Black Beauty - Miles Davis

Feb

1

Black Beauty - Miles Davis

≡ Category: 1970s, Essential, Free Jazz, Fusion, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING

Rating:

Black Beauty (on Columbia Records) is an imperfect document of what could have been potentially a near perfect band. Check out this lineup: Miles Davis, Steve Grossman (soprano sax), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Chick Corea (keyboards), Dave Holland (bass), and Airto Moreira (percussion).

It pains me to say it, but the main problem is saxophonist Steve Grossman. He had just started working with the band, and apparently he overcompensated for his lack of comfort by overplaying. Worse yet, he approaches almost every solo opportunity in precisely the same way. It gets to the point that Grossman feels like a mosquito buzzing in your ear. Let me say that I’m not one to gripe about saxophone players who play a lot of notes, but Grossman leaves almost no space a lot of the time, especially on the opener of the set, Directions. There are exceptions, though. Grossman has a killer duet with Chick Corea about eight and a half minutes into Miles Runs The Voodoo Down.

But my favorite music on the CD is when Grossman lays out and the band is reduced to a quintet. The band can be a powerhouse of fury, as in It’s About That Time, or it can be gentle and introspective, as in Sanctuary, and it does both equally well. Both CDs in this 2-CD set document a continuous performance, but the band segues from tune to tune effortlessly, forming gorgeous suites.

The rhythm section is spectacular on Black Beauty, but I have to say that the most valuable player is Chick Corea. He was smack in the middle of a period where he was incapable of playing a false note, and what he does here is a revelation. He manages to make the electric piano capable of a depth of expression that I would have thought impossible. The depth and variation of his technique is mindblowing. He’ll stutter on notes, play dense clusters, do the equivalent of overblowing to create coloristic distortion effects, utilize open voicings if he wants to showcase the soloist, ad infinitum. He completely bridges the gap between the post bop of Miles’ 2nd great quintet and fusion. His playing is absolutely fantastic.

Miles himself sounds great. His playing is actually a lot like what you would expect on earlier live releases with the 2nd great quintet, except less virtuostic and he tends to lay out a lot more. He also plays a lot more high notes than usual for some reason.

In short, if you care at all about Miles’ electric period, you should own Black Beauty. I’m taking off half a star because of Steve Grossman’s excesses.