Issy Cory
Dark, stained wood adorns the stage in TechCube 0 at Summerhall, reminiscent of a seedy jazz club. Enter: Miles Davis, played by Benjamin Akintuyosi, and Jay Phelps, played by himself. The tape starts, Davis’ seminal 1959 album ‘Kind of Blue’ plays, and Phelps wants to know how and why he made it.
We are at once dissecting Davis’ record, pulling apart the melodic choices and rhythms, and witnessing the moments in his life that led up to the album’s conception. His romances, successes, teachings, and addictions have all played their part. Phelps is lapping up every word.
Aesthetically, the production is bang on. Nostalgic projections featuring images, scribblings, and videos, create a scrapbook vibe to pair with the documentary style narrative. What’s more, MILES. is lit with meticulous beauty.
Jay Phelps’ musicianship is, of course, stellar. It is the moments when Phelps is playing, with a soft spotlight encircling him, that the world truly melts away and we are transported. Coincidentally, it is here where we feel jazz’s presence most, in the pure, unadulterated single line of melody emerging from Phelps’ horn.
Throughout the story, we drift too often from the brilliant concept of investigating Davis’ album track by track, being pulled into a slightly mechanical relaying of some important life moments. Unfortunately, these sections take away from the magic that is present elsewhere.
Moving quickly from moment to moment, the set-up of the play’s secondary characters could benefit from a fuller lead-up. We need more than a simple change of costume, or added prop, to understand which iconic jazz figure we are meeting next.
The actors do a solid job of delivering the piece, especially with the frequent manoeuvring from character to character. Despite some questionable uses of props, such as the hurling of a deconstructed trumpet to signify the end of Davis’ heroin detox, the cast uphold the story with strength.
MILES. is frequently transcendent, reminding us that there is a chance to escape the mania of this month of August, and enjoy the dulcet tones of Davis.
Recommended Drink: A Rob Roy, Davis’ favourite.
You can catch MILES. at TechCube 0 at Summerhall from Aug 5-11, 13-25 at 18:00. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
