Customer Reviews

Tribute to Jack Johnson

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
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For those who aren't aware, this JACK JOHNSON soundtrack was compiled from 1970 studio sessions by Miles Davis for a rarely-seen documentary of the legendary boxer. The 2005 Ken Burns-directed UNFORGIVABLE BLACKNESS documentary with music by Wynton Marsalis is an entirely different audio/video project. Although Davis' music i.m.o. certainly evokes the spirit of Johnson, it also stands on its own musical merits as arguably one of the most outstanding Miles albums of his entire career (which is saying something because Miles' career is loaded with classic, timeless performances).

As I wrote of the boxed set of the JACK JOHNSON sessions, if ever progressive strains of jazz, rock, blues, and funk found common ground -- without selling any of the above short -- I'd argue it was in the early-1970 sessions from which this album was pasted together. JACK JOHNSON rocks steady, gets on the good foot, and does so with jazz intuition and blues feeling. Miles' playing is awesome, and I would consider his opening solo on "Right Off" to be as brilliant as any I've heard by him at ANY point in his career, finding a perfect, unpredictable balance between basic and abstract improvisational phrases. The rhythm section -- including John McLaughlin on guitar, Michael Henderson on electric bass, and Billy Cobham on drums -- throws down a steady beat that reacts to and pushes Miles onward and upward. Reedman Steve Grossman, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, more from Miles, and finally McLaughlin manage to keep this lengthy cut interesting, while some spliced-in segments from related sessions by producer Teo Macero keep the listener off-balance to good effect.

"Yesternow" builds slowly off of a Henderson bass motif, beginning quietly but eventually erupting into a electrifying riff that at one point has frequently uncredited guitarist Sonny Sharrock creating joyful noises that are apt to forever remain edgy as future generations discover this already 35-year old album. Those who are unfamiliar with JACK JOHNSON may have to make some adjustments to fully appreciate this album, given that it is comprised of two long tracks, spliced to their 20-plus minute lengths from various sessions (which btw are heard in unedited form on the excellent COMPLETE JACK JOHNSON SESSIONS boxed set). Also, there are no pre-written melodies as the music focuses mostly on solo statements by -- and the interaction of -- the musicians. If you can accept this album on its own terms, you're likely to be rewarded with an inspired listening experience no matter how often you play it. Which one can say of dozens of Miles Davis albums!

I was totally blown away when I first heard this. This is Miles at his funkiest, loudest and bluesiest. It sounds like so much fun!

Every musician on this album is in top form and the aggressive, raucous soloing is indescribable. It's a great privilege to hear these guys settle into a groove.

The cutting and pasting technique involved in making the original long jams more palatable can be a bit annoying at times but I wasn't going to buy the 'Complete Jack Johnson Sessions' when I hadn't heard one note of this album before. That's the only complaint I have with this great piece of work.

Overall, it was incredibly enjoyable!

This album and the songs contained, cover the rise and fall of Jack Johnson America's MOST infamous and 1st Black Heavyweight Champion. The up tempo beginning of "Right Off" is Johnson striving to fullfill the ambition of his youth and overcome the staggering imbalance forced upon him by America's racist foundations. The tempo changes during the piece to express the "flat spots" and the "downs" that even a powerful man such as Jack Johnson experienced while being the most SUCCESSFUL Black man of his era. "Right Off" ends like it begins with a bang. "Yesternow" seems to be the manifesto of a man begging for acceptance from the world in general and America in particular. It tells the world who this man is and that his being is not up for debate, it is a "take it or leave it" pronouncement! "Accept me as I am or not at all", I will survive and thrive in either case!

Miles here recorded for several months in the studio, tape forever rolling, "jam session style." Afterwards, (since there were too many cuts to be included on an LP), they selected these 2 songs for the record. Mile's producer, Ted Marceo (who had been with him since around 1958), inserted a tape on trk 1 from a previous session containing a scary muted trumpet sound. He also toned the drums down on some parts for a "drumless" effect (which would otherwise be forever playing). Herbie Hancock wasn't scheduled to be on the session. He just walked in back from the supermarket still holding his grocery bags to drop off a copy of his latest LP (today it is a CD) for Miles. He never intended to stay. But Miles had other plans. He saw how adding keys to the session could make it better. So... he just pointed to a small Farfisa organ in the corner & said "play!" Herbie had never seen the thing before and anyways, he HAD TO GO. They argued for a while but Miles was firm. At last, Herbie went over to the thing and tried to figure out how to turn it on. After that, he played his solo, gave Miles the record and left. Enjoy this CD and let's hope after all that arguing, Herbie has some energy in his solo!

right off kicks off with billy cobham, michael henderson, and john mclaughlin dropping some serious southern rock blues no wonder folks could'nt tell if this was jazz or rock miles delivers also and herbie hancock does one of his wickeder solo's if you like long instrumentals from outer space this is for you rest in peace miles. miles fans who prefer the fusion period should definetly purchaes this.

I have to say that this CD is a masterpiece. The first song "Right Off" is really great, Miles does rock n' roll and jazz (like Miles jazz trumpet and Joe Satriani hard rock) and that is really one of Miles' best recordings ever, and one of my favorite Miles nearing 27 minutes of driving rock and jazz. Yesternow is more like other Miles a lot slower and calmer, but in the middle has a background of the first song of "In a Silent Way", in the end there is a voice for Jack Johnson. This is great Miles from the seventies and it is one of his greatest recordings. Every Miles Davis CD or Record collection should have this.

Some will want to argue with the statement made in the title of this review but I will proudly stand behind my claim. Others might be confused, but rest assured, "nasty" is a good thing in the jazz-rock realm. I tell my trombone player he's nasty after just about every gig, and he is. Nasty is an emotional reaction that, like funky, comes only from music (I have never heard of a nasty painting or a nasty piece of architecture, and nothing concrete in life gives you this reaction) and makes you do all kinds of nasty things, like curling your lip or dancing badly, or whooping or going "whoaaa" or howling or stomping...you get the idea, it's like funky but even more pronounced and energetic...but anyway this album is NASTY! Miles assembled a fantastic band for this project, a film score for a documentary on boxer Jack Johnson. The band is comprised of Miles, John McLaughlin on guitar, Michael "Nasty" Henderson on bass (okay I made that nickname up, but he is), Billy Cobham on drums, Herbie Hancock on organ (he reportedly stopped by the studio in the middle of the session with a bag of groceries and his new album to show Miles, and Miles insisted, as the recording was happening, that he sit down at the organ and take a solo. He does and it's nasty. My only complaint is that Steve Grossman, the saxophonist, is not quite in the same league as the rest of the musicians but his contribution is okay nonetheless. The first track, "Right Off," is 25 minutes of nastiness, a heavy rock and roll shuffle featuring McLaughlin on the most in-your-face guitar solo. A few minutes in, Miles comes in, the key changes, and Miles takes what I would consider one of his greatest solos ever; he is in absolute command of his instrument and uses the whole range in blowing a highly charged, funky-yet-out solo over the persistent yet flexible shuffle groove. There is one moment where Miles trades exclamatory short blasts with the rest of the band and everyone is so locked in it's incredible. The first eight minutes or so of this track are worth the cost of the CD for these two solos.

That's not to say the rest of the album isn't good, but it's not quite as good as the amazing beginning. The rest of "Right Off" features Hancock's organ as well as Grossman's saxophone and remains healthily nasty throughout, with the exception of a reflective section spliced in by producer Teo Macero, whose contribution to the editing of this album is slightly more prominent than usual. This is even more evident on the second track, "Yesternow," which has almost a cut-and-paste feeling that was probably more effective for the documentary than for a continuous listening experience without it. There is one section from "In a Silent Way," just about a minute long, in which Miles solos with himself over the lush, memorable groove from the earlier album. I found that the effect of this section was to remind me of how much I love that album, not the one at hand. But it's still interesting in contrast to the nasty first tune.

This is a tough album to place in terms of accessibility; it's really in-your-face with loud, almost distorted guitar but there's nothing particularly weird here that would turn off the casual listener. My friend, a trumpeter and Miles expert, maintains that this is not a jazz album but rather a rock album, and I would tend to agree, though improvisation plays a huge role in making this music happen (nothing was written beforehand and very little was rehearsed). This is actually a great bridge into jazz from heavier rock, better than any other electric Miles which is often an acquired taste and on the abstract side. Jazz fans will appreciate Miles' assertiveness and the interplay happening here (this is not lifeless or stagnant as fusion could be) as long as they are not closed-minded about the incorporation of rock into jazz or jazz into rock. All in all, the first track is phenomenal and the second is musing, so this album comes together as a masterpiece and one of my favorites by Miles.

Although unfamiliar with Miles Davis outside his fusion period of the early 1970s, I have come to realise clearly that the influence and power of his fusion records from In a Silent Way to Pangaea, especially on the post-rock of the 1990s, makes them essential listening.

Although all Miles' albums from this period contain numerous epic pieces that change mood in a remarkably consistent manner whenever anything is becoming at all predictable, "A Tribute to Jack Johnson" is in many ways the best of the lot. It is for sure the hardest-hitting of Davis' fusion albums, with the guitar of John McLaughlin and the drums of Billy Cobham providing a beat more like true funk than anything on Silent Way or even Bitches' Brew and lacks entirely the atmospheric quality that is admittedly delightful on both those albums.

From the first note of "Right Off", the new, raw, stripped-down sound of Davis' band is very clearly in evidence. In the opening moments of that piece, McLaughlin and bass player Michael Henderson, with only a little help from Miles himself, produce a searing melody very reminiscent of what Don Cabellero and Slint (minus the acoustic guitars) would do in the 1990s. Then, Miles manages to make his trumpet sound like a true rock instrument in a way neither he nor anybody else was ever able to do again. The notes he provides as an extra melody line along with the guitar and bass are utterly and viscerally piercing and must have taken a great deal of effort from both Miles and producer Teo Macero to develop to the stage they reached.

The way in which the players are allowed to show their talents all through "Right Off" takes time to appreciate and is hardly something anybody but the most dedicated listener will want to hear every day, but that it is utterly wonderful there can be no doubt. The solos from Steve Grossman on saxophone fit the mood of the music perfectly and show him at least the equal of Davis' other fusion saxophonist Wayne Shorter.

"Yesternow", the second and last track, is very slow compared to "Right Off", and also quieter especially at the finale. Yet, when one hears Miles' initial note pierce one's ears, it becomes clear that the powerful funk melodies are if anything denser and produced with even more energy than on "Right Off". Indeed, at its peak, "Yesternow" is utterly stunning, with Davis' horn producing notes that are delightfully melodic yet sound at times as if they will explode.

All in all, there has never been an album of funk jams nearly so powerful as "A Tribute to Jack Johnson". Even if not necessarily the best of Miles Davis fusion studio albums, it is certainly the hardest and at times the emotion will pierce one's ears.

In the spring of 1970, Miles Davis entered the studio a number of times, recording primarily with guitarist John McLaughlin with him. The apex of these sessions was the stunning "A Tribute to Jack Johnson", soundtrack for an underground movie about the pioneering boxing figure and a clear statement from Davis concerning his music-- the album was firmly entrenched as a jazz/rock fusion record, soaked it overdriven guitars, funky backbeats, and downright powerful playing. Typically, it was ignored at the time of its release. But the years have been kind to 'Jack Johnson', these days its regarded as one of the peaks of its genre.

And why not? Davis was playing as well as he ever did in his career-- exploring fluidity and his horn's upper register in a way he never had, and his band was pretty much all collectively destined for stardom-- McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and Billy Cobham have all gone on to be legends. To this, add the work of producer Teo Macero-- splicing together the two tracks that made up the album from several different sessions into two seemless suites-- the first revolving around a jam session the rhythm section had while waiting for Davis (before the trumpet player entered for what may well be his most ferocious solo on record), the second around a couple vamps and themes. The net result is something that mixes spontenaeity and composition; looseness and high production, and somehow, it all works, perfectly.

Even today, 'Jack Johnson' is pretty much considered "third best" after "Bitches Brew" and "In a Silent Way", but this isn't really a fair assessment. Those albums feel like they're looking, 'Jack Johnson' is when Davis found it.

What you must first understand is that this album really isn't a "Miles Davis" recording. The musician that is truly the dominant creative force here is John McLaughlin; Miles' role is much like the other musicians on this recording - to my mind, very much secondary to the driving, primal and brilliant work of McLaughlin. McLaughlin creates the context, the foundation, on which this recording is constructed. This is a stunning work in every way, and it's value is due largely to the almost otherworldly brilliance of John McLaughlin.