A Mainstream Treasure for Davis Fans

Just five weeks after Miles Davis’ death, Warner Bros. Records has released the Davis album that many of the trumpet great’s fans had been awaiting for years.

“Dingo”--the soundtrack for an as-yet-unreleased Australian movie of the same name--finds Davis doing something he said he’d never do: stretch out in a straight-ahead setting.

In the seven selections on which he’s spotlighted, Davis plays with persuasion in the mainstream mode that first earned him notoriety. He’s heard delivering crisp, fiery lines on two up-tempo big-band pieces, and he exhibits his soulful, poignant demeanor on other slower tunes.

The 49-minute collection--which also includes some tasteful funk tracks and features other solos by trumpeter Chuck Findley--was recorded early last year in Los Angeles and Paris. On the album, Davis performs unaccompanied, with a small group and with a powerhouse big band conducted by Michel LeGrand, who composed the music for the score.

Davis makes his debut as an actor in the film, which was directed by Rolf De Heer. Davis plays trumpeter Billy Cross, who inspires a young Australian, the title character, to become a musician.

The “Dingo” session was not Davis’ final studio date. The trumpeter had also been working on a funk/hip-hop project, which features rapper Easy Mo--Bee and which was recorded from late 1990 through early 1991. However, these sessions may not be the next Davis release--which won’t be out until next March--because there are other projects to choose from, said Matt Pierson, director of artists and repertoire for Warners Jazz.

Among the Warner possibilities are two live recordings done in early July in Europe. One is Davis’ acclaimed appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, where he was backed by a 35-piece orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones. Another is a Davis sidemen reunion concert featuring keyboardists Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul and Herbie Hancock and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Jackie McLean.

Marx Labels Purchased: Brothers Jac and Keith Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records and the label’s former senior vice president, respectively, have acquired the assets of Discovery, Trend and other labels owned by the late Albert Marx. Among the 200 titles in the catalogue are works by such artists as Sue Raney, Clare Fischer and Gerald Wilson.

In addition to reissuing remastered existing albums, the first of which should be out in February, 1992, the Holzmans plan to sign new artists.

Critic’s Choice: Etta Jones’ tuneful, resonant timbre gives her one of the most distinctive voices in jazz, and her treatments of classic pop standards and smoky blues make her one of the music’s most appealing artists. She’s appearing at the Vine Street Bar & Grill in Hollywood tonight and Saturday with her regular partner, dusky-toned saxman Houston Person.