Miles Davis - Dark Magus (2CD) (1977) {1997 Columbia Legacy}
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Genre: jazz
Dark Magus is a live album by Miles Davis, originally released in Japan in 1977. This was remastered in 1997 by Columbia Legacy.
DISC 1
1. Moja (Part 1) (12:28)
2. Moja (Part 2) (12:40)
3. Wili (Part 1) (14:20)
4. Wili (Part 2) (10:44)
DISC 2
1. Tatu (Part 1) (18:47)
2. Tatu (Part 2) (''Calypso Frelimo'') (6:29)
3. Nne (Part 1) (''Ife'') (15:19)
4. Nne (Part 2) (10:11)
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All compositions by [b]Miles Davis[/b]
Recorded live on March 30, 1974 at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
PERSONNEL
Miles Davis-trumpet, organ
Dave Liebman-flute-2, soprano sax-1, tenor sax
Azar Lawrence-tenor sax-3
Reggie Lucas-guitar
Pete Cosey-guitar
Dominique Gaumont-guitar
Michael Henderson-electric bass
Al Foster-drums
Mtume-percussion
Original recordings produced by Teo Macero
Digitally mastered by Tom Ruff, Sony Music Studios, NYC
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Perhaps more fully than any other of Miles Davis' '70s fusion albums, Dark Magus represents Davis' departure from traditional jazz and his arrival, well, somewhere else - somewhere few musicians will ever dare to tread.
Entirely recorded live on March 30, 1974 at Carnegie Hall in New York, this two-disc set shows Miles Davis and his rather large band exploring the furthest reaches of something that can well be described as free-form acid funk. Much of this set is loud, repetitive and largely dependent on heavy-handed polyrhythmic percussion. No less than three guitarists are heard here and the resulting wall of fuzz and wah-wah is overtly inspired by Jimi Hendrix's more extreme flights of fancy. It's hard to imagine this sort of performance happening at Carnegie Hall, but Miles Davis was pretty much a legend by this time. He could probably have played to sold out crowds in any venue in the world whether the audience understood what he was doing at the time or not.
The first track on Dark Magus, "Moja (Part 1)" sets the tone for the album, beginning with some rather ham-fisted open hi-hat bashing (courtesy of drummer Al Foster) that lets the listener know instantly this is no ordinary jazz album. The rest of the track is basically a solo spot for Davis' pained trumpet playing. He honks, squeals and creates some elephantine sounds via the ubiquitous wah pedal. In the background the rest of the band sounds like some giant, ugly, clumsy, but very fast multi-limbed creature that is running, tripping over itself, getting up and running some more. The overall atmosphere is dark, oppressive and possibly just a bit scary, but it's also fun and adventurous for those who can handle it.
"Moja (Part 2)" finds the band taking things down a notch and experimenting with some more atmospheric grooves throughout which percussionist James Mtume interjects some primitive drum machine which he slows down and speeds up without regard for the tempo the rest of the band is playing in. This is a very cool and unique idea that pops up regularly throughout the album. Of course, this is only after a searing sax solo by Dave Liebman and a soaring, free-time guitar solo by one of the three guitarists.
The rest of the album carries on in similar territory as the first two tracks. The accent here is on groove, whether slow or fast. Rhythms upon rhythms over which Davis, the guitarists or the saxophonists could do their thing were pretty much the name of the game that March night. Sometimes one can see how this album's sound and feel are reflexive of what bands like King Crimson or possibly even Magma were doing in their live shows at the time. Of course, both of those bands were coming from a much more European angle than Davis' afro-centric approach, but Magma's obsession with repetitive rhythm, King Crimson's brand of collective improvisation, as well as the maximalism and dissonant tendencies of both bands are mirrored here.
Dark Magus is probably not the best album with which to be introduced to Miles Davis' fusion work, as this is pretty strong stuff. It's not as weird as say, Henry Cow, but it is incredibly intense in its relentless pursuit of long-winded and noisy rhythmic jams. This album's weakness lies in a certain lack of variation across its two discs, as a lot of the material on here begins to sound the same after awhile. Those already familiar with some of Davis' work from this time period are encouraged to investigate it, however, and see just how far out Miles could go.
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