On his previous album
I Am A Man (2018), American trumpeter Miles was particularly angry at the mishandling of President Trump. Successor Rainbow Sign is at odds with this and is a loving elegy to his late father. With a spiritual and resigned undertone, he translates his father's last days into the sultry blues of opener Like Those Who Dream, with room for extensive solos by all his band members.
It's great to see how well these prominent companions feel about Miles. Guitarist Bill Frisell knows like no other how to combine technique with sensitive playing. Rainbow Sign is definitely not a sad album and Miles doesn't shy away from cheerful pop influences in The Rumor for example. It is above all an album on which an inimitable collective, under the inspired leadership of Miles, goes very deep, without becoming sentimental. (MR)more
