On April 7, 1970, John McLaughlin picked up his electric guitar in the 30th Street Studio in New York and began improvising some riffs. Soon after, he was joined in by Michael Henderson on electric bass and Billy Cobham on the drums. Herbie Hancock is asked to start playing the organ and does so. Finally, legendary trumpet player Miles Davis enters the studio and begins his own solo about two minutes into the riffing. So began not only one of Miles Davis's greatest albums but one of the greatest jazz fusion albums of all time, A Tribute to Jack Johnson.
A Tribute to Jack Johnson came about as a project as a soundtrack for a documentary by Bill Cayton about the boxing heavyweight world champion Jack Johnson. The result was the closest that Miles Davis would get to rock in his career and by far his funkiest album to date. Miles was riding high off the success of Bitches Brew only a year prior and continued to turn many in the jazz community on their head. Some complained that not only was Bitches Brew not jazz but neither was A Tribute to Jack Johnson. However, these two albums are just an example of Miles leading the way into yet another jazz subgenre as he would do so throughout his entire life. In other words, not only was it jazz but it was most certainly Miles being Miles.
The album can be seen as a bit imitating to your casual jazz listener with there being only two tracks, especially since both of them are at least 25 minutes a piece. However, both tracks have such a level of craftsmanship and level of skill accompanying them that it's hard to stop listening to them once you begin.
The first track "Right Now" contains a legendary lineup not only within the jazz fusion community but within jazz itself. Miles Davis leads the group on his trumpet, arguably the greatest jazz player of all time. John McLaughlin lends his skills on the electric guitar and he is certainly one of the greatest electric guitar players of all time. Herbie Hancock lends his skills on the organ and has already established himself with previous solo albums such as Maiden Voyage. Billy Cobham on the drums would eventually co-found the legendary jazz fusion group, the Mahavishnu Orchestra with McLaughlin. The track also has Michael Henderson on the electric bass and Steve Grossman on the electric saxophone.
As previously noted, "Right Now" starts with McLaughlin's legendary riff as the rest of the group joins in. Miles's solo beginning at 2:19 on the track is where "Right Now" really comes alive and starts to become something really special. Miles performs some of the best work of his career on this track and it's certainly something really funky along with being jazz. The change in sound momentarily at the almost eleven minute mark gives the track an even more special feel before the group kicks it back into high gear about a minute later. The entire group is firing on all cylinders and each one of them shine in their opportunity to showcase their skills on this track.
The second track "Yesternow" is an interesting case. The lineup previously listed performs roughly the first half of "Yesternow" up until about 12:55. The track does a wonderful job in the way it starts quietly and sets the tone for what's to come. Miles's playing on this track is wonderful and really enjoyable.
The lineup for the second half of "Yesternow" is uncredited on the album and their portion was recorded on February 18, 1970. Miles Davis remains on the trumpet and John McLaughlin remains on the electric guitar. Sonny Sharrock joins McLaughlin on his own electric guitar and Bennie Maupin joins in on the bass clarinet. Dave Holland takes over on electric bass and Jack DeJohnette takes over on the drums. Finally, the legendary Chick Corea takes over on electric piano.
The second half of "Yesternow" is certainly different enough from the first half to notice the lineup change as the piece's tone changes. The final result of the track is something just as special as "Right Now". It's a bit more subdued than "Right Now" but the solos are just as fantastic. The entire piece is a great example of improvisation and editing at it's finest.
Overall, Jack Johnson didn't certainly please everyone. It's didn't please many rock fans who were expecting something different from this album and it certainly didn't please many jazz purists who were hoping Miles was going to return to his Kind of Blue days instead of moving even further than he did into fusion after Bitches Brew. It certainly explains why the album didn't perform commercially as well as Bitches Brew but I personally think it is a superior jazz fusion album to Bitches Brew. The album is certainly worth listening to for anybody who considers themselves a fan of Miles Davis and or jazz in general. If only to hear, Miles being Miles.
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Link to the album on Amazon. The album is also available for listening on Spotify.
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