Sorcerer (Miles Davis album)

Last updated
Sorcerer
Miles Davis Sorcerer.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 23, 1967 [1]
RecordedMay 16–24, 1967; August 21, 1962 (track 7)
Studio 30th Street (New York)
Genre Post-bop [2]
Length40:03
Label Columbia
Producer Teo Macero
Miles Davis chronology
Miles Smiles
(1967)
Sorcerer
(1967)
Nefertiti
(1968)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
DownBeat Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]
Sputnikmusic4/5 [8]
Tom Hull – on the Web A− [9]

Sorcerer is an album by the jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. It is the third of six albums that his 1960s quintet recorded. It also includes one track from a 1962 session with vocalist Bob Dorough, which was the first time Wayne Shorter recorded with Davis. Davis does not play on the second track, "Pee Wee". [10] The album's cover is a profile photo of actress Cicely Tyson, who at the time was Davis's girlfriend (and later his wife).

Contents

Songs

The only tune from the album known to have appeared in Davis's live performances is "Masqualero", written by Wayne Shorter. Davis's groups performed it as part of the concerts documented on Live in Europe 1967 , Live in Europe 1969 , Live at the Fillmore East, March 7, 1970: It's About That Time , and Black Beauty (recorded in April 1970). The tune is also featured on Chick Corea's Piano Improvisations Vol. 2 (recorded in 1971), and was revived by Wayne Shorter nearly thirty years later, appearing on Footprints Live! (recorded in 2001), featuring his acoustic quartet.

The CD reissue includes alternate takes of "Masqualero" and "Limbo". The alternate take of "Limbo" was recorded in Los Angeles on May 9, several days before the final take was recorded in New York City. This take also replaces Ron Carter with bassist Buster Williams. Both versions of "Masqualero" were recorded on the same date and with the same personnel.

Critical reception

Sorcerer has been acclaimed by critics. Reviewing in January 1968 for DownBeat , Bill Quinn observed a transition from the "big old fat old lazy melodies" of Davis' traditional bop past toward an "extraordinarily sophisticated route to expression" defined more by inflection, nuance, and "quality of the mood". He credited Davis with "unselfishly [taking] advantage of the writing talent in his crew" and being "right on top of the times with superbly disciplined chaos". [4] Robert Christgau considered it among the "great work" Davis recorded with his quintet of the 1960s, [11] although he would later say that "the late-'60[s] Wayne Shorter edition of Miles's band is my least favorite Miles—not that I think it's bad, but I've always found Shorter too cool." [12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic also acknowledged that "it's a little elusive" and "rarely blows hot", representing a period of transition yet still "a layered, intriguing work". [3]

Track listing

Columbia – CS 9532 [13]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording session [1] Length
1."Prince of Darkness" Wayne Shorter May 24, 19676:37
2."Pee Wee" Tony Williams May 24, 19674:49
3."Masqualero"Wayne ShorterMay 17, 19678:53
4."The Sorcerer" Herbie Hancock May 17, 19675:10
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording session [1] Length
1."Limbo"Wayne ShorterMay 16, 19677:13
2."Vonetta"Wayne ShorterMay 16, 19675:36
3."Nothing Like You" Bob Dorough, Fran Landesman August 21, 19621:55
Total length:40:03

Personnel

The lineup differs greatly on the track "Nothing Like You", since it was recorded several years earlier:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard bop</span> Subgenre of jazz music

Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in saxophone and piano playing.

<i>Maiden Voyage</i> (Herbie Hancock album) 1965 studio album by Herbie Hancock

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965, for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

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

Filles de Kilimanjaro is a studio album by the American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and September 1968 at Columbia 30th Street Studio in Manhattan, New York City, and released on Columbia Records in December of that year in the United Kingdom and in the United States the following February. The album is a transitional work for Davis, who was shifting stylistically from acoustic post-bop recordings with his Second Great Quintet to the jazz fusion of his subsequent "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 on two tracks, marking their first participation on a Davis album.

<i>Relaxin with the Miles Davis Quintet</i> 1958 studio album by Miles Davis

Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album by the Miles Davis Quintet which was released in March 1958 through Prestige Records. It was recorded at two sessions on May 11 and October 26, 1956 that produced four albums — this one, Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. These four albums are considered to be among the best performances in the whole hard bop subgenre. The album was remastered by Rudy Van Gelder in 2005 for Prestige Records. This album includes dialogue snippets taken from the original master reel. As the title suggests, it also emphasizes Miles Davis' concentrated medium-register ballad playing.

<i>Milestones</i> (Miles Davis album) 1958 studio album by Miles Davis

Milestones is a studio album by Miles Davis. It was recorded with his "first great quintet" and released in September of 1958 by Columbia Records.

<i>E.S.P.</i> (Miles Davis album) 1965 studio album by Miles Davis

E.S.P. is an album by Miles Davis, recorded on January 20–22, 1965 and released on August 16 of that year by Columbia Records. It is the first release from what is known as Davis's second great quintet: Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The album was named after a tune by Shorter, and was inspired by the fact that, "since Wayne Shorter's arrival, the five members of the quintet seemed to communicate by mental telepathy."

<i>Miles Smiles</i> 1967 studio album by Miles Davis

Miles Smiles is an album by the jazz musician Miles Davis. It was released on February 16, 1967 through Columbia Records. It was recorded by Davis and his second quintet at Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City on October 24 and October 25, 1966. It is the second of six albums recorded by Davis' second great quintet, which featured tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.

<i>Nefertiti</i> (Miles Davis album) 1968 studio album by Miles Davis

Nefertiti is a studio album by the jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. It was released in March 1968 through Columbia Records. The recording was made at Columbia's 30th Street Studio over four dates between June 7 and July 19, 1967, the album was Davis' last fully acoustic album. Davis himself did not contribute any compositions – three were written by tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, two by pianist Herbie Hancock, and one by drummer Tony Williams.

<i>Miles in the Sky</i> 1968 studio album by Miles Davis

Miles in the Sky is a studio album by the jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. It was released on July 22, 1968, through Columbia Records. It was the last full album recorded by Davis' "Second Great Quintet" and marked the beginning of his foray into jazz fusion, with Herbie Hancock playing electric piano and Ron Carter playing electric bass guitar on opening track “Stuff”. Additionally, electric guitarist George Benson features on “Paraphernalia”.

<i>Speak No Evil</i> (Wayne Shorter album) 1966 studio album by Wayne Shorter

Speak No Evil is the sixth album by Wayne Shorter. It was released in June 1966 by Blue Note Records. The music combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz, and features Shorter on tenor saxophone, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Elvin Jones. The cover photo is of Shorter's first wife, Teruko (Irene) Nakagami, whom he met in 1961.

<i>Walkin</i> 1957 compilation album by Miles Davis

Walkin' is a Miles Davis compilation album released in March 1957 by Prestige Records. The album compiles material previously released on two 10 inch LPs in 1954, including all of Miles Davis All-Star Sextet and most of Miles Davis Quintet. Here credited to the "Miles Davis All-Stars", the songs were recorded on April 3 and 29, 1954, by two slightly different groups led by Davis. Both sessions were recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's home studio.

<i>Miles in Berlin</i> 1965 live album by Miles Davis

Miles in Berlin is a live album by Miles Davis from a performance at the Berliner Philharmonie on September 25, 1964 with his "Second Great Quintet," featuring tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, marking their first recorded work.

<i>My Point of View</i> 1963 studio album by Herbie Hancock

My Point of View is the second album by pianist Herbie Hancock. It was released in 1963 on Blue Note Records as BLP 4126 and BST 84126. Musicians featured are trumpeter Donald Byrd, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, guitarist Grant Green, bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Tony Williams.

<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 1958, and the Second Great Quintet from late 1964 to early 1969, Davis being the only constant throughout.

<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>Ready for Freddie</i> 1962 studio album by Freddie Hubbard

Ready for Freddie is an album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, released on the Blue Note label in 1962 as BLP 4085 and BST 84085. In 2003, it was remastered and issued on CD with the addition of two alternate takes. It contains performances by Hubbard, Bernard McKinney, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Art Davis and Elvin Jones.

V.S.O.P. was an American jazz quintet consisting of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter (bass), Tony Williams (drums), and Freddie Hubbard . Hancock, Shorter, Carter, and Williams had all been members of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet" during the 1960s. The name V.S.O.P. is taken from a grade of Cognac brandy, where it signifies aged stock.

<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.

<i>Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2</i> 2013 live album by Miles Davis

Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 is a 3 CD + 1 DVD live album of the Miles Davis Quintet featuring saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. This particular line-up became known as "The Miles Davis Lost Quintet" as it did not record in the studio in this configuration. The CDs contain recordings of two concerts in France and one in Sweden and the DVD has an additional concert recorded in Germany.

<i>Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5</i> 2016 box set by the Miles Davis Quintet

Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5 is a 3-CD box set by the Miles Davis Quintet compiling studio recordings by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis recorded between 1966 and 1968. The album contains remastered versions, alternate takes, and conversations among the musicians.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sorcerer – Miles Davis". milesdavis.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  2. Bailey, C. Michael (April 11, 2008). "Miles Davis, Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop". All About Jazz . Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Sorcerer – Miles Davis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  4. 1 2 Quinn, Bill; et al. (2007). Alkyer, Frank; Enright, Ed; Koransky, Jason (eds.). The Miles Davis Reader . Hal Leonard Corporation. pp.  244–6. ISBN   1617745707 . Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  5. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
  6. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 346. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  7. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 58. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
  8. Campbell, Hernan M. (June 17, 2012). "Miles Davis – Sorcerer". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  9. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Miles Davis". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  10. Chambers, Jack (1998). Milestones: The Music And Times Of Miles Davis. Da Capo Press. p. 104. ISBN   978-0306808494.
  11. Christgau, Robert (September 5, 1977). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved September 23, 2022 via robertchristgau.com.
  12. Christgau, Robert (August 21, 2018). "Xgau Sez". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  13. "Miles Davis – Sorcerer". Discogs . Retrieved February 4, 2017.