Miles Davis

1959

One of a handful of albums in jazz history that practically everyone agrees is great, Kind of Blue is actually a transitional album for Davis. He enlisted pianist Bill Evans to aid him in making a kind of timeless, impressionistic jazz based on modes rather than the standard chord changes of bop. Evans' smooth, stream-of-consciousness style pervades this album to the effect of near-ambient textures and dreamlike weightlessness.

The group here, including John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb, had never played the pieces before the recording, and this date is widely recognized as the greatest example of group improvisation in jazz history.

All Blues: This muted-Davis melody is practically required listening. The simple, 6/8 blues offers ample space for the band to blow freely. The distinct intro-figure by Evans was, like most of the album, developed only moments before the recording.

Flamenco Sketches: Iberian-flavored tune that features the most obviously Evans-inspired sounds. As the liner notes say, "...a series of five scales, each to be played as long as the soloist wishes until he has completed the series." Trance-inducing, and highly influential.

Miles Davis:
Trumpet

John Coltrane:
Tenor saxophone

Cannonball Adderly:
Alto saxophone

Bill Evans:
Piano

Paul Chambers:
Bass

Jimmy Cobb:
Drums

Wynton Kelly:
Piano

1965

Davis was famous for his restlessness with groups and styles. In the 50s, he had gone through bop, cool, orchestrated jazz with Gil Evans, and modal approaches on Kind of Blue and Milestones. With this group, he would take pure jazz as far as he could, pushing the envelope harmonically, rhythmically, and compositionally.

The players Davis assembled were much younger than him, with drummer Tony Williams only 19 when this was recorded. Their fresh approaches coupled with Davis' need for change formed one of the greatest jazz groups of all time.

E.S.P.: Tune co-written by Wayne Shorter, who would make the greatest compositional contribution to the group throughout their career. Driving hard bop with angular melody, minimal comping, and a furious solo from Davis.

R.J.: Bassist Ron Carter wrote this short tune that features another kinetic solo by Davis, as well as a Coltrane-influenced one from Shorter. Each member of the band was capable at any time of changing the direction of a performance; if, at times, this group seems on the verge of exploding, it's just that tension that makes the record cook.

Miles Davis:
Trumpet

Wayne Shorter:
Tenor saxophone

Herbie Hancock:
Piano

Ron Carter:
Bass

Tony Williams:
Drums

1966

Davis and company had spent more than a year playing together, and this album documents an incredible chemistry among the players. The tunes are more abstract and aggressive and the playing straight to the point.

The muscle-y pulse supplied by drummer-wunderkind Tony Williams runs through all the quintet's releases, but is especially dominant here. His unique ride patterns and high-hat use is the primary reason why this music so easily led to the rock and funk music Davis would make a few years later. Restless and driven.

Footprints: Classic Wayne Shorter tune influenced by the modal experiments of Davis during the preceding years. The rhythm section constantly shifts time signatures while soloists blow effortlessly. Modern jazz---Wynton Marsalis would pay hommage to this music throughout his career.

Freedom Jazz Dance: Eddie Harris tune immortalized by the quintet. Williams' triplet drum pattern sets up a subtle funk groove while Ron Carter slinks in and under the beat. Hancock comps devilish altered chords underneath Davis' and Shorter's sparse, cynical commentaries.

Davis, Shorter, Hancock, Carter, Williams

1967

Davis and the the other members of this quintet had become very interested in what was going on in music outside of jazz. Though they had not yet begun to incorporate electronics or guitars into the group, the sound here is quite anxious, as if Davis was ready to move on. With titles such as "Riot" and "Madness," it was clear that the conscious of the group was very much a part of the times.

Again, Tony Williams and Wayne Shorter seem to be the stars of this group, leading by the stick and pen respectively. Shorter's title tune, in particular, is a jazz classic.

Nefertiti: Anxious, weary tune that simply repeats the melody over and over, without an improvised solo by Davis, Shorter, or Hancock. The real star is Tony Williams, who wriggles under the horns in a kind of nervous commentary to the melody.

Pinocchio: Playful tune that epitomizes the sing-song style of Wayne Shorter. The solos are brief and agitated, and again Williams pushes the group. After this, Davis would never look back.

Davis, Shorter, Hancock, Carter, Williams

1969

Frelon Brun: This tune, recorded in late '68, offers a glimpse at the revolutionary sounds ahead. Williams wastes no time in hammering out a hard funk break from the kit, and Corea had apparently already learned the importance of the repetitive chordal vamp to this music. Davis takes a short solo, as if testing the waters, which is followed by Shorter's seemingly more confident strides in funky acid soul. The music actually ends up closer to what the band played after Bitches Brew than anything on In a Silent Way.

Directions: Recorded in early 1969, the band busts out of the peaceful into the wild. This was the most "rock" Miles Davis had sounded like up to that point, and the two versions of the tune on this set are very similar to what Miles' concerts would sound like from '69 through the early 70s. Also of note on this session is that drummer Jack DeJohnette made his first appearance with a Miles Davis band in the studio, lending his distinct, high-energy stomp to the proceedings.

Shhh/Peaceful (Original version): The original version of this classic piece will shock most people accustomed to the LP version. First of all, there's an exposition and melodic theme that was completely discarded in the proper version. Also, the famous robotic hi-hat pattern doesn't even begin until almost five minutes in. One of the surprises (some might even say disappointments) of this set is the realization that this music wasn't just the product of Miles' muse; there were hours of sessions and rehearsals before the band, Miles and Teo discovered what it was they were looking for.

Shhh/Peaceful (LP version): Same tune as above, but featuring extensive use of tape edits and loops to create quite a different piece than the group had originally played. Bluesy melody played over atmospheric keyboard/organ washes and Tony Williams' relentless (but not harsh) highhat pulse. This basic style would carry Davis well into the 70s, and influence a generation of fusion and pop-jazz artists.

Miles Davis:
Trumpet

Wayne Shorter:
Tenor/Soprano sax

Herbie Hancock:
Electric piano

Joe Zawinul:
Electric piano

Chick Corea:
Electric piano

John McLaughlin:
Guitar

Dave Holland:
Bass

Tony Williams:
Drums

Jack DeJohnette:
Drums

Joe Chambers:
Drums

1998
(from 1969)

Although Davis' previous album, In A Silent Way, had used electronics and tape loops, he still managed to shock the jazz community with this double album. Where he had merely flirted with rock rhythms and volumes before, there was no hiding his new interests here. Band members include John McGlaughlin, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Joe Zawinul, Bennie Maupin (on ever-present bass clarinet), Lenny White, Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, and Steve Grossman, all of whom would go on to the all-star ranks of jazz fusion in the 70s and afterwards.

The music is a dark, wild blend of rock, soul, and freeform jazz. Imagine Coltrane's Ascension with tighter structures and rock rhythms. The many players here manage not to crowd the sound, and conjure an atmosphere of jungle haze crossed with a modern chic.

Bitches Brew: Foreboding intro, with sinister organ, echo-trumpet, crashing percussion, and tonal-cluster keys, eases listener into one of Davis' slinkiest grooves. Had fusion remained so dark, it could never have acquired its rather vapid reputation. Skewed art, but art nonetheless.

Miles Runs the Voodoo Down: New Orleans funeral march as funk haze. As per the rest of the album, Davis starts off the band with a simple melody, and a vamp of Filmore proportions is born. A loose, driving wall of sound.

Great Expectations: Co-written with Joe Zawinul, this tune uses a repeated melody (a la "Nefertiti") and relentless percussion and Indian instruments to wonderful, psychedelic effect. Continuous building of tension. Something of a dream, where Davis meets Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, and James Brown. A trip.

Davis, Shorter, Corea, Zawinul, McLaughlin, Holland

Bennie Maupin:
Bass clarinet

Larry Young:
Electric piano

Harvey Brooks:
Bass

Jack DeJohnette, Lenny White, Charles Alias:
Drums

Don Alias, Airto Moreira, Jimmy Riley, Jumma Santos:
Percussion

2001

Directions (disc 1): The first set begins as Holland, DeJohnette and Corea vamp to a furious funk groove. Heavy bass and some well-placed exotic percussion kick things off, and by the time Davis enters, the brew is already quite hot. Miles' playing seems to be aiming straight for the jugular while Holland takes the straight and steady, and when Shorter comes in, he leads DeJohnette and Corea on a path so ridden with turbulence and strife, it derails the entire tune. About five minutes in, it becomes impossible to remember that most of these same musicians had produced something like In a Silent Way, only a year earlier.

Bitches Brew (disc 2): It begins with ominous, woozy percussion, and some agitated horn punches from the leader. Then, out of nowhere, everything gets funky. Holland lays down some serious dirty pimp low end, filtered through that infamous "ring modulation" to give it the extra ass-mangling quality so desired in serious jazz performance. After a bit, Shorter drops another trip-bop bomb, and then the quiet comes back. Davis takes it out with a few quick, muted jabs, while the beat simmers below. And if I never heard another track by that band again, I'd still rank them alongside Davis' other classic groups.

Miles Davis: trumpet

Wayne Shorter: soprano and tenor sax

Chick Corea: keyboards

Dave Holland: acoustic and electric bass

Jack DeJohnette: drums

Airto Moreira: percussion

1971

On paper, you can see how the players would probably sound good: Davis, the ringleader, on his horn, often with the wah-wah and other assorted aggressive filtration; Keith Jarrett, a holdover from the Bitches Brew touring band, on electric piano; Jack DeJohnette and Airto Moreira as the rhythm makers, also from the Bitches Brew band; Gary Bartz on soprano and alto sax, and Michael Henderson, fresh from Aretha Franklin’s band, on bass. A pretty nice lineup, and then there was the last minute addition of one John McLaughlin on guitar – these performances were probably fated to be special, as this kind of apparently offhanded, yet rather essential, arrival (Bartz later said that the group had never played with McLaughlin before this date) generally signals good things to come.

Sivad: Begins as hard funk, but soon transforms into a blues lament (again recalling Hendrix), stretching out the hazy vamp for Davis, McLaughlin and Jarrett to take a chorus or six. Conversely, “What I Say” just stays with hard funk. The groove is faster than the former tune, and is superficially less “evil”, though I would add that any tune featuring Davis’ screech hits can never really be all that nice. Henderson lays down an assured ostinato, and DeJohnette plays the rock beats like he invented the stuff. Jarrett wastes no time in launching a solo. The tune also features one of two drum solos by DeJohnette on the record, both of which are great examples of a mixture of abstract jazz exploration and sheer rock pummeling.

What I Say: The groove is faster than on "Sivad", and is superficially less “evil”, though I would add that any tune featuring Davis’ screech hits can never really be all that nice. Henderson lays down an assured ostinato, and DeJohnette plays the rock beats like he invented the stuff. Jarrett wastes no time in launching a solo. The tune also features one of two drum solos by DeJohnette on the record, both of which are great examples of a mixture of abstract jazz exploration and sheer rock pummeling.

Selim: At just over two minutes, the shortest piece of music on the album, but is also one of the most singularly beautiful. Davis plays the tune, pensive and vulnerable, and is joined by Pascoal’s disembodied vocal. It is reminiscent of the otherworldly, hymnal music from In A Silent Way.

Davis, Shorter, Corea, Zawinul, McLaughlin, Holland, DeJohnette, Moreira

Gary Bartz:
Alto/Soprano sax

Steve Grossman:
Soprano sax

Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett:
Electric piano

Khalil Balakrishna:
Sitar

Michael Henderson, Ron Carter:
Bass

Billy Cobham:
Drums