Miles Davis has been well recognized and rewarded for a career in music unlike any other. His achievements, many of which are monumental, continue to  thrill and interest listeners old and new on a daily basis.  With a career well documented by an official autobiography, multiple unofficial bios and a discography of seismic proportion, I’ve no desire to attempt to add to the wealth of readily available information. I am however, more than happy to talk about the personal effects of his music, and of one recording in particular.

Tolkien wrote of his Lord of the Rings as “a tale that grew in the telling.”  So it is with In A Silent Way, a recording that has grown in the telling, or, in this case, the listening.  Although Tolkien referred to the expansion of the book as he was in the process of writing it, In A Silent Way has been set as a work since it’s first appearance on LP in 1969.

For those unfamiliar with the work and desire some guidance, a link to the Thom Jurek review featured in the All Music Guide is attached here:

 http://allmusic.com/album/in-a-silent-way-r106165/review

Those inclined to do so can use this review as a starting point. I personally recommend listening to this music (and any other) as it is, without introduction.  The newness of discovery is freshest and with least taint or bias when heard on ones own terms, without reviews, opinions or other agents of influence.  All that said, as it pertains to In A Silent Way,  here are a few of my own reflections:

After listening to Bitches Brew and working to digest it as a High School sophomore, I was introduced to In A Silent Way by one of my older friends. From that first listen in mid 1971, there have been many visits to the sonic landscapes contained therein.

It has never ceased to surprise me just how many changes occur in the hearings.  Sure, the music itself has not changed, but whether one is aware of it or not, the hearer is always changing, giving one the opportunity to listen with new ears at any time.  As Tolkien’s book grew in the telling, In A Silent Way expands along with the listener’s ability to hear and understand.  This does not apply just to Davis’ music, or even to just this specific recording, but it is this recording in particular in which I find this expansion effect to be most noticeable.

To illustrate this point, I’ve made an effort to listen to various hard rock recordings from the early 1970’s, including a few items I made little effort, if any, to acquire or listen to.  Included in this group are the first album by Montrose, The Magician’s Birthday by Uriah Heep, They Only Come Out at Night by the Edgar Winter Group and Highway by Free, among others.  While I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this music and many of the other hard rock recordings I grew up with, the facts of the matter tell me this music is much more static, or, for purposes previously related, much less expansive.  While I have grown, (hopefully), the music, in my opinion, has not. Or at the least, has not grown with me in the way In A Silent Way has done.  But I think the italics in this case may be misleading, in that they indicate the possibility they may have grown with you. While this is not a scientific experiment, I sincerely doubt this to be the case, and do not believe it can be the case. However, the point being made, I will digress no further…

As the years went by, In A Silent Way moved to the top part of the list of recordings I find myself unable to do without.  I need this record. Even now, visits to the ever changing sonic landscapes and vistas contained within the grooves of that old LP bring me a sense of seeing and experiencing it again for the first time. The pith of it surprises me with each play.

Here is my own brief description of the music:

The quick paced cymbal work by Tony Williams which permeates the opening side, titled Shhh/Peaceful, is the initial foundation for Corea’s electric piano and Hancock’s organ work. McLaughlin gets himself heard as usual, but not before Miles’ takes a slithery, winding and soulful path to that place of cool warmth that only Miles knew of.  Steady, steady and sturdy is Dave Holland’s bass, well underneath the gloss of the keyboards and guitar. How to get there and return…?…never mind just follow…Shorter’s soprano finds its way into the groove at about 9:20, then promptly drops, having said what was needed, only to be followed by McLaughlin’s subtle yet pronounced arpeggios. Zawinul comes in on organ about midway, and the boys groove home. The brief pause at 13:30 ends with the return of Williams on the cymbals and Holland’s relentless two note statement, repeated throughout. The slow groove does not relent in the brain, even after the tune is done.

Side two, which contains In A Silent Way/It’s About That Time, opens softly on the caress of two electric pianos and the guitar weaving together gently, before the soprano enters to break your heart altogether (you think) – until Miles takes you to the place where sorrow and happiness meld into one, and your definition of heartbreak is forever changed by the hearing. You are only saved by the quick change to It’s About That Time, a steady, cold vamp stated on the electric piano followed by Miles and McLaughlin making their statements, softly yet firmly. Shorter makes his case on soprano before Miles returns with soft semi staccato phrasing, the rhythm section pulsing and winding underneath it all, with Williams finally on the full drum set about 13:00 into the tune, but only for the minute; gentle interplay between the trumpet and organ, and then the full group pushes and pulls the tune forward  into the reentry of In A Silent Way at 15:42, causing one to wonder if the heart can indeed be broken once again. Which of course, it can. Can you bear it? Can anyone? The answer, for this listener, is no, I can’t – but I also cannot bear to be without hearing it, at least once more…

One of the benefits of connecting with a recording like this is the wish and need to find to other albums of the same ilk. This led me to investigate many of the musicians Miles chose to play with:  Hancock, Zawinul, Corea, Jarrett, et. al, which in turn led to the discovery of Weather Report, Headhunters, (as well as H.H’s Mwandishi band), Return to Forever, Keith Jarrett’s American Ensemble and others.  The list is endless, and the trip continues.

Whatever experience yours may be upon first listen, please do so with an open mind and a heart of discovery.  May your journey(s) be, at a minimum, as pleasant as my own, and may they never end.

If you do enjoy In A Silent Way, consider these other recordings for listening:

 

Herbie Hancock – Sextant

This was Hancock’s first recording on CBS, prior to the formation of his HeadHunters band.

Herbie Hancock – Mwandishi

Released on the Warner Brothers label prior to Crossings and Sextant, the group is in exceptionally fine form here.  In addition to Hancock, the band is made up of Billy Hart on drums, Julian Priester on trombone, Buster Williams on bass and Benny Maupin on bass clarinet.  This lineup could really kick ass.  It is unfortunate that poor album sales forced a change in musical direction, followed by the unavoidable changes to the lineup.

Weather Report – I Sing the Body Electric

Weather Report – Sweetnighter

Weather Report – Mysterious Traveller

Weather Report was led by Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, two members of Miles’ electric band that made Bitches Brew, A Tribute to Jack Johnson and In A Silent Way.  Zawinul (electric piano) was a key composer for Miles, and is the author of In A Silent Way, as well as Pharaoh’s Dance, which took up side one of Bitches Brew.  Wayne Shorter (tenor and soprano sax), as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet of the 1960’s, was a rich composer himself, and has a significant discography of his own that is worthy of exploration. Shorter’s work on Blue Note Records is especially recommended.

John McLaughlin – Devotion

John McLaughlin – Electric Guitartist

Another veteran of the Miles Davis electric recordings, McLaughlin has been to more places in jazz and Eastern Music than almost any other modern musician. His Devotion recording from 1969 remains a personal favorite, and features Larry Young (Khalid Yasin) on organ. I have seen McLaughlin in concert more than any other musician, and have never left the venue disappointed. His music is a rivetingly good listen.

Soft Machine – Volume Two

Soft Machine – Third

Soft Machine were not very well known during their time, (Late 60’s – Mid 70’s), but are an historically significant band in the genres of psychedelia, jazz and fusion.  Originally a psychedelic vocal band that toured with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, they moved toward more creative pastures with Volume Two, and furthered that trend with Third, to become one of the primary creators, along with Caravan, of the Canterbury Sound.  In recent years, Cuneiform Records has released a treasure trove of Soft Machine recordings from the early to mid ’70’s, much to the delight of their small but devoted audience. Volume Two and Third  are a must listen from the oeuvre of an essential band.

Pat Metheny – Bright Size Life

Released in 1975, this marked Metheny’s solo debut.  With a trio including Jaco Pastorius on bass and Bob Moses on drums, Bright Size Life is an exceptionally creative recording from one of the more talented guitarists currently on the planet. No snoozy light jazz here – this one  gets hot,  right from the first note.

Stanley Clarke – Journey to Love

Released in 1975, this stands as my favorite recording by Clarke. It features some nice work by Jeff Beck on guitar, as well as good acoustic ensemble pieces. This is an accomplished work from a well respected bassist.

Tony Williams Lifetime – Emergency!

A pioneering work by another member of the Miles Davis electric band, Williams was also a member of the The Miles Davis Quintet starting in the early ’60s as a teenager.  This recording features Williams as leader, along with John McLaughlin and Larry Young, in the process of creating a new genre of music. Heady stuff for 1969, this is music that still sounds cutting edge. Listen with both ears and at all costs.

 

Keith Jarrett – Fort Yawuh

Keith Jarrett –  The Survivors Suite

Jarrett took the lessons learned from his stint with Miles and took them in a different direction. The flexibility of his American band (Jarrett had a European band as well) will astonish you.  Effortlessly moving across multiple boundaries with each recording, Jarrett’s work on these recordings is both relentless and innovative.

Eddie Henderson – Realization

A member of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi group. As a trumpeter, Henderson absorbed the electric Miles Davis period quite thoroughly, and brought his own ideas to that vein on these and his other recordings. They are not easy to find, but worth the effort to do so.

Julian Priester – Love, Love

Priester was also a member of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi group.  This ECM recording is not easy to find, and I do not yet have a CD copy as of this writing.  I do have a homemade cassette of the LP made in the ’80’s, and enjoy it as much as ever.

Sun Ra and his International Research Arkestra – It’s After the End of the World

One of the early leaders of the avant-garde jazz movement.  Always stimulating and provocative.

Billy Cobham – Spectrum

Debut album by Cobham, who was the drummer in John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra.  A great early fusion outing featuring the late Tommy Bolin on guitar.

Pat Martino – Joyous Lake

Pat Martino – Live

One of Philadelphia’s own, Pat Martino brings swing, style, speed and strength to the table on these two recordings. Live is a broad brushed, genre busting tour de force, recorded at Folk City in Greenwich Village, NYC in September of 1972.

New York City April 3, 2012

Contact:

mingus@jazzmanblue.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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