This article beautifully captures the essence of jazz fusion as both a natural evolution and a bold leap into uncharted soundscapes. The metaphor of jazz's "evaporation" leading to avant-garde "oases" is spot-on—such a poetic way to describe the genre’s resilience and reinvention.
The focus on In a Silent Way as a pivotal moment is perfect—Miles Davis truly made fusion feel inevitable, blending rock’s edge with jazz’s soul in a way that still feels celestial. The imagery of Davis as a "brilliantly blazing sun" entering the track gave me chills—it’s exactly how his trumpet feels in that moment.
This piece is not just insightful but makes me want to revisit the album with fresh ears and appreciate the audacity of its quiet revolution. A fantastic read for anyone who loves music history or simply admires the beauty of creative risk-taking! 🎺✨
Thank you so much for these kind words, David - I miss writing this column so much and am stumped as to how to continue creative musical writing, and it is so nice to be seen. A truly gorgeous album and one of my favorite discoveries of this journey.
"In A Silent Way" was the opening act of the subgenre, but "Bitches Brew", released in the following year with most of the same musicians, brought it mainstream with its massive commercial success.
The first Miles Davis album I purchased as a teenager was “In a Silent Way”, which I would later learn was an inflection point for him. It led me to his earlier work, including “Kind of Blue.” That recording featured what some people call the Mount Rushmore of jazz: Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmie Cobb, all of whom were giants in their own right, and most of whom went on to lead their own bands.
With “In a Silent Way,” he began diverging radically from mainstream jazz, introducing electric instrumentation and rock percussion but with a restrained, almost ambient texture.
His next album, “Bitches Brew,” was more radical and more aggressive. It was also the “big bang” of the fusion movement. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, and Chick Corea are widely considered the Big Four fusion bands and all four acts were founded by members of the ensemble that recorded “Bitches Brew.”
It says something that Miles Davis could pull this off not once but twice — making a category-defining record with a team of soon-to-be all-stars.
This article beautifully captures the essence of jazz fusion as both a natural evolution and a bold leap into uncharted soundscapes. The metaphor of jazz's "evaporation" leading to avant-garde "oases" is spot-on—such a poetic way to describe the genre’s resilience and reinvention.
The focus on In a Silent Way as a pivotal moment is perfect—Miles Davis truly made fusion feel inevitable, blending rock’s edge with jazz’s soul in a way that still feels celestial. The imagery of Davis as a "brilliantly blazing sun" entering the track gave me chills—it’s exactly how his trumpet feels in that moment.
This piece is not just insightful but makes me want to revisit the album with fresh ears and appreciate the audacity of its quiet revolution. A fantastic read for anyone who loves music history or simply admires the beauty of creative risk-taking! 🎺✨
Thank you so much for these kind words, David - I miss writing this column so much and am stumped as to how to continue creative musical writing, and it is so nice to be seen. A truly gorgeous album and one of my favorite discoveries of this journey.
Your writing is so good, don't give up keep it coming, you got this.
"In A Silent Way" was the opening act of the subgenre, but "Bitches Brew", released in the following year with most of the same musicians, brought it mainstream with its massive commercial success.
Nice post, nice pick.
The first Miles Davis album I purchased as a teenager was “In a Silent Way”, which I would later learn was an inflection point for him. It led me to his earlier work, including “Kind of Blue.” That recording featured what some people call the Mount Rushmore of jazz: Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmie Cobb, all of whom were giants in their own right, and most of whom went on to lead their own bands.
With “In a Silent Way,” he began diverging radically from mainstream jazz, introducing electric instrumentation and rock percussion but with a restrained, almost ambient texture.
His next album, “Bitches Brew,” was more radical and more aggressive. It was also the “big bang” of the fusion movement. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, and Chick Corea are widely considered the Big Four fusion bands and all four acts were founded by members of the ensemble that recorded “Bitches Brew.”
It says something that Miles Davis could pull this off not once but twice — making a category-defining record with a team of soon-to-be all-stars.