Friday, February 22, 2008

R.I.P. TEO MACERO

New York Times obit.

Obviously, this is a big one. The importance of Macero's role in Miles' late '60s and early '70s material is literally incalculable. Should he have gotten co-billing on, say, On The Corner, though? I don't think so. Ask yourself this: Would Teo Macero have made that album by, and for, himself? No. His technical innovations were in the service of Miles Davis's sonic imagination.

But it's unfair to tie Macero inextricably to Miles, anyway. His production work on Thelonious Monk's Columbia albums is equally stellar, and subtle as fuck - the edits (now revealed in the wake of the extended takes available on the remastered CDs) are seamless and just as in service of the music as the wild-ass tape-splicing and stereo panning of the Miles stuff. In fact, this is as good a time as any to state once again for the record that the Columbia studio albums (and the live Monk In Tokyo) are my favorite Thelonious discs, and the ones I almost always wind up putting on when I'm in a Monk mood. Anyway, R.I.P. Teo. Hank Shocklee should pour some out on the curb for you.

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