Customer Reviews

Miles in the Sky (Reis)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Shortly before embarking on the voyages of change that were "In a Silent Way" and of course "Bitches Brew," Miles and his quintet recorded this underrated record. It's unlikely that you'll find it on many listeners' "Best of" lists of Miles' recordings; however, it's a minor gem that is buried in his huge discography.

It's true that on "Miles in the Sky" the group sticks more than a collective toe into the rock waters. But jazz listeners shouldn't be frightened off by that. This is still a rock-solid jazz record. Tony Williams is especially effective at bridging the gap between rock and jazz drumming. As the best example, check out his and Miles' incredible rapport on "Country Son." Tony's fascinating work on this song and throughout the record reminds us of what a great musician we lost when he passed.

George Benson's contribution on "Paraphernalia" is superior as well. He too manages to imply a rock feel in his playing without ever abandoning the fluidity and freedom of jazz.

For those listeners more comfortable with Miles' fusion material, this might be the album that treads close enough to rock to satisfy you, but it might also be the album that whets your appetite for earlier Columbia dates that this quintet recorded. Once you get a taste of those, you might find it hard to be fully satisfied with the later material.

When it comes to Miles's "Second Great Quintet," much is made of "Miles Smiles" and "Nefertiti" as classic albums, but I had heard next to nothing about this one. However, when I bought "E.S.P." and it blew my mind, I picked this one up along with all the other albums by this group: Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. This album may not receive as much attention as others of the period, but it deserves just as much praise as the undisputed classics. I think there are certain things this album does BETTER than "Miles Smiles" and "Nefertiti;" when the rhythm section is playing straight time, they have never sounded more in the pocket or swung harder than here. Then within the confines of a few seconds they can break out of their perfect groove and just explode, and again, it's more effective here than any of the other albums. Central to this aspect of the music is that Tony Williams gives what was probably the best performance of his tenure with Miles. The man was a MONSTER drummer and displays major drum chops but also excellent taste and an amazing knack for shaping what the rest of the band was doing.

Part of the reason Williams's contributions are their very best is that the material plays to his personal strengths. The tunes themselves may not be the best compositions in this band's discography but they are vehicles for some killer playing. "Stuff" is the band's first obvious foray into what would become fusion; Hancock plays Fender Rhodes and Carter plays electric bass (against his will), and Williams pushes the band with his still unmatched jazz-rock feel. Then "Paraphernalia" features George Benson on guitar, but not in some kind of special guest feature gimmick common in the music industry today. Benson is there because his guitar adds to the texture of the intriguing groove, at times almost sounding like something from out of "West Side Story" but with an explosive release which lifts the band and individual soloists to new heights. Williams is absolutely brilliant in his support and energy, and it's often as interesting to listen to his "background" as it is to listen to the soloists. Williams's composition "Black Comedy" is a fantastic feature for this same role; he makes drums into a voice of equal partnership in the musical ideas. Then "Country Son" features truly inspired playing from everyone.

File this album under difficult to understand and appreciate. It took me seven years of heavy exposure to jazz before I could really appreciate or even like this band. It's not a good place to be introduced to Miles and though it is rock influenced on some tunes it doesn't make for a good crossover. But if you want to get into some fantastic, creative, energetic music, try following this band's recorded lineage, starting with "E.S.P." which is the most accessible of the band's music, as it was the first. Once you appreciate the creative depth of this band's explorations, it will make this album all the more enjoyable and amazing.

It's rare that I do this, but I bought "Miles in the Sky" mainly for its album cover. It looks trippy and strange, but it also looks intriguing and would probably satisty the curiosity of those open-minded enough to give it a try. Well, I gave "Miles in the Sky" a try on my CD player, and it richly fulfills the promise of its cover. From the first track, the soulful and alluring 17-minute "Stuff" (appropriately titled, by the way), "Miles in the Sky" took me into another world that shows Davis has evolved from the days of "Kind of Blue" and "Round About Midnight." He's also taken a more experimental approach to jazz, which is evident in the musicianship from track to track. The upbeat "Paraphernalia" is classy and srtaight up brilliant, with Davis in stellar form on trumpet and featuring a welcome guest appearance from George Benson on guitar. "Country Son," written by Miles himself, is 13 minutes of pure bliss that playfully shifts tempos throughout and features some impressive piano from Herbie Hancock and popping bass from Ron Carter. There's really no structure to this track, which just randomly moves along and goes with the flow. Yet, it's "Country Son"'s very spontaneity that makes it so successful. Bold and experimental, "Miles in the Sky" shows Davis pushing the envelope even further as a musician. It's a marvelous achievement that never tires.

Miles in the Sky was the fifth studio album by Miles Davis's 2nd great quintet. For most listeners, it was the first taste of the trumpeter's experiments in fusing jazz with popular music: one of the tunes features George Benson's electric guitar, another has Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter on electric piano and electric bass, and two of the tunes use funky boogaloo rhythms. (Some earlier recordings with electric instruments remained in the can until the late 70s.) Aside from changes in instrumentation and rhythm, Miles resumed composing the bulk of the music. He also led the group away from exploratory but self-contained performances like "Masqualero" and "Footprints" to longer open-ended jams. At the same time, Miles refused to offer any concessions on the group's adventurous slant -- this album has plenty of intense solos by both him and Wayne as well as Tony Williams's unpredictable (and loud) drumming.

The two more conventional tunes on this album are "Black Comedy" and "Paraphernalia". The former is a rhythmic tongue-twister composed by Tony Williams, and could have easily fit in on Nefertiti or Sorcerer. "Paraphernalia" (a Shorter tune) has a briskly swinging groove, and while the solos are typically adventurous the rhythmic "space" of earlier albums is mostly gone. Benson's solo and comping on this tune are alright, though he sounds a little lost at times.

"Country Son" isn't really a tune; it just cycles episodically through three different rhythmic styles -- swinging, ballad, boogaloo -- during the solos, looking ahead to compositions like "[...]" and "It's About That Time". It has some terrific funky playing by Herbie. "Stuff" is a funky boogaloo strut, with Herbie and Ron laying down the groove emphatically on their electric instruments while Tony tries to break free.

For whatever reason, I don't like this album as much as the other ones recorded by the group. The performances are exciting (with this group, how could they not be?), but the music isn't as compelling as either the quintet's earlier albums or Davis's later visionary experiments with fusion. The next and final quintet album, Filles de Kilimanjaro, would integrate the ideas on this album and execute them much more effectively.

[This review is based on the 1998 reissue, which had excellent sound and an identical tracklist.]

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.

Miles In The Sky is a mindblowing affair. the cover alone is not your average everyday jazz art (even for back in the late 60's). but the cover art was only a hint at what was to be a daring direction for Miles Davis and his band. the opener "Stuff" is a minimal transparent (and almost funky) jazz workout that takes it's time and states it's purpose in slow shady tones. the mysterious wonders continue with hidden little gems exposing themsleves to the listener with frightful ease and assurance. this is the sound of a band pushing the envelope...but gently, and on their own terms. many people seem to look at Miles In The Sky as a sort of stepping stone for what would later be coined 'fusion'. and i can *kinda* see their point, but i think that that viewpoint tends to cheapen the effect of this album. it's certainly not a rock album, and at times, it could probably only barely be considered a jazz album...but it's contents are driven by the passion and vision of Miles Davis; who at this point in time in his career, could really do no wrong. he had found the perfect band mates to drive his new sound higher and higher.

i think it's also important to remember that at the time of this recording, alot of jazz cats were exploring free jazz and the skronk and noise that was associated with it. many were just blowing up to make sound and the result was music that was without aim, point, or direction. Miles could only look upward and keep going. his head seems clear and focused. all the noise is left aside for these beautiful and unforgettable pieces of timeless music.

This is an album to get if you're interested in hearing a great band just breaking at the limits of what it had previously created, and hinting at a new way forward. It's not about memorable melodies on the themes. It's about aggressively deconstructing form, exploring the possibilities of rhythm, and intimate communication between the musicians. If Tony plays THIS, what will Herbie or Ron do? If Wayne goes like THAT, where will Miles go? It's nearly the ultimate extension of what the group did to standards on the '65 Plugged Nickel dates.

If you're a great fan of this band, and especially can't get enough of Tony Williams, pick this one up. If you just want to hear the band play on some ballads, with more control, less fury, you might pick up NEFERTITI or SORCERER first.

Btw, a correction on the San Antonio music fan's trivia note:

This album marked the first time the public heard an electric guitarist on a *released* recording by Miles. However, the guitarist Joe Beck played with Miles on the December '67 sessions for "Circle in the Round" and "Water on the Pond," done in the month prior to the dates for this album but released much later. Bucky Pizzarelli also was in the studio with Miles for "Fun" on 1/11/68, recorded five days before George Benson was brought in for "Paraphernalia."

In case it ever comes up in a bar bet, that's good info to know!

An easy bookend album to the classic IN A SILENT WAY, this may be less well known but that only makes it a greater "find." If you like Miles' work on IN A SILENT WAY, you'll find this album familiar in the most pleasant way, some cuts as good or better, sounding almost like the second disk of a 2-record set, even though the percussion on this album is more jazz than rock, which probably will make this album more palatable to lovers of Davis in the pre-fusion days. Lovely tunes, some lead work at least as inspired as that on SILENT WAY, and an all-star cast of musicians make this essential Miles for any fan of this pivotal period. I was happy to discover that there was more Miles to be had along the lines of SILENT WAY, and the roster of players clinched the purchase decision -- I snapped this up without hesitation and was well rewarded. This is a new favorite in my Davis collection of CDs.

From the opening seconds, when Tony lays down a rock rythym and you hear Herbie's Fender Rhodes, Miles has embarked on a new path. The feel is unbeatable on "Stuff" and "Black Comedy" is one of his best late sixties cuts. For me though, "Country Son" is the standout with its range of emotions and styles, its combination of hard blues and free playing. George Benson guests on "Paraphenalia", before he was world famous. This record is one of my personal favorites. Get it!

When Miles Davis turned 42 in 1968, he had a choice. He was at the age where most jazz musicans stop making their main innovations, at least in those days. Easily, he could have had a lucrative career playing hard bop the rest of his life.

But he was hearing new names; Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone. Rock was part of the counter-culture, and dismissable before, was unavoidable in 1968.

Miles knew he wanted to change his music but was not sure how. He wanted to add more bottom, and use electric instruments, and work in shades of the funk and rock he was hearing. That EVERYONE was hearing.

Miles In The Sky is NOT Miles first "fusion" album. "Stuff," uses an eletric panio and bass. It is funkier, rougher then the lyricism Miles was known for. "Paraphanalia" features George Benson on guitar. It's chucky riff adds that bottom Miles was after. "Black Comady" and "Country Son" are more complex in their chord lines, and lean towards straight jazz, though they show Miles getting away from the prettiness of just a year before.

But make no mistake: this is still jazz, just jazz sseeping in new ideas, slowly. This makes Miles In The Sky one of Davis' best, most intrueging albums. Chord sentences don't resolve themselves as definately. The beat is tighter, more tense. There is not disonennce here in a free jazz sense, but their is more counterpoint.

The music has a wonderful tension, an uncertianty, a grasping for something different, even if it is unsure what that something is. It is supremely confident, but the confidence comes from embarking on the unkown, not knowing quite where it is going but looking forward to getting there.

This creates a powerful emotional base, and makes this one of my favorate Miles albums. He may not have been Miles in the sky quite yet, but he was sure gearing up for one hell of a liftoff.

"Miles In The Sky" follows "Nefertiti", and it's clear from the beginning that the sound has changed. "Stuff" is laid-back, and Herbie Hancock is playing an electric piano. The melody lines are fairly involved, and it's a long enough (17 minutes) song to get plenty of good playing in. "Paraphenalia" has George Benson playing guitar. His contributions are relatively small, though. It's a pretty decent song, though it has slightly less bite than "Stuff". "Black Comedy" is the edgiest song of the CD. "Country Son" is more abstract, and is my least favorite song. The music certainly isn't unpleasant, it just seems to be missing enough commitment to make it a 4-star CD. It's a transitional album, you can hear Miles evolve away from the advanced hard bop of the "E. S. P." through "Nefertiti" era and into the fusion era of "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew".