1969 was, indeed, a great year for Miles. He released
Bitches Brew, one of his most critically acclaimed albums. The influence of the two disc monster is still seen in music today. As well as
Bitches Brew, Miles released
In A Silent. While not as famous as
Bitches Brew, In A Silent Way is often rated by both critics and fans as one of Miles' best pieces of work. With an all star lineup,
In A Silent Way is a much easier listen than
Bitches Brew.
Album Credits
Miles Davis - Trumpet
Chick Corea - Electric Piano
Herbie Hancock - Electric Piano
John McLaughlin - Guitar
Tony Williams - Drums
Joe Zawainul - Organ, Electric Piano
Wayne Shorter - Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax
Dave Holland - Bass
Like
Bitches Brew, this record is a relatively dark one. There are no instantly recognisable melodies or riffs. Instead,
In A Silent Way revolves around layers of sound. Organs, drums and bass provide the bottom of the sound, while other instruments fill the sound out until they are soloing. The electric piano present on
In A Silent Way is particularly noteworthy. Running throughout and normally playing backing riffs that need to be carefully picked out to be heard, the electric piano work on both album tracks is a major highlight. John McLaughlin makes one of the best performances of his career on
In A Silent Way with some experimental solos and ambient picking. With both of those uses of his instrument, he rarely plays chords or rhythm guitar. In essence, his soloing is all through
In A Silent Way and is there to be enjoyed. Indeed, one of the best things about
In A Silent Way is that with all the layering, it is possible to hear a completely different album for the first few plays. Even afterwards, concentrating on just one instrument in the mix proves to be a worthwhile experience as there is something interesting happening with each player.
Imagining what went on in the sessions for
In A Silent Way can be interesting.
In A Silent Way must surely have one of the greatest lineups in jazz history. Picturing the state of each player, simply from what their music sounds like,
In A Silent Way would have been an odd recording session (or series of sessions) indeed. It's almost as if there was a strong musical bond between the members of the record, yet they were all trying to play something different to each other. With the drumming as a background instrument, it's easy to imagine Corea and Hancock playing whatever suited them over the top of the drums and bass. Then Zawinul filling in the space between the piano and bass/drums with his strange eerie organ. McLaughlin would have heard the sound so far and added his lines to it, playing whatever he felt like at the time. Finally, Miles would have walked in and heard this layer of sound. Hearing exactly what he wanted, he would have proceeded to add his own trumpet sound to the music. This experimental approach makes for some of the most interesting jazz Miles ever released. However it came together,
In A Silent Way remains as one of the pinnacles of the electric era Miles Davis as well as a true highlight of his career.
Pros
Experimental, but easy to listen to
It's easy to hear whatever you want, laid back jazz or a frenzied mess
Great solos from a truly amazing lineup
Cons
Two 20 minute songs makes navigation impossible
Drums are a little hard to hear
Reccomended Track
In a Silent Way/It's About That Time: In a Silent Way/It's About That T
FINAL RATING: 5/5
