Miles Davis - Tribute to Jack Johnson
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Miles DavisEdition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2005-01-11
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Right Off
- Yesternow
Free Music Notes for Tribute to Jack Johnson
Free Music Review: Nastiest Music Ever Recorded
Hit: 5 Stars
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.
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