Notes from the Net: More Miles news; Carter, Ewart and Fleck reviewed; and more

Douglas Ewart

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies may be over, but even so, as usual there's no shortage of Miles Davis news. For starters, check out this short video of Miles and his 1966 quintet playing "Footprints"... You may also enjoy a look at the The Last Miles, a Web site devoted to the music Davis made during the last decade of his life. While it is primarily designed as a promotional site for a book of the same name, there's still some interesting info there, inclding short biographies of all the musicians that Miles employed during the time in question... NYC's Lincoln Center has announced its 2006-07 jazz season, and a tribute to Davis is among the programs scheduled...Finally, with the success of recent movies about Ray Charles and Johnny Cash, the oft-discussed film biography of Miles appears to have gained new life, with Don Cheadle touted as the man to play Miles.

Comings and goings: James Carter, who was in St. Louis last month to perform with the World Saxophone Quartet, is playing a headlining gig of his own in Chicago, reviewed here...Meanwhile, the man Carter was subbing for, David Murray, is readying a solo tour of his own....Bela Fleck has a new recording out and a date to play the Pageant on April 1. You can read about Fleck's tour here, and see a review of the CD The Hidden Land here...Multi-reedman Douglas Ewart, who appeared here with J.D. Parran in Feburary as part of the Black Artists Group retrospective, recenlty played a concert in Minneapolis that is reviewed here.

Following up: As mentioned earlier, the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. Louis legend Josephine Baker is inspiring a number of tributes, including one in San Diego featuring a film screening and an exhibit of Baker memorabilia....Despite an almost overwhelming number of challenges in the wake of Hurrican Katrina and the subsequent flooding, the music scene in New Orleans continues to come back, according to this story from AP.

And finally, from the Department of You Knew It Had To Happen Eventually, some TV executive has hatched an idea that can best be described as "American Idol for instrumental musicians." The program America's Hot Musician is still in the early stages of production, so if you'd like to get in on the proverbial ground floor, check their Web site for details.