It was such a simple concept. Producer Bob Belden (who has directed the Miles Davis reissue series) was talking with Times Square label owner Yusuf Gandhi about Miles' use of Indian instrumentation during The Complete On the Corner Sessions and wondered aloud what it would sound like if Indian musicians played Miles' music. Gandhi replied "Miles from India," and nearly a year later Belden delivered this brilliant set that not only features a number of India's finest musicians but a veritable who's who of Miles' own sidemen. In perhaps the boldest move, Belden and the musicians looked well beyond Miles' 1972-1975 sessions with Indian instruments for inspiration, performing tracks from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s (the same time span covered by Miles' associates on this album). Another fun thing about these performances is that some of Miles' sidemen play on songs they didn't originally play on -- like the opener, Spanish Key, featuring Mike Stern and Dave Liebman. But despite some additional Indian percussion and vocalizing, Spanish Key doesn't vary much from the original. On the other hand, All Blues is completely transformed, with Ravi Chary's sitar taking the place of Miles' trumpet. The Gary Bartz/Rudresh Mahanthappa sax duet on this is a real treat, as are the presence and playing of Jimmy Cobb, who also played on the original 1959 Kind of Blue session. The fast version of Ife marks the entrance of monster bass player Michael Henderson and the wonderfully deranged guitar of Pete Cosey, who does not record nearly enough. After the lovely but relatively brief sarod-led In a Silent Way, it's great to hear Cosey rip it up on It's About That Time. He's nearly matched in intensity by Bartz's sax and Kala Ramnath's violin while Henderson does his thing with that killer Dave Holland bassline. Stern gets to reprise his role on the classic Jean Pierre, paired with some great flute from Rakesh Chaurasia.

1		Spanish Key
2		All Blues
3		Ife (fast)
4		In a Silent Way [intro]
5		It's About That Time
6		Jean Pierre
7		So What
8		Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
9		Blue In Green
10		Great Expectations (Orange Lady)
11		Ife (slow)
12		Miles from India