Anteater

^ Ah shucks Tore, thanks for the nomination. Glad you've enjoyed the thread so far, and hope you have some merry holidays over the next couple of days.

And now...

Miles Davis – On The Corner (1972)

"The King of Jazz goes funky and commercial...and in the process redefined what music could become."

1. On the Corner (19:55)
2. Black Satin (5:16)
3. One and One (6:09)
4. Helen Butte / Mr. Freedom X (23:18)

Miles Davis is a musician that never has and never will need an introduction. From the 40's up until the early 90's he was Jazz's favorite spokesman and among the most well known entrepreneurs working in music period. As the 70's dawned, when the idea of electric guitar playing alongside a sax quartet horrified traditional jazz critics, Miles Davis recorded A Silent Way and then the ever lauded Bitches Brew and shut them all up for good. In 1991 when had ever really tried to do a serious jazz-rap album, Davis brought out Doo-Bop just in time to die from a stroke at the ripe young age of 65.

Still, the impact of these aforementioned works pale in comparison to a particular work of Davis's from 1972, an album so far ahead of its time that it not only bombed commercially, but was nearly forgotten by even Davis's own fanbase. It's a funky beat-busting little ditty that almost singlehandedly laid that foundations for both post-punk and drum n' bass over a decade before either genre had even begun to stir in the minds of their creators.

Ladies and gents, welcome to On The Corner!

The title track which opens the album, although a potentially turn-offer clocking at the 20 minute mark, is most definitely an ear catcher despite the length and memorable as well. The groove is immediate, explosive and thick with snaking polyrhythms from the percussion and drumming, supported from the depths of the mix by some wah-wah guitar riffagee and Davis's snarky trumpet. Tempo changes are prominent, noticeably quieting down around the 6:40 mark at first and slowly picking up speed as it goes uphill for the remaining fourteen minutes. If I had to sum up the experience of this piece in one word, it would probably be "Hard-boiled"



Next comes my personal favorite 'Black Satin', a five minuter that could most definitely be considered a big forerunner to early drum n' bass, particularly in regards to the opening beat and how it spirals down over the ensuing minutes. It's also got a few electronic touches that are pretty nice.



The last two tracks are well up there with the best Davis has ever done as well. 'One And One' has a strong Eastern feel underlying the drums and trumpeting, making one think of some of Coltrane's mid 60's work with a funkier beat, while 'Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X', as expected of a strong closing suite, pulls elements from all the other tracks into thick cohesion. It never quite achieves the energy of the title track or Black Satin, but the chill factor is quite excellent nevertheless and ends On The Corner with a satisfactory feel, as if the music could simply play on and on toward the horizon and never really stop.



From start to finale, Davis set to recording a very very focused set of tracks here back in the early years of jazz-fusion, laying some musical foundations for future generations to work with in a variety of genres while still attempting to reach out to the young people of the 70's with a strong funk touch to his usual compositional approach. In all honesty, I think it's actually rather baffling that this album got such a cold shoulder back in '72 when it hit shelves: the rhythms are first-class, the playing is tightly wound and full of crash and the compositions themselves are well written. What more could you want?

For people just getting into Miles Davis, jazz cats, fellows who love their funk, and anyone who loves a hot beat that sounds fresh from the street, you can't go wrong with this seminal masterpiece. Merry Christmas MB!!

__________________
Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette