Lol, i know it’s superficial but i was watching a live clip from the early eighties a few months ago and Miles was wearing like a cloth beanie type hat (sort of like what Zawinul rocked but not knitted) and just casual normal clothes. I thought that he looked infinitely cooler than when he later had the drippy geri-curl weave-wig and the shoulder-pad lamé suits.
Of course, the 80's versions of "Ife" had very little resemblance to the classic 70's renditions of the piece...mind ya, the Big Fun studio take of "Ife" is a bit different from the more epic live takes from that era as well!
The Big Fun version has one fast part and one slow part. From 1973 onwards only the slow part, with a new bass line, was played in concert. This version was played in the 80s too; same melody and bass line but of course it sounded different with a different band.
Strange album. The new textures foreshadow what’s coming a year or two later. I enjoy all the tracks individually, even if I’m not sure they hang together as a group.
That’s a great perspective, Gabe. A lot of my listening of this period in music has until now been filtered through a Miles/Trane lens, just because that is what I already owned. It’s only now, as my collecting gets more extensive and broad, that I can get things in a contemporaneous context ( is that a tautology?).
A great period article from People Magazine, September 28, 1981: After Five Years of Silence, the Lonely Voice of Miles Davis' Trumpet Is Once Again Heard in the Land “His young saxophonist, Bill Evans—no relation to the late jazz pianist—helped get Miles’ creative adrenaline flowing again, and a romantic reunion with actress Cicely Tyson revived his interest in life. That wasn’t all, says Miles. “The real reason I came back,” he says mischievously, “was because my manager, Mark Rothbaum, didn’t think I could do it.”
Great. I love this quote: “I look at a musician’s carriage first,” he says. “I can tell whether he plays or not by the way he carries his instrument. And then I look at how he talks and acts. If he’s acting too hip, I know he can’t play **** so I don’t bother with him.”
Yes, it's a good one! I should add that contrary to what the article says, Miles only had three wives - Frances Taylor, Betty Davis and Cicely Tyson. Interestingly, he never married any of the mothers of his children.
Things are gathering momentum here. We’re beginning our farewells to the acoustic instruments. The Gil Evans ‘Petit Machins ‘ is a real throwback to the sound of a decade earlier, or at least the beginning of it is, whereas I would never have guessed that ‘Mademoiselle Mabry’ was an Evans arrangement, though, not being a ‘Wind Crys Mary’ fan, I feel this track goes on a bit too long. . Miles’s solos are dynamic, with note choices that herald the Bitches Brew era. The electric piano dominates this record doesn’t it? When the brass do their thing, particularly on ‘Filles...’ I love it. Nice harmonies. When did Ron Carter begin playing the electric bass? I’m presuming he played a Fender instrument. Did he continue playing electric in his later work, or did he want to keep playing an upright? Did Miles want Holland in the group specifically for his electric chops?
As far as I know Ron Carter first played electric on "Stuff" from Miles In The Sky (early 1968). He played it a bit more through the early 70's (Red Clay by Freddie Hubbard for instance) but since then I believe has refused to play it. Dave Holland never played electric bass until around 1970. He also has only played it on a few records after leaving Miles.
Given that Ron Carter and Dave Holland were essentially upright bass players whom Miles basically forced to play electric when necessary, it's east to see why Miles felt the need to bring in a full on electric bass player -Michael Henderson- when he decided to get really experimental in the early 70's. Henderson's playing fit the music from Jack Johnson on in a way that Carter or Holland probably wouldn't.
Enjoyed listening to The Man With The Horn. I could almost imagening it being on a cassette my big brother had lying in his Opel Rekord back in the 80’s stating «that’s too advanced for you, kid». Of course that never happened but it has that kind of vibe from that era.
Yeah, they're inexcusable. And the annoying thing is that the album is almost an hour long. Take out those two tracks and you still have a perfectly good 45-minute LP of actual Miles music.
I respectfully disagree 93curr. I like both tracks and love the eclectic nature of the album. As someone who grew up in the 70s loving funk, it was "Shout" that got me into Miles' music. Miles' mournful wah-wah horn on the title track hits the heart. Also, these tracks were the precursor for Miles' covering pop tunes on his album You're Under Arrest.
The 1975 outtake "Minnie" from the On The Corner box is a surprisingly commercial track like "Shout" and the You're Under Arrest tracks.
"Minnie" as of Minnie Riperton. And the track he was covering: "loving you". That song was number 1 in the US charts in April 1975. Miles recorded "Minnie" in May. An unexpected closure for his 70s music and a glimpse of future sounds. Such a catchy tune. It's great to hear that "crazy" band playing that sweet way.
