In a Silent Way

Last updated
In a Silent Way
Miles-davis-in-a-silent-way.jpg
Studio album by
Miles Davis
ReleasedJuly 30, 1969 [1]
RecordedFebruary 18, 1969
Studio CBS 30th Street (New York City)
Genre
Length38:08
Label Columbia
Producer Teo Macero
Miles Davis chronology
Filles de Kilimanjaro
(1968)		In a Silent Way
(1969)		 Miles in Tokyo
(1969)

In a Silent Way is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis, released on July 30, 1969, on Columbia Records. Produced by Teo Macero, the album was recorded in one session date on February 18, 1969, at CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City. Macero edited and arranged Davis's recordings from the session to produce the album. Marking the beginning of his "electric" period, In a Silent Way has been regarded by music writers as Davis's first fusion recording, following a stylistic shift toward the genre in his previous records and live performances.

Contents

Upon its release, the album was met by controversy among music critics, particularly those of jazz and rock music, who were divided in their reaction to its experimental musical structure and Davis's electric approach. Since its initial reception, it has been regarded by fans and critics as one of Davis's greatest and most influential works. In 2001, Columbia Legacy and Sony Music released the three-disc box set The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions , which includes additional tracks. [4]

Background and recording

By January 1969, Davis' core working band had stabilised around Wayne Shorter on soprano saxophone, Dave Holland on bass, Chick Corea on electric piano, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. [5] For his next studio album, Davis also brought in drummer Tony Williams and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, previously members of his Second Great Quintet. [5] In the following month, the six were joined by Austrian keyboardist Josef Zawinul [6] and English guitarist John McLaughlin, who had been in the United States for less than two weeks to join The Tony Williams Lifetime before Davis asked him to attend the recording session. McLaughlin had been a longtime fan of Davis, and spoke with Davis of his nervousness at the prospect of recording with his idol. [6] Among the compositions by Zawinul that Davis took a liking to was "In a Silent Way", an atmospheric piece that was titled at the suggestion of Cannonball Adderley while Zawinul was in his band. Adderley wished to use the piece for himself, but Zawinul turned him down after he learned that Davis also wanted to record it. [7]

Although Davis' live performances and recent albums Miles in the Sky and Filles de Kilimanjaro (both 1968) had indicated his stylistic shift towards jazz fusion and increasing incorporation of electric instrumentation, In a Silent Way marked a complete transition into the style, marking the beginning of his "electric" period. [8] [9] [10] [11] It was also his first recording to be constructed largely by the editing and arrangement of Davis and producer Teo Macero, [10] whose editing techniques on In a Silent Way were informed by classical sonata form. [7] Both tracks on the album consist of three distinct parts that could be thought of as an exposition, development, and recapitulation, with the first and third section of each track being the same piece. [7]

In a Silent Way was assembled from various takes from a three-hour session on February 18, 1969, at CBS 30th Street Studio's Studio B in Manhattan. [12] [6] "Shhh/Peaceful" was composed solely by Davis, while the opening and closing section to "In a Silent Way/It's About That Time" is based on Zawinul's "In a Silent Way" which he would record in its original form in 1970 for his third solo album Zawinul (1971). [7] After Zawinul presented the tune to the group, it was rehearsed as it was originally written, but Davis wished for it to sound more rock-oriented and stripped the various chord changes to leave a more basic melody built around a pedal point. [12] McLaughlin had some difficulty playing in the manner Davis wished of him, but found his way after the trumpeter suggested he play the guitar as if he were a novice. [7] Davis believed that Zawinul was never happy with his adaptation of "In a Silent Way", but felt that the album would have been less successful had its original arrangement been kept. [13] Zawinul had expressed some dislike of Davis' arrangement, in particular of two chords that he believed that Davis was wrong to remove. [7] Zawinul claimed that he was responsible for the melodic bass line and descending melody of "It's About That Time" but was not credited; he blamed Macero for this, as he "always put things together so that it came out as if Miles had written it." [7]

Two days after the February 18 session, Davis returned to the studio and recorded "Ghetto Walk" with drummer Joe Chambers. "Ghetto Walk" was intended to be included on In a Silent Way with "Shhh/Peaceful", but it was later swapped for "In a Silent Way/It's About That Time". [12] The group also played through "Early Minor", another Zawinul piece, on February 20, but it too was scrapped. [12]

Release

In a Silent Way was originally released on July 30, 1969. [1]

In 2001, Columbia/Legacy released the three-disc box set The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions , which includes the original album, two tracks from Filles de Kilimanjaro, additional unreleased tracks, and the unedited takes utilized for production purposes. [4]

In 2002, Sony Music released a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album, produced by Bob Belden and engineered by Mark Wilder. [14]

Reception

Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [15]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [16]
Musichound Jazz 5/5 [17]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [18]
Pitchfork 9.5/10 [19]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [20]
Sputnikmusic5/5 [21]
Tom Hull – on the Web A [22]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [23]

Peaking at number 134 on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs chart, In a Silent Way became Davis's first album since My Funny Valentine in 1965 to reach the chart. [24] While it performed better commercially than most of his previous work, [25] critics were divided in their reaction to the album upon its release. The album's incorporation of electric instrumentation and tape editing became sources of controversy among jazz critics. [26] According to The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), Davis' recording process and producer Teo Macero's studio editing of individual recordings into separate tracks for the album "seemed near heretical by jazz standards". [8] In his book Running the Voodoo Down: The Electric Music of Miles Davis, Phil Freeman writes of critical response to the album: "Rock critics thought In a Silent Way sounded like rock, or at least thought Miles was nodding in their direction, and practically wet themselves with joy. Jazz critics, especially ones who didn't listen to much rock, thought it sounded like rock too, and they reacted less favorably". [25] Freeman continues by expressing that both reactions were "rooted, at least partly, in the critic's paranoia about his place in the world", writing that rock criticism was in its early stage of existence and such critics found "reassurance" in viewing the album as having psychedelic rock elements, while jazz critics felt "betrayed" amid the genre's decreasing popularity at the time. [25]

"It didn't swing, the solos weren't even a little bit heroic, and it had electric guitars... But though In a Silent Way wasn't exactly jazz, it certainly wasn't rock. It was the sound of Miles Davis and Teo Macero feeling their way down an unlit hall at three in the morning. It was the soundtrack to all the whispered conversations every creative artist has, all the time, with that doubting, taunting voice that lives in the back of your head, the one asking all the unanswerable questions."

— Phill Freeman [25]

In a rave review, Rolling Stone rock critic Lester Bangs described In a Silent Way as "the kind of album that gives you faith in the future of music. It is not rock and roll, but it's nothing stereotyped as jazz either. All at once, it owes almost as much to the techniques developed by rock improvisors in the last four years as to Davis' jazz background. It is part of a transcendental new music which flushes categories away and, while using musical devices from all styles and cultures, is defined mainly by its deep emotion and unaffected originality". [27] Davis' next fusion album, Bitches Brew , showed him moving even further into the area that lay between the genres of rock and jazz. The dark, fractured dissonance of Bitches Brew ultimately proved to be instrumental in its success; it far outsold In a Silent Way. [25]

In a Silent Way has been retrospectively regarded by fans and critics as one of Davis' best albums. [21] In a retrospective review, Blender writer K. Leander Williams called it "a proto-ambient masterpiece". Citing it as "one of Davis's greatest achievements", Chip O'Brien of PopMatters viewed that producer Teo Macero's studio editing on the album helped Davis "embrace the marriage of music and technology". [10] In regards to its musical significance, O'Brien wrote that In a Silent Way "transcends labels", [10] writing "It is neither jazz nor rock. It isn't what will eventually become known as fusion, either. It is something altogether different, something universal. There is a beautiful resignation in the sounds of this album, as if Davis is willingly letting go of what has come before, of his early years with Charlie Parker, with John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, of his early '60s work, and is embracing the future, not only of jazz, but of music itself". [10] Stylus Magazine writer Nick Southall called the album "timeless" and wrote of its influence on music, stating "The fresh modes of constructing music that it presented revolutionised the jazz community, and the shifting, ethereal beauty of the actual music contained within has remained beautiful and wonderful, its echoes heard through the last 30 years, touching dance music, electronica, rock, pop, all music". [9] The Penguin Guide to Jazz has included In a Silent Way in its suggested "Core Collection". [18] The album was also included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [28]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shhh"/"Peaceful" Miles Davis 18:16
  • "Shhh"  – 6:14
  • "Peaceful"  – 5:42
  • "Shhh"  – 6:20
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2."In a Silent Way"/"It's About That Time" Joe Zawinul ("In a Silent Way"), Davis ("It's About That Time")19:52
  • "In a Silent Way" – 4:11
  • "It's About That Time" – 11:27
  • "In a Silent Way" – 4:14

Charts

Chart (1969)Peak
position [29]
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 134
U.S. Billboard Best-Selling Jazz LPs 3
U.S. Billboard Best-Selling Soul LPs 40

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's 1969 liner notes. [30]

Musicians

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Davis</span> American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (1926–1991)

Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musical directions in a roughly five-decade career that kept him at the forefront of many major stylistic developments in jazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weather Report</span> American jazz fusion band

Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer Alphonse Mouzon as well as American percussionists Don Alias and Barbara Burton. The band was initially co-led by co-frontmen Zawinul and Shorter but, subsequently as the 1970s progressed, Zawinul largely became the sole musical leader of the group. Other prominent members at various points in the band's lifespan included Jaco Pastorius, Alphonso Johnson, Victor Bailey, Chester Thompson, Peter Erskine, Airto Moreira, and Alex Acuña. Throughout most of its existence, the band was a quintet consisting of Zawinul, Shorter, a bass guitarist, a drummer, and a percussionist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz fusion</span> Music genre combining jazz methods with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues

Jazz fusion is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock and roll started to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll.

<i>Bitches Brew</i> 1970 studio album by Miles Davis

Bitches Brew is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City and released on March 30, 1970 by Columbia Records. It marked his continuing experimentation with electric instruments that he had featured on his previous record, the critically acclaimed In a Silent Way (1969). With these instruments, such as the electric piano and guitar, Davis departed from traditional jazz rhythms in favor of loose, rock-influenced arrangements based on improvisation. The final tracks were edited and pieced together by producer Teo Macero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Zawinul</span> Austrian jazz keyboardist and composer (1932–2007)

Josef Erich Zawinul was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to become one of the creators of jazz fusion, a musical genre that combined jazz with rock. He co-founded the groups Weather Report and The Zawinul Syndicate. He pioneered the use of electric piano and synthesizer, and was named "Best Electric Keyboardist" twenty-eight times by the readers of DownBeat magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teo Macero</span> American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer

Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and Dave Brubeck's Time Out, two of the best-selling and most influential jazz albums of all time. Macero was known for his innovative use of editing and tape manipulation unprecedented in jazz and proving influential on subsequent fusion, experimental rock, electronica, post-punk, no wave, and acid jazz.

<i>Filles de Kilimanjaro</i> 1968 studio album by Miles Davis

Filles de Kilimanjaro is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and September 1968, and released on Columbia Records. It was released in the United Kingdom by the company's subsidiary Columbia (CBS) in 1968 and in the United States during February 1969. The album is a transitional work for Davis, who was shifting stylistically from acoustic recordings with his "second great quintet" to his electric period. Filles de Kilimanjaro was well received by contemporary music critics, who viewed it as a significant release in modern jazz. Pianist Chick Corea and bassist Dave Holland appear together on two tracks, their first participation on a Davis album.

<i>Jack Johnson</i> (album) 1971 studio album / soundtrack album by Miles Davis

Jack Johnson is a studio album and soundtrack by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was released on February 24, 1971, by Columbia Records.

<i>On the Corner</i> 1972 studio album by Miles Davis

On the Corner is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and July 1972 and released on October 11 of the same year by Columbia Records. The album continued Davis's exploration of jazz fusion, and explicitly drew on the influence of funk musicians Sly Stone and James Brown, the experimental music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, the free jazz of Ornette Coleman, and the work of collaborator Paul Buckmaster.

<i>Big Fun</i> (Miles Davis album) 1974 studio album by Miles Davis

Big Fun is an album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was released by Columbia Records on April 19, 1974, and compiled recordings Davis had made in sessions between 1969 and 1972. It was advertised as a new album with "four new Miles Davis compositions" One of three Davis albums released in 1974 and largely ignored, it was reissued on August 1, 2000, by Columbia and Legacy Records with additional material, which led to a critical reevaluation.

<i>The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions</i> 1998 box set by Miles Davis

The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions is a four-disc box set by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis compiling recordings between August 19, 1969, and February 6, 1970—including the 1970 double album Bitches Brew in its entirety—and released on Columbia/Legacy on November 24, 1998.

<i>Miles Davis at Fillmore</i> 1970 live album by Miles Davis

Miles Davis at Fillmore is a 1970 live album by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and band, recorded at the Fillmore East, New York City on four consecutive days, June 17 through June 20, 1970, originally released as a double vinyl LP. The performances featured the double keyboard set-up Davis toured with for a few months, with Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea playing electronic organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano, respectively. The group opened for Laura Nyro at these performances.

<i>The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions</i> 2003 box set by Miles Davis

The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions were recorded in April 1970 by Miles Davis, and released in September 2003. These sessions formed the basis for the 1971 album Jack Johnson, as well as some of the studio portions of Live-Evil.

<i>Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West</i> 1973 live album by Miles Davis

Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West is a live double album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded on April 10, 1970, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, shortly after the release of the trumpeter's Bitches Brew album and the recording of Jack Johnson (1971). Black Beauty was produced by Teo Macero, Davis' longtime record producer. A jazz-rock and fusion album, Black Beauty captured one of Davis' first performances at a rock venue during the early stages of his electric period. At the concert, he led his band—saxophonist Steve Grossman, bassist Dave Holland, keyboardist Chick Corea, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and percussionist Airto Moreira—through one continuously performed set list which functioned as a musical suite for soloists to improvise throughout. He signaled changes from one piece to the next with phrases played on his trumpet.

<i>Circle in the Round</i> 1979 compilation album by Miles Davis

Circle in the Round is a 1979 compilation album by jazz musician Miles Davis. It compiled outtakes from sessions across fifteen years of Davis's career that, with one exception, had been previously unreleased. All of its tracks have since been made available on album reissues and posthumous box sets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Davis Quintet</span> Jazz band led by Miles Davis

The Miles Davis Quintet was an American jazz band from 1955 to early 1969 led by Miles Davis. The quintet underwent frequent personnel changes toward its metamorphosis into a different ensemble in 1969. Most references pertain to two distinct and relatively stable bands: the First Great Quintet from 1955 to 1959, and the Second Great Quintet from late 1964 to early 1969, Davis being the only constant throughout.

<i>The Complete On the Corner Sessions</i> 2007 compilation album by Miles Davis

The Complete On the Corner Sessions is a posthumous box set by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in the US on September 25, 2007, by Columbia Records and in the UK on September 29 on Legacy Recordings. Like other Davis box sets, the included material is taken from a wider chronology of sessions than the dates which actually produced the titular album. The Complete On the Corner Sessions compiles material from 1972 through 1975 which, due to lineup changes Davis made throughout the era, features over two dozen musicians.

<i>Water Babies</i> (album) 1976 compilation album by Miles Davis

Water Babies is a compilation album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It compiled music Davis recorded in studio sessions with his quintet in 1967 and 1968, including outtakes from his 1968 album Nefertiti and recordings that foreshadowed his direction on In a Silent Way (1969), while covering styles such as jazz fusion and post-bop. Water Babies was released by Columbia Records in 1976 after Davis had (temporarily) retired.

<i>Zawinul</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Joe Zawinul

Zawinul is the third studio album by jazz composer and pianist Joe Zawinul recorded in 1970 by Zawinul performing music arranged for two electric pianos, flute, trumpet, soprano saxophone, two contrabasses, and percussion. The album reached number 17 in the Billboard Jazz album charts.

<i>Directions</i> (Miles Davis album) 1981 compilation album by Miles Davis

Directions is a compilation album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1981 by Columbia Records. It collects previously unreleased outtakes that Davis recorded between 1960 and 1970. Directions was the last of a series of compilation albums—mostly consisting of, at that time, previously unreleased music—that Columbia released to bridge Davis' recording hiatus that ended with the Man with the Horn in July 1981.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Miles Davis.com
  2. ↑ Finkelman, Paul (February 2, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-First Century, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. p. 20. ISBN   978-0195167795.
  3. ↑ The New York Times (2011). The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind (3rd ed.). St. Martin's Press. p. 172. ISBN   978-1429950855.
  4. 1 2 Kenyon, John. Review: The Complete in a Silent Way Sessions. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  5. 1 2 Davis & Troupe 1990, p. 295.
  6. 1 2 3 Davis & Troupe 1990, p. 296.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tingen, Paul (2001). "The Making of In A Silent Way & Bitches Brew: An Earwitness Account". MOJO. Retrieved 30 December 2017– via Miles Beyond.
  8. 1 2 3 Considine, J. D. (1992). "Miles Davis". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 179. ISBN   0-679-73729-4.
  9. 1 2 Southall, Nick. Review: In a Silent Way Archived 2015-07-10 at the Wayback Machine . Stylus Magazine . Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 O'Brien, Chip. Review: In a Silent Way. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  11. ↑ Tate, Greg. "Voodoo Ray Gun". Vibe : 90. September 1997.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Svorinich 2015, p. 47.
  13. ↑ Davis & Troupe 1990, p. 297.
  14. ↑ Miles Davis – In a Silent Way (SACD booklet). Sony Music Japan International. October 24, 2007.
  15. ↑ Jurek, Thom. Review: In a Silent Way. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  16. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Miles Davis". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0857125958.
  17. ↑ Holtje, Steve; Lee, Nancy Ann, eds. (1998). "Miles Davis". Musichound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Music Sales Corporation. ISBN   0825672538.
  18. 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). Penguin Books. p.  326. ISBN   0141023279.
  19. ↑ Leone, Dominique (7 November 2001). "Miles Davis: The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Gilmore, Mikal (1985). "Miles Davis". In Swenson, John (ed.). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. Random House. p. 57. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
  21. 1 2 Hartwig, Andrew (August 17, 2005). Review: In a Silent Way. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  22. ↑ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Miles Davis". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  23. ↑ Anon (November 2002). Uncut : 139.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  24. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Biography: Miles Davis. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 Freeman, Phil. "Running the voodoo down: the electric music of Miles Davis". Hal Leonard Corporation: 26–27. 2005.
  26. ↑ Taruskin, Richard. "Music in the Late Twentieth Century: Fusion". Oxford University Press: 335. vol. 5. 2009.
  27. ↑ Bangs, Lester. Miles Davis: In a Silent Way : Music Reviews at the Wayback Machine (archived October 25, 2007). Rolling Stone . November 15, 1969. Archived from the original on 2007-10-25. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  28. ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN   0-7893-1371-5.
  29. ↑ Billboard Albums: In a Silent Way. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  30. ↑ In a Silent Way (Media notes). Columbia Records. 1969. CS 9875.
  31. ↑ Smith, Cliff (September 11, 1969). "Rochester After Dark". Rochester Times-Union . Rochester, NY: Gannett Company, Inc. p. 1D.

Books

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.