Customer Reviews

Filles De Killimanjaro

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From 1968, "Filles de Kilmanjaro" ... Miles in a familiar position- that of a restless musician who is shedding old skin and exposing himself while the new skin grows.

The band is in flux- Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter are leaving the group,(though Hancock will reocrd with Miles again) and Tony Williams is starting to form his pioneering fusion group, Lifetime. Miles and Shorter are both writing new tunes at a frantic pace, and both are spreading the barriers of the band to electric sounds (which is increasingly isolating Ron Carter, who dislikes the electric concept).

This lp showcases the last of the old quintet, and the metamorphisis, with Dave Holland and Chick Corea, to the new, experimental band that will blossom on "In a Silent Way."

The reocrdings need to be listened to to gain its full beauty, its power and grace. And its importance. A gorgeous lp.

Miles Davis's "Filles De Kilimanjaro" is unlike any of the ingenious trumpeter's albums from the 1960's because it represents a new period in jazz history: the beginnigs of electric jazz. Most of the personnel on this album are from his 1960's quintet(Shorter, Hancock, Carter,and Williams); although on two songs,"Petits Machins" and "Mademoiselle Mabry", Miles gathered bassist Dave Holland and pianist Chick Corea.

All the songs on "Filles De Kilimanjaro" are good. The first song "Frelon Brun"(which sounds alot like James Brown)starts out with Carter's heavy, electric bass which seems to punch the beat against the rest of the players. Hancock's piano solo on "Frelon Brun" is incredible because at times he's so fast yet percise!

The title track of "Filles De Kilimanjaro" is great to relaxed with because it has a soft feel throughout the whole song. The song is in Afro-Cuban form so it is light and rhythmic. Chick Corea's solo on the title track is colorful and extremely playful. At one point, Corea creates sheets of rain with his notes!

The gem of this album is it's last song, "Mademoiselle Mabry". Chick Corea and Tony Williams shine together on "Mademoiselle Mabry". Their playing is phenomenal; Corea plays a constant theme of rhythm on an electric piano while Williams mixes intricate drum polyrhythms. It's almost as if Williams is drum soloing over Corea's piano playing!

The other two songs on "Filles De Kilimanjaro" are worth buying the album. Throughout the whole album, Miles Davis plays smooth as he always did. Davis fires out short, blues phrases on his trumpet like a late 1960's blues-rock guitarist.

'Filles de Kilimanjaro'is my personal favorite of the mid 60's quintet's studio albums. This recording is the transition between the great acoustic quintet and the electric band which was to appear on 'In A Silent Way'. In fact, the personnel changes on a couple of cuts of this disc with the addition of Chick Corea on electric piano and David Holland on the electric bass.

However, while sort of interesting historically, the personnel issues are secondary to the music itself. While the instrumentation was about to change the music itself was also undergoing serious rethinking. Moving away from 'tunes' the recordings (as would the live performances), beginning here, were to become suitelike.

I have always imagined this recording with the drummer Tony Williams really taking hold of the group and leading them off into very new musical terrain. From thundering polyrhythms to simple strokes on the highhat cymbal, the percussion component of this music is truly memorable. The soloists, Herbie Hancock on piano, Miles and the saxophonist Wayne Shorter play beautifully. It is Shorter however who really impresses. His tenor saxophone work here has a breathy, elastic quality the likes of which I have rarely heard before or since. Essential music.

The true genius of Miles Davis was the incredible sway he held over other musicians to play at a sustained high level. This cd is another example of his power to extract the very best from his sidemen, and particularly from his drummer, Tony Williams. The final cut, Madamoiselle Mabry, is a lasting tribute to Williams'(and Davis's) genius. I had never heard a drummer lay down a melodic line until I listened to this cut. This is music that will be listened to at the end of the 21st Century, on into the 22nd and beyond. You can take that to the bank!

By 1968, Miles Davis completely drained out everything that could have been drained out from his days in the field of acoustic jazz. By now, Davis was the most progressive force in the world of jazz and it was inevitable that something new was about to happen. Rock music was in the center of the world attention, and it was also the new source of inspiration for Miles Davis himself.

His fascination with electrified instruments was enough to give birth to "Filles De Kilimanjaro". It just had to happen, marking the beginning of what would later be know as 'electric - jazz', or 'jazz - rock' if you prefer (perfectly balanced on 'In a Silent Way' and 'Bitches Brew' sessions, both from 1969, plus Weather Report's albums). It has five moody, ambient - like atmosphere pieces of brilliant music, this is something I listen to regularly. One of his most underrated albums to date. And what a shame that is! A true gem in my collection.

You don't see anybody jumping out of their seat to defend this one, and it is very much a transitional album: he's moving towards fusion (heavy use of electric piano and bass guitar), but isn't quite there yet: there's not a single guitar solo on the album, and funk rhythms are rarely heard (they are used in "Mademoiselle Marby", though). The sound of the record is also caught in the middle: that is, rock and occasional funk rhythms, but blues chord changes and standard jazz instrumentation. This is a good album, however, though the ten-minute plus pieces ("Mademoiselle Marby"; "Tout de Suite"; title song) do wander a bit (especially "Mademoiselle Marby" - I was ready for it to end five minutes before it actually did). As usual though, Tony Williams' drumming is sterling, and the electric keyboards are always used tastefully ("Petits Machins (Little Stuff)"). The intensity is generally kept low, other than on "Frelon Brun (Brown Hornet)" - a killer opening track. This marked the last appearance of the Shorter/Hancock/Carter/Williams group: they appear on all but the first and last song, where Carter is replaced by Dave Holland and Hancock, by Chick Corea. I think the sound and mood presented on the three longer pieces would later blossom on In a Silent Way, though it doesn't sound bad at all found here.

Actually, I didn't like this album rightaway. But the more I listened to it, the more I started to love it. The influence of rock and rhythm & blues is very explicit, and the result isn't jazzrock, but rather rocky jazz. Notwithstanding the changes in personnel (Hancock and Carter out, Corea and Holland in) this is a very coherent album.

focused intensity. the feeling of being somewhere that no one else has ever been. tony williams madly in love with the groove. ron carter uncoiling like a ferocious serpent on the title track.fender-rhodes fireworks by herb and chick. shorter filling up so much space. and miles composing and playing some of the most electrifying music ever.

Miles had a great Quintet that was breaking up at the time. These are some of the last performances from them. "Mademoiselle Mabry" is excellent. Go buy it.

for people who have a spark of curiosity about the legendary music of Miles Davis, knowing where to begin the search can be a frustrating issue. with a back catalogue as vast as a small continent, figuring out where to start and where to go can be tricky. especially considering the many phases of Miles' long and adventerous career. he spawned many folowers and imitators and made many enemies along the way. a larger than life figure who would dominate the jazz scene for decades and whose music still holds power and brilliance even to this day. Personally, i have been such a big John Coltrane fan for so many years, that i somehow blindly overlooked Miles Davis' recorded output for a long time. it's just been in the past 4 years or so that i have gotten the opportunity to dig into Miles' absolutely stunning and quite frankly, overwhelming music. whereas Coltrane was the master of melody, Miles is the master of the mood. a true genius whose musical impact and influence is felt even stronger today than it was when he was alive.

it's really hard to know what to write about Filles de Kilimanjaro. it's a work of art that's almost too good to be true. the pieces on here show Miles in a transitional mode. the playing is getting more abstract and the song ideas are presented in a stark skeletal form, allowing the players to manouver freely around the wonderous rhythm laid out by drummer extraordinaire Tony Williams. this guy's work behind the kit plays an important role in the shape of the music of this particular lineup for Miles' group. it almost seems like the songs are written entirely around the drums. it makes for an amazing listen. all these tunes have a tender and sentimental touch which evokes emotion, but the arrangements are so unique and avant garde that it could have been beamed down from the house jazz band on saturn! well, it's not Sun Ra or anything (heehee); but these songs conjur up familiar feelings as well as an open-eyed wonder as if receiving transmissions from a distant star. the results are quite mesmerizing and even hypnotic at times.

this lineup of Miles Davis' group displayed a rare gift and a unique creative talent. they made a slew of amazing recordings, but this is certainly the one i would recommend to start with if you are interested in learning more about his music from this point in his long and varied musical career.