Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
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CD Details
Artist: Miles DavisEdition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2005-01-11
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Right Off
- Yesternow
Music reviews of A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Music Review: The epitomy of Miles' electric era
Rating: 5 Stars
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.
Description of A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Miles Davis was a gifted composer of film soundtracks, and this is arguably his best. Certainly it's his most listenable film piece. A boxer himself, Davis had a feel for movement in the ring, and this recording overflows with the admiration he had for the grace, style, and confidence of fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson. Jack Johnson was, for a long time, Miles's favorite of his own recordings, and you can see why from the first note: guitarist John McLaughlin steps out and strides across a shuffling groove that is closer to barroom R&B than it is to rock; Davis weighs in with that clipped but plaintive sound which promises you that no matter what kind of music he takes on next, he will always be Miles. And then when--midway through the first of two long jams--Herbie Hancock muscles his way into the mix on organ, of all things, you realize that they could go on like this forever. A joyful, liberating record. --John SzwedGeneral CDs
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