Miles Davis: Black Beauty / at Fillmore West, insert
One of the records that changed my life. I bought it in 1979 and have been listening to it hundreds of times since then and every time I discover new details. It's almost like listening to a new record each time. The music sounds dark and evil, much like the photo above (probably by Tadayuki Naitoh).
Jack DeJohnette's drumming is godlike. If you could mute all the other instruments it would still be amazing: a relentless 81-minute drum solo that never gets boring.
Another plus is that Wayne Shorter had already left at that time (to found Weather Report): I never cared much for the solos he played for Miles.
In the late 70s it was not easy to find electric Miles Davis records in the small and conservative Bavarian town where I lived. And if you found one it was often an expensive Japanese import on thick and heavy vinyl. Like this one.
My friends, some of whom were jazz fans, hated it. They told me that this is not jazz. But I didn't care. For me it was an eye opener and I have been a Miles Davis fan ever since.
I only listen to the CD re-issue nowadays to preserve the vinyl. The music is the same, but the pieces have different titles. On the double LP they are:
Black Beauty Part I - 23:46
Black Beauty Part II - 18:22
Black Beauty Part III - 17:15
Black Beauty Part IV - 21:28
Miles Davis: Black Beauty / at Fillmore West, insert
One of the records that changed my life. I bought it in 1979 and have been listening to it hundreds of times since then and every time I discover new details. It's almost like listening to a new record each time. The music sounds dark and evil, much like the photo above (probably by Tadayuki Naitoh).
Jack DeJohnette's drumming is godlike. If you could mute all the other instruments it would still be amazing: a relentless 81-minute drum solo that never gets boring.
Another plus is that Wayne Shorter had already left at that time (to found Weather Report): I never cared much for the solos he played for Miles.
In the late 70s it was not easy to find electric Miles Davis records in the small and conservative Bavarian town where I lived. And if you found one it was often an expensive Japanese import on thick and heavy vinyl. Like this one.
My friends, some of whom were jazz fans, hated it. They told me that this is not jazz. But I didn't care. For me it was an eye opener and I have been a Miles Davis fan ever since.
I only listen to the CD re-issue nowadays to preserve the vinyl. The music is the same, but the pieces have different titles. On the double LP they are:
Black Beauty Part I - 23:46
Black Beauty Part II - 18:22
Black Beauty Part III - 17:15
Black Beauty Part IV - 21:28