about chiptune music, but like some above have said I can't really tell what's good and what's bad, and where to look.
posted by Sangermaine at 12:32 AM on May 14

I've said this before and I'll say it again, if you don't get how live, raw, and jazz-like good electronic music is you're listening to the wrong bits and you probably don't know what's going on well enough to really appreciate the totally valid musicianship that goes into this stuff - which is exactly the same statement people make about not getting jazz - it's brain-heart music full of complications and stories and what was once known as "call and repeat".

This is pretty important. Electronic music can be remarkably subtle and flexible. I would like to hear this interpretation, just as I'd be interested in any very different interpretation.

I find 8-bit music to have a distinctive character all its own. I like them, but all the music I've heard in that format is very youthful, bubbly, positive music. I think it would be interesting to see how KoB translates into a medium that is emblematic to me of bouncy fun happy music.

But I dance to the sound of the copier, myself, so I could be biased.
posted by winna at 12:51 AM on May 14

Kinda OT:
Granted I used to dance to my modem, so your mileage may vary
But I dance to the sound of the copier, myself, so I could be biased.
You two are illustrating why the bit with the girl dancing to the washing machine was the best and most real part of the movie 'groove'.
posted by flaterik at 2:02 AM on May 14

Granted I used to dance to my modem, so your mileage may vary
But I dance to the sound of the copier, myself, so I could be biased.
You two are illustrating why the bit with the girl dancing to the washing machine was the best and most real part of the movie 'groove'.

obligatory clip of tyres from spaced.
posted by juv3nal at 2:32 AM on May 14

I enjoy 8-bit music, but I much prefer original arrangements. 8-bit versions of existing songs just sound kind of gimmicky to me.
posted by orme at 4:57 AM on May 14

I like chiptunes, and I like Kind of Blue, so I'm looking forward to hearing this.
posted by box at 5:05 AM on May 14

This seems like the kind of place to ask a question that's been nagging me for years.

Did I really hear the "Underground Levels Super Mario Brothers 1" melody on Bitches' Brew? I'll come back with the track / time citation, but it's clear as day to me that I heard it.
posted by sleslie at 8:42 AM on May 14

I bobbled my head to the tyres song! The world is full of music. But we're all just doing our own lightswitch raves.

Did I really hear the "Underground Levels Super Mario Brothers 1" melody on Bitches' Brew? I'll come back with the track / time citation, but it's clear as day to me that I heard it.

ha! Please share that, when you find it.
posted by winna at 8:49 AM on May 14

Calypso Frelimo @ 12 minutes - 15 minutes.

The entire song sounds like a Mario tribute, but it was written in the Space Invader days. Heck, the pre-Space Invader Days.
posted by sleslie at 2:39 PM on May 14

But I dance to the sound of the copier, myself

The receipt printers at a local grocery store have a surprisingly musical and rhythmic sound to them. I often find myself humming or whistling the sound they make after shopping there.
posted by hattifattener at 12:01 PM on May 15