Mainstream Treasure for Davis Fans

Just 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.