146. Miles Davis — In A Silent Way (1969)

1. Been awhile since we’ve had an honest-to-god jazz album on this list, and it’s quite refreshing to hear the master at work again (or should I say masters — we get Chick Correa, Dave Holland, Herbie Hancock, and others here as well). Not that critics at the time necessarily would have considered it jazz; Miles Davis’s foray into electronic sounds came later than Bob Dylan but upset the gatekeepers of genre just the same. Still: this is clearly jazz, and excellent jazz at that, even if it’s hinting toward a fusion future.
2. Only two tracks on this record, each comprised of two songs apiece that transition in and out. Both tracks are nearly perfect. On “Shh / Peaceful,” Davis shows of an uncanny knack for taking a more abstract song structure and making it feel warm, familiar. Each instrumentalist gets moments to shine, none more than Davis, but Holland’s double bass really carries the track through. “In A Silent Way / It’s About That Time” strikes me as a more melodic track, the two sections sharply differentiating themselves, especially “It’s About That Time” — you get a real sense of where Davis wants to go with his music. That section of the track really explodes about 13 minutes in, each member of the band elevating their performance in sync toward the endgame. Through it all, Davis’s trumpet is a shining beacon; with each buzz of the instrument you know exactly where and why you are.
3. If there’s one real critique I have of these two tracks — and though real, it’s a minor one — it’s that “Shh / Peaceful” fades out rather than simply ending. I find it relatively offensive to perform an 18 minute song and not know how to end it, especially for a jazz group used to these kinds of extended plays. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder how much further they must have gone to require the fade out edit in the mix; I know there’s an extended version of this album out there; I’ll have to see if the unedited version of this track is out there.
4. Can’t wait for Bitches Brew.

Next up: the Bee Gees drop some pre-disco pop

One Essential Song (tough choice!):

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