Jazz Spotlight: Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson (1971)

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.

Five Introductory Jazz Albums

It's difficult to define any music genre and jazz is certainly no exception to the rule. The genre itself is over a hundred years old now and continues on through today. The genre has evolved from its roots in blues and ragtime to become something that has been enjoyed by millions of listeners. For those who wish to begin listening to jazz, it can be difficult to know where to jump in. After all, there is over a hundred years of history and so many different subgenres within the genre of jazz itself. 

This post is an attempt to help guide new listeners to jazz albums that anybody can find accessible and enjoy. It is certainly not a definitive introductory list and is merely one of opinion. The five albums in this list are from only a small era in jazz's history. In fact, three of the five albums were released in 1959 and the other two were released in 1958 and 1961 respectively. However, I do believe that the albums listed in this post are a great foundation for anyone who wishes to listen to jazz. All of the following albums can be found on both Spotify and Youtube.

1.) Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Kind of Blue is one of the most well-known and best selling jazz albums in history. Released in August of 1959, Kind of Blue is perhaps one of the most influential albums of all time. The album was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album features a lineup of some of the best jazz musicians of all time to go along with it.

Miles Davis not only serves as the band leader but also plays the trumpet. Julian "Cannonball" Adderley plays the alto saxophone for the majority of the album and John Coltrane is on the tenor saxophone. Bill Evans plays the piano for the majority of the album with Wynton Kelly taking piano duties on "Freddie Freeloader". Paul Chambers playing the bass and Jimmy Cobb on the drums rounds out this legendary lineup.

The album itself is one of the greatest modal jazz albums of all time. Davis and company excel especially in this author's opinion on the tracks "So What" and "All Blues". Although the entire album itself is a masterpiece.

2.) Somethin' Else - Julian "Cannonball" Adderley

Somethin' Else is perhaps Cannonball Adderley's finest work as a musician. This hard bop album is a wonderful listen from beginning to end. Cannonball excels in playing the alto saxophone. This album is well-known to many jazz fans for also the significant contributions by Miles Davis on the album and his playing the trumpet. Art Blakey plays the drums while Hank Jones has piano duties. Sam Jones rounds out the group on the bass.

This album was released in March of 1958 and was released on Blue Note Records. Cannonball and company excel especially in this author's opinion on the tracks "Autumn Leaves" and "Dancing in the Dark".

3.) Mingus Ah Um - Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus is one of the greatest jazz musicians to ever play the bass and Mingus Ah Um may very well be his masterpiece. Released in 1959, this hard bop album starts strong with "Better Git It In Your Soul" and doesn't let up until the end with "Jelly Roll".  Ah Um has quite the lineup with John Handy on alto sax for the majority of the album and Shafi Hadi on the tenor sax. Horace Parlan has piano duties as Dannie Richmond plays the drums. Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis share trombone duties. Meanwhile, Mingus plays the bass for the album and also plays the piano in "Pedal Point Blues".

The tracks that Mingus and company excel especially in this author's opinion are "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", "Better Get It in Your Soul", and "Boogie Stop Shuffle". It should also be noted that the track "Open Letter to Duke" is a tribute to the one and only Duke Ellington. "Jelly Roll" is also a tribute to composer Jelly Roll Morton.

4.) Sunday at the Village Vanguard - Bill Evans Trio

Sunday at the Village Vanguard is a live jazz album recorded on June 25, 1961. It was recorded at the Village Vanguard in New York City for where it gets its name. The trio consists of Bill Evans on piano, Scott LeFaro on bass, and Paul Motian. The album also marks one of the last times that the trio would perform together, as LeFaro would die in a car accident ten days after the recording.

The album both begins and ends with tracks by LeFaro. The trio perform consistently well throughout the album and play together in such a well-knit manner. This album especially excels on the tracks "My Man's Gone Now", "Solar", and "Jade Visions". 

5.) Time Out - The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Time Out is a album where anyone who wishes to listen to jazz should look to begin. Time Out was released in 1959 and showcases some of the best tracks that can be heard within the subgenre of cool jazz. The Quartet consists of Dave Brubeck on piano, Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums. All of the tracks on the album except "Take Five" were written by Dave Brubeck.

Desmond wrote "Take Five" and in doing so wrote what is easily one of the most recognizable tracks in jazz history. Many people who are not even fans of jazz or have listened to a jazz album will recognize this track. "Take Five" isn't the only good track on the album however, as the entire album is a jazz masterpiece. "Blue Rondo a la Turk" stands out as another classic on the album.