In my daily, inspired pursuit of music discovery – both new and old -, I am most grateful for the many online platforms built to help me discover and share music. New to my arsenal of music discovery tools is ColorHits, a rather unique way to discover and connect to music.

Shifting his web and graphic design talents to the music discovery space, ColorHits founder Matt Barrett has built a powerful discovery tool that provides the user a color search of album art for more than 2 million albums – with new titles added every week. Still in Beta, ColorHits is designed so users can preview tracks, download from iTunes and share on Facebook and Twitter.

I recently spoke with Barrett about his music discovery endeavor. He was also happy to use Miles Davis as an example of how ColorHits was designed to help explore new music by connecting color similarities in album art.

I mentioned that ColorHits is still in Beta, but early access is currently available. Definitely drop by ColorHits to sign up and request your invite to take a closer look at the music discovery tool.

Click HERE to sign-up!

Miles Davis Online: What is the story behind how – and why – you developed ColorHits?
Matt Barrett: ColorHits was actually not my first attempt at creating a new way to discover music. It started when the Beatles were first introduced on iTunes and all the fan-fare that came with it. It had its own press conference, it took over the apple website… it all seemed a bit much to me. I was first thinking of a way to mock such an extravagant music launch, creating oddly-named, fake bands that would be a ‘daily deal’ approach to new bands. Humor was the main purpose but another use was to connect people to real bands in iTunes based off the fake band name. It sounds ridiculous describing it now and, at the time, I realized it would require a lot of creative power on my part.

During this exploration period, I came across one piece of album art that ultimately lead me to continue with ColorHits as it exists today. The album was Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak. I noticed the color bar on the left side and thought, what if those colors were a summary of the colors in the album art. Of course for this example, that isn’t the case, but I thought to myself, ‘what other albums use those same colors?’ Rewind 2 years and I was actually working on code for a separate project that did just that. I mashed both of them together and ColorHits was born.

Why? ColorHits happened out of coincidence yet it mixes perfectly with my personal and professional life. I’m a developer by trade but have always looked at the world from a design point of view and appreciate all kinds of music, playing some myself. In the early stages of development, I was curious and when I saw the results and potential of color searching music albums, it turned into an obsession and I had to make it available to others.

Miles Davis Online: Do you think people will let the colors guide their music discovery, or stick to search by artist or genre? I imagine once they see the interesting connections via album art, they might want to allow the colors to be their guide.
Matt Barrett: Searching for music with color is an odd thing to do, it’s even harder to describe… I’ve tried many times! You’re not quite sure what to expect and that’s the beauty of ColorHits as it relates to music discovery.

I included both ways to search because I see two primary ways to begin. You might want to start with your favorite album, then branch out from there and see what other albums look like your favorites in the same genre or jump into other genres.

Someone might also be in complete discovery mode and want to check out pink and black alternative albums. You might love them, you might hate them. I leave that for the listeners to decide. Curiosity and discovering music on your own is a big driver for ColorHits. I see it as being ‘active discovery’ where other options like internet radio are more passive. With this site, it’s really effective when you’re on a search for something completely new, that none of your friends have probably heard or seen before.

We have over 2.5 million albums on the site so there is so much to discover. Music is meant to be shared and we try to make that easy too by allowing users to share on Facebook and Twitter with one click.

Miles Davis Online: Let’s use Miles Davis as an example how someone can use ColorHits for music discovery.
Matt Barrett: Miles Davis is a great example. Since we know who we like, start with the keyword search and click on any album. Miles Davis Sketches of Spain comes right up with a complete color profile, track list and similar jazz albums that use similar colors. If you click on ‘more jazz albums with these colors’, you’ll see that there are over 200 jazz albums with similar colors. Some you may have heard of, but hopefully some new albums to discover.

You can also do a general search by choosing the jazz genre, then choosing any color or combination of colors. Click on the results to preview, explore and share.

Miles Davis Online: When are you thinking about an official launch?
Matt Barrett: ColorHits is currently in beta and invites are being sent out in batches. Anyone interested in early access can sign up for an account at colorhits.com. We will email you when we’re ready. A full launch will be soon after we finish up some lingering bugs and any feedback from the initial users.

Miles Davis Online: Once you are out of beta and humming along, where would you like to take ColorHits, how would you like to see it evolve? Is it a matter of adding music, along with users?
Matt Barrett: Music is added every week so there will always be new music to discover. I have plans to get a mobile presence out soon that will include notifications of discovery so the site will discover specific albums based on a users’ musical and color. In the short-term, its more focused around what a useful to our members and how we can modify the core functionality to help them find things they love.

1. Miles Davis and Edith Piaf Take Center Stage

U.S. Postal Service and France’s La Poste to Honor Renowned Musicians on Forever Stamps in June. The United States Postal Service today announced the joint issuance of new Forever stamps honoring two of the world’s greatest musicians, Edith Piaf and Miles Davis. The stamps will be issued with the French postal service, La Poste in June. [mdo]

2. The Roots Of Lionize: From Miles Davis To Led Zeppelin

Kind of Blue, Miles Davis: “This is one of the records we’ve listened to most as a group in the van. Most importantly this record pioneered a lot of what we do harmonically. The first track “So What” has a harmonic structure that simply rests on one mode, the same as many Lionize songs such as “D.C. Is Tropical”, and “No Exit”. In fact almost any funk tune from James Brown to The Meters and even Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters group rely on the same basic principles of modal harmony first explored on this record.

Of all the groups that have influenced our band, I’d be shocked if this record was not in the majority of their top ten records. It is also important to note that this might be the best personnel to ever appear together on one record. Miles Davis on trumpet, John Coltrane, tenor sax. Cannonball Adderly, alto sax, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb on bass and drums.” [Houston Press]

3. Miles Davis and Gil Evans Perform “Concierto de Aranjuez (adagio)”

The idea that sparked the project was the sounds and feel of Spanish folk music and culture. Davis had explored these types of textures with his “Flemenco Sketches”. Yet in working with an established piece, Davis was faced with a new challenge. He would need some expertise to pull it off, possibly outside of his own skill set as a jazz player. [The Delete Bin]

4. ‘Summertime,’ Rendered 25,000 Ways

Joe Nocera writes: “Like most people, I came to “Porgy and Bess” through some of the many popular recordings of its famous songs. Indeed, I received several e-mails questioning my sanity for writing about the opera without mentioning two of the most famous recordings: the Ella Fitzgerald-Louis Armstrong version, and the equally sublime Miles Davis recording.” [ny times]

5. What can Duke Ellington and Miles Davis teach entrepreneurs?

Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Art Blakey are widely recognised as three of the greatest jazz band leaders of the 20th century. But did you ever consider they might be role models for entrepreneurs? In fact, each one of them has lessons to offer on how to inspire creativity and innovation within an established structure, according to Deniz Ucbasaran, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Warwick Business School. [The Guardian]

6. White Space, Miles Davis and Responsive Web Design

My appreciation for white space deepened further as I began listening to Miles Davis, whose musical talents and tastes attracted me to jazz. Davis was one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, but he also was a master of communication. Unlike many virtuous beboppers including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie who squeezed out as much notes as they could in their solos, Davis left plenty of space in his phrasing to allow listeners to absorb his thoughts.

In his classic Kind of Blue, Davis played only the most meaningful notes in his solos and yet the notes he didn’t play were as important as the notes he played. [visualgui]

“This is a fitting honor,” said Lee Barham, chairman of the steering committee for the Miles Davis Jazz Celebration. “Miles Davis was one of the greatest jazz musicians and trumpet players in the world. Before Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, there was Miles Davis.”

The Steering Committee petitioned to have the commemorative stamp issued when it heard that the Citizens Advisory Stamp Committee was considering the honor. The 12-member Stamp Advisory Committee is responsible for reviewing proposals and making recommendations to the Postmaster General on new stamps.

The stamp will be issued with the French postal service, La Poste in June.

From what I can tell from the Linns.com website, the Miles Davis stamp design looks like the cover of the Jack Johnson album.

UPDATE: Image

From Sarah Toce’s interview:

I recently asked the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame nominee which memory over the past three decades was closest to her heart. She simply replied, “Working with Miles Davis.”

When a colleague asked which collaborations she wished she had the chance to entertain, she introspectively shared, “Amy Winehouse was my choice.”

Here is a YouTube clip of Chaka Khan performing with Miles Davis in Montreux ’89 doing “Human Nature.”

Gangster like ‘Goodfellas’ gangster? No, most likely not – let’s hope.

More like the modern slang ‘gangsta’, which I assume Cheadle means in reference to the tone, the style and the many changes happening in popular music around 1979, which is where the Miles Davis Movie is set.

Between the ‘gangster pic’ comment and also referring to the forthcoming Miles Davis Movie as ‘cubist’ in style, the film-loving and Miles Davis-loving segments across the internet were mightily confused and intrigued — but still happy to hear an update from the busy Cheadle.

I’m still excited about a film about Miles Davis being produced – with the immensely talented Cheadle in the lead role – but whatever narrative Cheadle has conjured up to make this thing as opposite as humanly possible from a traditional biopic has me slightly unsure how it all ends.

That can be the case with any story someone wants to put on film; sometimes it works, sometimes it’s a disaster.

Is it the safer play to just bang out a traditional biopic like Ray? Sure, but only if it’s going to be as good as Ray. So for having the courage to mix things up creatively, I applaud Cheadle. It might not be how I’d draw it up, but I’ll for sure be there when the lights go down.

I still think a comprehensive documentary (calling Ken Burns) could do the trick; we’re talking six hours! Even a feature doc, like Tom DiCillo’s recent Doors film, When You’re Strange, might work fine.

But the chance to watch a talented actor like Cheadle jump into a role as weighty as this one is hard to pass up. Still, they might make a total mess of it with a kooky narrative, which would be a bummer, or the thing might shine brightly and be a big hit across the board.

It’s hard to know what Miles would have wanted in a film about his life, even though Cheadle has said, “It’s a movie that Miles Davis would have wanted to star in.”

I can’t imagine Miles Davis telling someone to make sure the thing is ‘cubist’ if and when they decide to make a movie about his life. But if the movie has attitude and toughness and cool movie-type-stuff going on, then sure, why wouldn’t Miles Davis not be happy with a project like that.

This thing has been on a slow burn forever, but at least we have movement, we have information to discuss. At this point, the stories about the failed attempts to get a movie made about Miles, the many people who dream of getting a movie made about Miles and Don Cheadle’s chance to bring it all home might make a good documentary all it’s own.

Don Cheadle plans ‘gangster’ film about Miles Davis

Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis movie will be a ‘gangster’ film

Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis Movie Will Be a Cubist Gangster Pic, Whatever That Means

We May Get Don Cheadle’s Cubist Miles Davis Picture Soon

Don Cheadle Says His Miles Davis Biopic Will Be A Gangster Pic

The Miles Davis Movie: Don Cheadle Says They Have A Studio Offer; Describes Movie’s Style As ‘Cubist’

You’ve been midwifing a Miles Davis movie for years. Is that baby still alive?

It is. It’s the longest in utero in the history of babies. It’s three to five years average for most movies to get made, but often it’s 10 or 15 years. This is the kind of movie the business 10 years ago may have leapt at. But now, you don’t really see movies like this. We have a studio offer and we’re trying to back into a budget number, like we always have to do, without gutting the piece.

It’s been reported that a director has been attached to a competing biopic.

That’s something I just heard about in the last month. Look, if the world is ready to have two Miles Davis movies, fantastic. He should have eight or 10 of them.

It’s such a struggle to secure life rights and music rights that it’s hard to believe two pictures about him could actually get made.

Well, that’s not going to happen, clearly. We’re working with the family and we have all the music. There’s another period of music, about three or four years [that the other project appears to have rights to]. These estates are sometimes bifurcated. We have what we need for our film. Look, God bless. If there’s another quality movie about this legend, that’s great.

I don’t think anyone’s going to be making the kind of movie we’re making. It’s not a biopic, per se. It’s a gangster pic. It’s a movie that Miles Davis would have wanted to star in. Without throwing history away, we’re trying to shuffle it and make it more cubist.

The bulk of it takes place in ’79, in a period where he actually wasn’t playing. But we traverse a lot of it his life, but it’s not a cradle to grave story.

Lots of good stuff!

So now we know when the film is set – 1979. But according to Cheadle they bounce around a lot. The opposite of a traditional biopic, but still – hopefully – touching on important moments in the jazz icon’s life. Being that it’s 1979, will Cicely Tyson show up in the story?

I’m curious to know which studio made the offer.

I like this quote from Cheadle: “This is the kind of movie the business 10 years ago may have leapt at. But now, you don’t really see movies like this.”

Avant-garde movies? Movies that are good? Because there is a lot of garbage out there today and any chance we can get a good movie is fine by me.

But this quote confuses me: “It’s not a biopic, per se. It’s a gangster pic. It’s a movie that Miles Davis would have wanted to star in.”

‘Gangster pic?’ What? If ever we needed a follow-up question. Is this Miles Davis meets ‘Goodfellas’? I’m intrigued and confused all at once! [Ed. Note: Obviously it's not 'gangster' like that.... Not in the 'Godfather' sense of the word.]

He also seems to imply that the George Tillman Jr. movie will not have access to the bulk of Miles’ most famous music – just a small period of music he recorded over a 3 or 4 year period (most likely later in his career.)

However, Cheadle is all for as many Miles Davis biopics as humanly possible.

1. Mad at Miles delivers the truth with humor, drama, and concern

Miles Davis would probably pour another drink and throw on some jazz after watching Mad at Miles: A Black Woman’s Guide to Truth. After all, this play mentions Davis is a less than flattering light. The dramatic adaptation of the book by Pearl Cleage enlightens the audience to the poor choices Davis made in his relationship with Cicely Tyson and adds so much more. Cleage is mad at Miles and with good reason. The controversial book attempts to bring power to women through self-awareness of their surroundings, their behaviors, their habits. The struggles of women faced with domestic violence and their will to become stronger through connections with other women are at the forefront of this one act play. [www.louisville.com]

2. Miles Davis comes to life again

No jazz musician has been more diligently organized or effectively monetized in the afterlife than Miles Davis, who died in 1991. Yet here comes “Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1″ on three CDs and a DVD. It captures Davis’ finest working band at its apogee, straining at the limits of post-bop refinement. [charlotteobserver.com]

3. Legendary Saxophonist Sonny Rollins on His Enduring Love for Jazz

SONNY ROLLINS: Playing with those great people like Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and all those giants, I wasn’t afraid, because I felt that I belonged there. [pbs.org]

4. Jazz Aficionado Compiles List of Greatest Miles Davis Albums

Vinyl Revinyl, a music website, recently compiled a ‘best of’ list of Miles Davis albums. [vinylrevinyl.com]

5. Quincy University Jazz Ensemble to present concert

“A Tribute To Miles,” arranged by Mark Taylor, is a 1992 medley of the songs from Miles Davis including So What, All Blues, Seven Steps to Heaven, and Milestones. [canton daily ledger]

Soul Food and Men of Honor director George Tillman Jr., who captured Notorious B.I.G.’s life story in the 2009 biopic Notorious, will take a swing at another musical icon when he tackles Miles Davis in a planned biopic. Tentatively titled Miles, the film is being developed by the late trumpeter’s son, Gregory, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The project is loosely based on the book “Dark Magus: The Jekyll and Hyde Life of Miles Davis”, written by Gregory Davis. Isaac Fergusson wrote the original draft of the screenplay, but the filmmakers are further developing the script.

I discussed this project back in 2008, when Nick Davis Raynes optioned the rights to “Dark Magus: The Jekyll and Hyde Life of Miles Davis.”

This is not the Miles Davis-estate backed project, which has Don Cheadle attached to star as the iconic jazz trumpeter.

Certainly there’s nothing wrong with two, competing Miles Davis films, but it definitely makes things interesting in terms of how fans will respond. What we have is one project (w/ Tillman) likely constructed as a more traditional biopic, whereas Cheadle’s endeavor is built on a more unique narrative that tells a story over the course of one day.

No word yet if Tillman and Raynes have an actor in mind to play Davis, but certainly there has been plenty of buzz for years about a respected and talented actor such as Don Cheadle playing the mega-role in his telling of the Miles Davis story. No doubt it will be key for Tillam to cast wisely when finding someone to play such a major, real-life figure. They could go the unknown route, or perhaps there is an actor already established who might want to take on the challenge.

It will be interesting to see how this news effects the Cheadle/Miles Davis Estate project, which up until now has leaked a few details via Cheadle about script content, but also has admitted to financial roadblocks in getting the film up and running.

I did just post an item about Antoine Fuqua being attached as the director for the Cheadle film, but there’s been no verification as far as I have seen.

I have always figured Don Cheadle would direct the film, along with portraying the jazz legend. In March of 2007, news officially broke of Cheadle’s involvement with the project; a story in Variety noted that Cheadle would make his feature directing debut with the Miles Davis movie. A 2006 JazzTimes article pointed out that the estate had been in talks with Fuqua (along with Cheadle), but clearly Cheadle wanted to play Miles as well as direct the film, so out went the Fuqua connection.

Until now.

In an interview last month with Spain-based online newspaper ABC.es, Erin Davis, son of Miles, said that Antoine Fuqua is the director.

It’s not news the Miles Davis estate and Cheadle have been talking to Fuqua. But if he is, indeed, officially set to direct, the news has yet to be confirmed across mainstream airwaves – as far as I know.

I’ve written in the past about Cheadle possibly relinquishing directing duties and just focusing solely on portraying Miles. I even offered up some director names to get the conversation started about who people would like to see direct the Miles Davis Biopic should Cheadle exit the position.

If the comment from Davis about Fuqua is true, then looks like Cheadle is comfortable with just starring, producing and – undoubtedly – orchestrating the film’s style and narrative.

Fuqua’s IMDB page does not list the Untitled Miles Davis Biopic as a future project. However, Cheadle’s page does not list the film in his Actor file, just off to the side under Projects In Development.

It could be that without the financing set up yet – although it might be, I have no idea -, everyone wants to keep any high-profile news on the back burner. Aside from news about Herbie Hancock scoring the film and whatever inside info Cheadle reveals, it’s mostly radio silence.

I like many of Fuqua’s films, so his involvement works for me. It’s Don Cheadle’s vision, as far as I can tell, so far, so it appears if the Fuqua news is true, then the director is also comfortable with Cheadle’s unique vision for the movie.

I’d be curious to know why, in the end, Cheadle decided to relinquish the director’s chair, but with a busy schedule, perhaps concentrating on portraying a jazz icon and getting the project into production mode is quite enough.

The article with Erin Davis mentioned the film will start production next year, just as an album of Miles Davis tunes re-worked by hip-hop artists is put together. No firm details on either points, but the hip-hop angle is an interesting one and demands further examination down the road.

But it’s definitely a good thing if we are, indeed, a few steps closer to a start date for the biopic.

Skrillex, dubstep’s first genuine superstar and perhaps the most divisive man in dance music right now, has collaborated with the remaining members of The Doors.

In what’s being billed as the first Doors track of the 21st century, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore have got in the studio with Skrillex to record a “variation” on Miles Davis’ ‘Milestones’, as part of a forthcoming music documentary titled RE:GENERATION, directed by Amir Bar-Lev.

via factmag.com