Amandla (album)

Last updated
Amandla
Amandla (album).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 18, 1989
RecordedDecember 1988 – early 1989
Genre Pop jazz, funk, jazz fusion
Length43:16
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Tommy LiPuma, Marcus Miller, George Duke
Miles Davis chronology
Music from Siesta
(1987)
Amandla
(1989)
Aura
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
DownBeat Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Hi-Fi News & Record Review A*:2 [4]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
MusicHound Jazz 2/5 [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [8]
Tom Hull – on the Web B+ [9]

Amandla is an album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1989. The word Amandla holds significance in various Nguni languages, including Zulu and Xhosa, where it translates to "power." It is the third collaboration between Miles Davis and producer/bassist Marcus Miller, following their previous works Tutu (1986) and Music from Siesta (1987), and it serves as their final album together.

Contents

The album mixes elements of the genres go-go, zouk, funk and jazz, combining electronic instruments with live musicians. The composition "Mr. Pastorius", featuring drummer Al Foster, is a tribute to late jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius. [10] "Catémbe" is a Mozambican and Angolan cocktail of red wine and cola.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, DownBeat said Amandla possessed "a precise and consistent sound that flows through the shifting instrumental combinations and lingers after the music has stopped". [2] In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), J. D. Considine felt the record sounded "vaguely African" and somewhat conservative because of its reliance on session musicians. [7]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Catémbe" Marcus Miller 5:35
2."Cobra" George Duke 5:15
3."Big Time"Marcus Miller5:40
4."Hannibal"Marcus Miller5:49
5."Jo-Jo"Marcus Miller4:51
6."Amandla"Marcus Miller5:20
7."Jilli"John Bigham5:41
8."Mr. Pastorius"Marcus Miller5:41

Personnel

Production

Studios

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References

  1. Yanow, Scott. "Review: Amandla". AllMusic . Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  2. 1 2 Down Beat : 29. October 1989.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Miles Davis". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0857125958.
  4. Hyder, Ken (September 1989). "Review: Miles Davis — Amandla" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 9. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. p. 100. ISSN   0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021 via World Radio History.
  5. Feather, Leonard (June 18, 1989). "Mixed Doubles in New Jazz Releases". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  6. Holtje, Steve; Lee, Nancy Ann, eds. (1998). "Miles Davis". MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Music Sales Group. ISBN   0825672538.
  7. 1 2 Considine, J. D. (2004). "Miles Davis". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp.  215, 219. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 351. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  9. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Miles Davis". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  10. "Robot Check". 2002.
Bibliography