Goose Creek native pushes envelope for global appeal

Miles away from home, a son of Goose Creek has produced a record that's poised to push forward the evolution of jazz music around the world.

Bob Belden, who has lived and worked in New York for 30 years, spent 11 months cruising across continents to plan, record and mix "Miles From India," a two-CD recording of legendary trumpeter Miles Davis' music that was released April 15. The highly acclaimed disc is on Times Square Records, a small, independent label.

The 12-track album is of the East-meets-West style in that Belden has taken musicians who play Indian jazz and Indian classical music and put them with American jazz musicians to create the sound he wanted. He knew what he wanted because he has spent years working with Davis' music.

Jazz critic Dave Wayne of jazzreview.com, who was skeptical when he first heard about the record, said of the project, "It is an organic, thoughtful synthesis of African-American and Indian music played out in the context of compositions written by or associated with Miles Davis, specifically the music he made during the late 1960s through the early 1980s."

The band's live shows also have been favorably reviewed by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and many other outlets.

The idea for the record came about almost indirectly. Belden said in a recent interview, "I was producing the Miles Davis 'On the Corner' box set for Sony, and during that process, I was hearing many sessions where Miles was using Indian instruments and musicians in a contextual way. I had known Yusuf Gandhi from Times Square Records for many years, and we often spoke of doing a project with Indian and American musicians.

"We had lunch one day and I mentioned Miles' embrace of Indian music, rhythms and scales, and wondered what Miles' music would sound like if fully approached. Yusuf turned to me, smiled and said, 'Miles From India' and we got to work contacting musicians."

Belden, 51, has been involved in 30 Grammy-winning projects. He won three for Davis reissue box sets for Sony. For 1996's "The Complete Miles Davis and Gil Evans," he received two, one for producing and the other for writing liner notes. For "Miles Davis: The Complete Quintet 1965-68" in 1998, he was awarded one for liner notes. In 2001 and 2002, he was nominated for "Best Contemporary Jazz Recording" for his CDs "Animation: Imagination" and "Re: Animation LIVE!" both drum and bass jazz records for Blue Note Records.

According to his bio, Belden, a saxophonist, has recorded 17 CDs as a leader and has produced more than 100 jazz recordings and more than 400 catalog CDs, 20 box sets (including 10 Davis box sets) and has scored a few films. He was honored in 1999 by the state of South Carolina for his accomplishments in the field of jazz and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of North Texas in 2007.

Belden's influence can be felt at home and away. His musical reach hit the Lowcountry March 22 when Charlton Singleton debuted his 20-piece jazz orchestra at the Charleston Music Hall. Singleton performed Belden's post-modern gem, "Genesis." He joined other South Carolina composers — Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Green, Joseph "Fud" Livingston, St. Julian Dash and Buddy Johnson — on Singleton's program.

Some of the 35 musicians on "Miles From India" are Dave Liebman (tenor sax, flute, Indian flute), Shankar Mahadevan (vocal), Rudresh Mahanthappa (alto sax), Wallace Roney (trumpet), Mike Stern (guitar), Lenny White (drums), Gary Bartz (alto sax), Ron Carter (bass), Ravi Chary (sitar), Jimmy Cobb (drums), Michael Henderson (bass), Chick Corea (piano), Marcus Miller (bass clarinet), Badal Roy (tabla) and John McLaughlin (guitar).

This is by no means a novelty record. The project's organic synthesis Wayne talks about goes more toward it being a new, or at least transcendental, form rather than merely placing the Indian and American forms side by side. It's not jazz played in an Indian way or Indian music played in a jazz way.

Belden said, "On one level, it's an experiment in culture in that one culture does not dominate the other and both languages can be seen in parallel in each specific cultural environment. On another level, it was an experiment in technology in that we can record globally in every aspect using the Internet and software designed for this kind of data communication."

It's very 21st century while still grounded aesthetically in centuries-old traditions. Davis-heads will love it.

The record has an other-worldly feel. The songs' basic melodies, harmonies and rhythms are raga-like in that the improvisations are based more on moods than chord progressions. It's a feel very similar to Davis' modal approach to jazz. At the same time, it swings like a hammock in a hurricane.

Belden's band has performed three shows in the United States: Town Hall in New York, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and California Plaza in Los Angeles. The New York and San Francisco shows were sold out, and Cal Plaza was a free concert outdoors attended by 2,000 people, Belden said.

Two more shows are planned for California: the San Francisco Jazz Festival and a private concert in Napa Valley. McLaughlin and Corea may join the ensemble for those two dates. A tour of India, Asia and Australia is planned for 2009. The CD is available all over the world. A three-LP set should drop within the month.

"I have been asked to be a director for the newly formed jazz festival in Mumbai for 2009," Belden said. "And this development opens the door to Asia and the Middle East, as I hope to involve myself in productions in China, Singapore, Egypt and Morocco next year."

Having started with those small steps in Goose Creek, Belden continues to work on making the world safe for jazz.

Reach Jack McCray at 937-5519 or jmccray@postandcourier.com.