Text from the organiser:

On May 26, Miles Davis would have turned 100 years old. He was at the forefront of jazz from bebop to rap. But between 1968 and 1975, he was at the peak of his creative powers. At least that is the view of Prosjekt MD, the band that performs its own interpretations of Miles’ sonic landscapes from the period when he expanded the acoustic quintet format with electric instruments and percussion inspired by African and Asian world music traditions.

A lone American reviewer (Dean Monti) of the project’s CD Live at the Organ Club (2016) on Amazon described the band as the “best Miles electric tribute since Yo Miles”, a generous comparison to Henry Kaiser’s 1990s tribute to Miles. Arild Rønsen in Puls wrote “You can’t get any closer to Bitches Brew” when Prosjekt MD celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of that double album at Cosmopolite in 2020 and at the National Jazz Scene in 2021. “It would be a crying shame if this were a one-off,” wrote Rønsen.

Not a one-off – now the band can be heard in Oslo again! The centenary is celebrated with three leading Norwegian jazz musicians as featured soloists. Brynjulf Blix was one of the first Norwegian musicians to embrace the Miles tradition on the Fender Rhodes electric piano, first with Moose Loose at the dawn of the 1970s and later with Terje Rypdal. He returns to the same instrument, complete with all the boxes and effect pedals required. Stian Omenås – known from his recent collaboration with Jon Balke – takes the lead on trumpet. Jørgen Mathisen – known from The Core, Krokofant, and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra among others – assumes the role of sideman on tenor and soprano saxophone.

Do not miss “this great group who do an excellent job interpreting electric Miles,” as the band’s American fan wrote. It will be a unique opportunity to hear contemporary interpretations of Miles’ Afrocentric, Euro-modernist, and jazz-punk jungle grooves in the Norwegian summer night.

Stian Omenås – trumpet, percussion
Brynjulf Blix – Rhodes electric piano, organ
Jørgen Mathisen – tenor and soprano saxophone
Lars Mjøset – bass clarinet, electronics
Asgeir Skauge – guitar
Henrik Bakka – electric bass
Ketil Stoknes – percussion
Frithjof Eide Fjeldstad – drums