On The Corner - Miles Davis

Dec

23

On The Corner - Miles Davis

≡ Category: 1970s, Classics That I Hate, Jazz Funk, Reviews, Worth A Listen |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

CLASSICS THAT I HATE

Rating:

When it first appeared in 1972, On The Corner caused a major uproar and almost universal condemnation from the jazz press. It was called anti-jazz. One quote will serve to establish the tone of the criticism. “That music is worthless,” said Stan Getz. “It means nothing. There is no form, no content, and it barely swings. The soloists are playing a half tone above and a half tone below so it’ll sound modern, but there’s nothing to build on or anything logical — nothing.”

In a way, Getz was right. At least on Jack Johnson, the grooves were being worked up on the bandstand. In On The Corner, the grooves are established at the outset. What’s going on is a layering and shifting of sound as elements are added and subtracted. The soloists, more than anything, are adding rhythmic comment and more sound elements, although Dave Liebman’s soprano saxophone riffs on One And One are awfully pretty. Miles himself provides some tasty wah-wah trumpet. Still, On The Corner is almost purely about groove and sound.

One of the reasons people were so hostile towards On The Corner back then was because they had no reference for what Miles was trying to do: combining funk, the addition/subtraction concepts of Stockhausen, and jazz.

Now, of course, we have the opposite problem. People are falling all over themselves saying how wonderful On The Corner is because they recognize it: “Hey, that’s the basis of hip hop and rap.” It’s familiar because the once radical experiments of On The Corner have been accepted by the mainstream.

Ironically, things haven’t changed as much as you might believe. 35 years ago, people hated On The Corner because it forced them to think in ways they weren’t used to. Now, people gush over it because they don’t have to think about it at all.

Both reactions are kind of silly.

Davis is certainly using a number of high-powered musicians to achieve his effects: John McLaughlin on guitar, Badal Roy on tabla, Colin Walcott on sitar, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Billy Hart and Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Don Alias on percussion all make appearances.

But is the fact that On The Corner is innovative and competently performed enough to make it a bonafide classic? I dunno. It’s certainly unique. The results have inspired plenty of musicians since. But as far as I’m concerned, much like rap and hiphop, On The Corner is more important for the music it inspired than for itself. It’s interesting as an experiment, but as music, it just isn’t that involving.

Sorry, Miles.

But maybe I’m being hasty. I didn’t much like the original Jack Johnson LP either. It was only after I heard the Complete Jack Johnson Sessions that it all made sense to me. In this period of Miles’ career, he was allowing (encouraging) Teo Macero to hack up studio jams and glue them haphazardly together like a musical Frankenstein monster.

Who knows, maybe if I heard the Complete On The Corner Sessions, I might be converted the way I was after I heard the Complete Jack Johnson Sessions. Stay tuned.