In a Silent Way

Miles Davis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1969
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002699
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,790 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Miles Davis's famous mid-1960s quintet, featuring saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock, was intact until just a few weeks before his new, electric ensemble recorded In a Silent Way. Legendary as a kind of line in the sand challenging jazz fans during the ascendance of electric, psychedelic rock, In a Silent Way hinted at the repetitive polyrhythms Davis would employ throughout the early 1970s. It also partook generously of electric piano and bass and rekindled the tonal palette that Davis had explored famously with Kind of Blue. But In a Silent Way remains a clearly electric jazz record, part ambient color exploration, part rock-inflected energy and vibe, and part outright maverick creativity. Davis takes many long, breathy solos, and they glisten in a burnished blue against his new group's strange admixture of musical moods. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

Japanese reissue of the late jazz great's 1969 album originally released on Columbia. Remastered & packaged in a miniature LP sleeve. 2000 release. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

116 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ssssssshhhhh...., September 17, 2002

By 

spiral_mind (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In a Silent Way (Audio CD)

He was sometimes called "the prince of darkness" for the nocturnal bent of much of his music, but Miles Davis and his crew gave a whole new meaning to 'late-night jazz' with In a Silent Way. This is another soundtrack for those quiet hours between midnight and dawn, but with a more wired and trippy bent than ever before. Instead of a muted piano, it features a blending of three soft electronic keyboards. An up-and-coming unknown at the time (some obscure guy named John McLaughlin) creeps in with an electric guitar; not with the wild Hendrixian solos that had electrified the rock world at the time, but with a wonderfully understated tone that only enhances the low-key quality of the whole record. The entire thing is an exercise in restraint and simplicity, not the sizzling group chemistry that would mark Miles's onstage explorations in the near future.

If there is such a thing as ambient jazz, it begins here. "Shh/Peaceful" embodies its title; the keyboards form a simple ethereal pattern, the simple cymbal and hi-hat scatter a little treble on top of it, and Miles brings everything together with his perfectly sweet touch on the horn. It's hypnotic, it's soothing, it's mostly peaceful and just a little restless. The sound doesn't become completely calming until we come to "In a Silent Way" itself, an elusive melody that refuses to stick in your head for a long time. It's heavenly and yet elusive.. like remembering a dream right when you wake up. Suddenly "It's About That Time" kicks in with a semi-startling jump and bops around a beautifully hummable bass line. We hear some actual drums for the first time, things kick into a semi-rocking but easy groove for a while, and then we eventually drift right back off into a dreamy repetition of the title theme. It's an album of soft tones and peaceful textures, an almost-surreal work that's timeless in its easy simplicity.

There's no point in mincing more words - this album weaves its own spell through being heard, and describing it in words can only hint at what the listening experience is like. The Complete Sessions box is also a worthwhile find for those already infatuated with this album's charms, but that's for a different review. The uninitiated can start right here.

64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so amazing, September 23, 2000

By 

Sean M. Kelly (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In a Silent Way (Audio CD)

I am not ashamed to say this- "In a Silent Way" has always been my favorite Miles Davis cd, bar none. For me, it has never been an issue. No other lp of his comes close.

I've never been able to completely pin down why that is, but it all starts with the MOOD. There is such a relaxed, ethereal feel to this lp that none of his others has. The mixing and mastering was brilliantly done on this lp. The lp is almost an ambient (as Brian Eno would describe ambient- soft, background music) experience at points, and the deliberate softer mixing of this lp causes that to happen. It creates a relaxed, almost stoned feel to the lp (which could also be part of the mood of the lp- I'm sure many of the players were dope smokers).

"In a Silent Way/It's About That Time" is for me the most beautiful piece of music Miles ever played. An early example of ambient music, the keyboards of Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock form the pattern. Tony Williams plays very simple drums, and John McLaughlin adds liquid guitar solos that neither dominate, or fall under,the mix. The result is several minutes of pure trance before the soloists- Shorter,then Miles, add to the spacial textures laid out. As would be more common in Miles' 70's works, the buildup to orgasmic climax is astounding, as Miles goes off on his tangent while Williams, Corea, and bassist Dave Holland go for the ride..then, as quickly as it starts, it ends, and the theme that opened the track re-enters and closes it. Breathtaking.

"Shhh/Peaceful" foreshadows the 70's funk fusion jazz that Corea, Hancock, and Shorter would all experiment with in their respective fusion groups. Great bass by Holland and suprelative drumming by Williams sets up the foundation for the groove, which allows Miles, Shorter, Hancock, and McLaughlin to experiment with tempos, forms of playing, and moods. The results are astounding. And, as with "in a Silent way," the opening theme is again repeated for emphasis and for a trance like feel.

The group theme is becoming prevalent in Miles' muisc by this time, and its those grooves created by the rhythn section that carries this lp and allows Miles and Shorter to weave their magic. Without question on of the greatest lps ever made, "In a Silent Way" is new and fresh yet still very familiar and safe, as well.

The gem of all gems.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen . . ., July 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In a Silent Way (Audio CD)

This is an album of haunting and ethereal beauty - rich, layered, intricate aural landscapes that cast a deep spell no matter how many times you listen. As another reviewer here said, nothing else is quite like this. And like all true great works of art, it's not easy to describe. Sure there are elements of other music - trippy jamming; ambient trance; funky fusion; traditional improvisational jazz - but the brilliant and soulful solos by John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, and of course Miles combine with the grooves laid down by Dave Holland and Tony Williams to make music that transcends categories.

There is only one type of sound I can think of that comes close to this album. It's the sound you encounter sometimes when you're hiking through the woods, away from civilization and human noise, when your ear is suddenly caught by the interplay of the wind through the trees, animals rustling in the grass, flies buzzing, birds chirping, even your own breathing and footsteps, and everything sounds perfect, like a symphony conducted by some unseen presence. "In a Silent Way" captures that magic and freedom and freshness. It's a gift to the world that any true fan of music - any and all kinds of music - should own.

Enough words. Buy this, close your eyes, open your ears and your mind, and listen. Just listen . . . . .