when what i know outside the sound

via mark richardson:

Miles Davis doing his version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”, from his 1985 album You’re Under Arrest. A few things very interesting about this recording to me. One, I’ve always thought this was an amazing song and obviously I’m not alone. It’s clearly something very special. And I actually like this Miles Davis version quite a bit. But I also think if I was in a Walgreens and this came over the P.A. and I heard it for the first time, I very much doubt that I would think to myself “This is a unique rendition of a latter-day pop classic by one of the great artists of the 20th century.” Instead, it would probably sound like Muzak. In other words, the thing that first gets me interested in this is that it’s by Miles Davis. Once I know that, I can start thinking about how he plays the changes and alters the melody and about the melancholy of his pinched tone. Always gets me thinking when what I know outside the sound is so important to how I experience the sound.