DAVIS' PRELUDE INTO FULL-ON FUSION: EXOTIC SUITE-LIKE ALBUM BEAUTIFUL, INTENSE, ADVENTUROUS
Miles Davis' move into full-on fusion starts here. Abandoning his bebop roots and chasing electric dreams, rock-based rhythms, and ostinato pulses, the icon gives life to new music forms on Filles de Kilimanjaro, a titanic release prized for its historical significance and lasting beauty. Grounded and focused, the five compositions unfold like a unified suite.
Tracklist:
1 Frelon Brun (Brown Hornet) 5:41
2 Tout De Suite 14:07
3 Petits Machins (Little Stuff) 8:10
4 Filles De Kilimanjaro (Girls Of Kilimanjaro) 12:02
5 Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry) 16:36
Bass – Dave Holland (tracks: 3, 5), Ron Carter (tracks: 1, 2, 4)
Drums – Tony Williams
Engineer [Recording], Engineer [Engineering] – Arthur Kendy, Frank Laico
Piano, Electric Piano – Chick Corea (tracks: 3, 5), Herbie Hancock (tracks: 1, 2, 4)
Producer [Produced By] – Teo Macero
Remastered By – Shawn R. Britton
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax] – Wayne Shorter
Trumpet – Miles Davis
Indeed, the exotic sound, touch, and feel of the songs on Filles de Kilimanjaro are as crucial as the melodies. To that extent, listeners can now enjoy the expressive tonalities and lush colors from each instrument in full-range glory. Voicings, harmonics, and pitches are rendered with exquisite detail. The manners in which the textures and phrases rotate what seems like a unified tonal center places you at the original recording sessions, executed in July and September 1968.
The final appearance of Davis' classic second quintet bears fruit on three of the record's cuts, including the title track and R&B-tinted "Frelon Brun." Sparked with restrained funk, driving grooves, and bluesy accents, Filles de Kilimanjaro maintains an instinctive flow and controlled freedom that permit Davis to oversee an innovative blending of alterations, improvisation, and cycles. Comprised of multiple sections, "Petits Machins" is a lesson in perfectly played melodic complexity, with chromatic riffs, dominant chords, syncopated progressions, and switching meters forming a singular mosaic.
Filles de Kilimanjaro also represents a jumping-off point for Davis' lineup. For the September sessions, Chick Corea replaced Herbie Hancock while Dave Holland relieved Ron Carter. The new additions speak a different albeit common language, fitting in with Davis' desire to draw from rock and weave funk into open-minded excursions filled with exoticism, soulfulness, and wonder.
Edition:
1 Hybrid UltraDisc UHR Stereo SACD, Limited, Numbered, Remastered, Original Master Recording, The Gain 2 System, Playable on standard CD player
MoFi - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Cat#:
UDSACD2148
Released:
2015 in US
Original Release:
1968 Label CBS Cat# S 63551
Genre:
Jazz
