Just about everywhere you turn in the jazz universe in 2026, there are albums and tours celebrating the centennial birthdates of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Yet drummer Gregory Hutchinson’s Kind of Now: The Pulse of Miles Davis (Music Arts, 2006) may long stand out as one of the best of those tributes. Hutchinson and his all-star cast – the drummer-leader is joined by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, woodwindist Ron Blake, guitarists Jakob Bro and Emmanuel Michael, pianist Gerald Clayton, and double bassist Joe Sanders- have covered Davis’s music seamlessly from the ‘50s through his late ‘60s fusion period, a difficult feat in itself. Perhaps equally interesting is the lack of electronic instruments when five of the thirteen tracks are from after the Dark Prince of Jazz went electric.
The compositions are interesting choices too. They are a combination of well-known pieces and less familiar ones, opting for those that translate best to contemporary sounds. They are Charlie Parker’s “Ah-Leu-Cha,” four pieces written or co-written by Miles – “Fran-Dance,” “Seven Steps to Heaven,” “Bitches Brew,” and “Circle in the Round.” The Wayne Shorter composed “Fall,” “Orbits,” “Feio,” and “Water Babies,” and the Tony Williams penned “Black Comedy.” The album unfolds rather chronologically, moving from the Parker piece to “Circle in the Round” before closing with Hutchinson’s “I’m Done,” the final of three of the leader’s riveting original drum interludes.
Hutchinson, in his role as producer, envisioned giving the selected pieces a freshness. The drummer’s own background crosses eras and styles, giving him a perch that few have today. He has been behind the kit for Betty Carter, Ray Brown, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride (who wrote the album’s liner notes), and countless others. Hutchinson is one of the few drummers today who has absorbed and continues to reference the lineage of drummers that runs from Kenny Clarke to Philly Joe Jones to Jimmy Cobb to Jack DeJohnette to Billy Hart to Al Foster. Hutchinson says, “This project isn’t about recreating Miles, it’s about continuing the conversation he started.” In that vein, the album has a contemporary sheen versus a nostalgic one.
The choice of the two guitarists for the album is distinct. Emmanuel Michael, a member of several of Akinmusire’s bands, is quickly establishing a reputation for his performance skills on albums like Caleb Wheeler Curtis’s Ritual (Chilltone, 2026). On Kind of Now, he swings. He stands in contrast to Bro, with the latter focusing on evoking the aesthetics of John McLaughlin from In a Silent Way (Columbia, 1969): providing atmosphere, space, and color.
The main voice is, of course, is the trumpet. Akinmusire straddles an interesting line, not sounding as technically focused or emotionally obsessed as he does on his own albums. But he also certainly doesn’t emulate Miles in sound either.
Turning to specific tracks, “Ah-Leu-Cha” swings but doesn’t sound retro. Sanders and Clayton are terrific, as is the interplay between Akinmusire and Blake. Hutchinson delivers one of the first riveting drum interludes. The two guitarists alone shape the classic Second Great Quintet selections differently. “Fran-Dance” is rendered as a piano trio piece, showcasing the great rapport between Clayton and Sanders. The guitarists play a major role in “Fall,” with Akinmusire blowing in soft tones as Blake shapes the familiar melody with the musicians making seamless solo tradeoffs. Clayton shines again. Akinmusire’s aggressive intro on “Orbits” continues throughout the piece.
“Feio,” from Bitches Brew, (Columbia, 1970) kicks off the second half of the album, full of mostly fusion-oriented pieces. Akinmusire’s echoing, muted trumpet is set against spacey guitar from Bro, rumbling bass and drums, and a bubbling guitar effect from Michael. Hutchinson’s pacing is brilliant, especially his use of the toms and cymbals. “Water Babies” bears some similarities, though it finds Akinmusire far more feisty. The septet turns “Seven Steps to Heaven” on its head, making it so aggressive and edgy that the famous melody barely creeps through; it is tangible only after the first three hard-charging minutes. The standout “Bitches Brew” gets a similar rendering as “Feio.” It also finds Akinmusire sounding more like Miles than anywhere else on the album. The rest of the ensemble creates a dense backdrop through the two guitarists, Blake on bass clarinet, and the fierce Hutchinson, sounding like multiple drummers. “Black Comedy,” originally from Miles in the Sky (Columbia, 1968), features brilliant turns from the leader and scintillating piano from Clayton.
“Circle in the Round,” recorded by Miles shortly after Bitches Brew, was left unreleased until a compilation album was released nearly a decade later (Columbia, 1979) during his retirement. The original featured Tony Williams as key soloist, a boon for Hutchinson here. The Kind of Now ensemble, not nearly as electronically infused as Miles’ original unit, once again excels with this spacey material. Hutchinson clatters off, as if with an affectionate goodbye in the final interlude, “I’m Done.”
Kind of Now is both respectful and courageous. It is hardly emulative in any way except in Miles’ forward-thinking spirit. Expect it to gain plenty of critical attention and popular response.
‘Kind of Now: The Pulse of Miles Davis’ is out now on Music Arts.
