Miles Davis already had In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew under his belt - if you weren't convinced that he was the king of jazz fusion, this should do the track. Davis was approached by boxing promoter Bill Clayton to create a soundtrack for a documentary about boxer Jack Johnson. Davis was moved by Johnson's story, and the resulting album for the film would be his second soundtrack, with the 1957 Ascenseur pourl'éafaud predating it by a number of years. As typical with Davis' work at this time, fusion dominates the party, and while the album isn't quite as exciting as Bitches Brew from 1970 or the Live-Evil album from later in 1971, Jack Johnson may very well be his best composed work. Smooth and powerful jazz grooves contrasting with haunting, beautiful pieces of music throughout to create a piece of music that continuously leaves you wondering what will happen next. It's a masterfully proficient album, both in stylistic cohesion as well as the consistently impressive nature of the band.
Two pieces, each over 20 minutes, make up the album. You would think for a soundtrack that constricting yourself to one or two incredibly long pieces would be detrimental, but Miles is such an efficient music composer, and his group so eclectic and varied, that he can make it sound like four different music pieces, each one with its own distinct style and feel. "Right Off" opens with a driving rhythm and soaring guitar playing from the legendary John McLaughlin, and before you know it Miles is blasting away a fantastic solo on his trumpet. One of the strongest aspects of this album is how smoothly Davis can switch between moods and stylings - in the middle of the howling trumpet and rich rhythm of "Right Off," Davis breaks into a haunting, reverberated solo that sent chills down my spine during first listen. After a little while, we go into a funky bass solo before going into the hardest rocking moment I think I could expect out of a jazz album. It's a hell of a piece, arguably more complex and rich than anything on Silent Way. Did I mention this is only the first song?
"Yesternow" might be one of Davis' best pieces. The first half is a low groove, built off a funky James Brown inspired bass line, courtesy of Michael Henderson. The soft bass and drums are only punctuated by Davis' wailing trumpet and McLaughlin's guitar walls. It begins to pick up, but only for a little, before Miles does a new, haunting solo over "Shh/Peaceful" from In a Silent Way - the new solo is chilling and beautiful, and contrasts brilliantly with the original recording in what is easily one of the most stunningly gorgeous moments on the album. It completely changes the mood and atmosphere of the track. After that shivering reprieve, we go into a rich, hypnotic jazz-funk track, complete with a driving drumline from Jack DeJohnette and a soaring guitar solo from Sonny Sharrock. As the album ends with a voice-over from Brock Peters, everything feels whole.
Do I prefer the creative, brilliantly written and planned Jack Johnson to the chaotic fury of Bitches Brew? As of writing, I don't think so, but who knows? Out of all of his fusion albums I've heard up to this point, Jack Johnson is his most well-executed, humble, adventurous excursion he's had yet - what it lacks in the pure apocalyptic energy of Live-Evil or Bitches Brew is made up for in a certain deliberately calculated brilliance - more than anything, it's probably his best thought out record. Jack Johnson could very well become a favorite someday, and it's ambition and love continues to grow on me even as I write this reflection on the album.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to A Tribute to Jack Johnson.
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