Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 — September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter with a recording career that spanned nearly five decades. In the late 1940s, Davis collaborated with Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan on the nonet sessions that became the Birth of the Cool LP (1957). He later formed his first great quintet […]
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a multinational jazz-rock ensemble headed by English guitarist John McLaughlin, who led two lineups during their original six-album run. The first incarnation was a five-piece band with Czech keyboardist Jan Hammer, Irish bassist Rick Laird, and two Americans: violinist Jerry Goodman and drummer Billy Cobham. They released the 1971–73 Columbia albums […]
Tony Williams (1945–1997) was an American jazz drummer who emerged in the second Miles Davis Quintet. As Anthony Williams, he cut the 1965/66 Blue Note albums Life Time and Spring. After Miles, Williams formed Lifetime, a pioneering jazz-rock band that cut the 1969–72 Polydor albums Emergency!, Turn It Over, Ego, and The Old Bum’s Rush. […]
Shakti was an Indian ethno-jam band that collaborated with guitarist John McLaughlin on three albums in 1976/77 on Columbia/CBS. Members: John McLaughlin (acoustic guitar), Shankar (violin), Zakir Hussain (tabla), Vikku Vinayakram (ghatam, mridangam), Ramnad Raghavan (mridangam) Background Shakti emerged in the early 1970s as a fully acoustic fusion ensemble built on equal dialogue between South […]
Bitches Brew is the second album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on March 30, 1970, on Columbia Records. The album fully realized the jazz-rock fusion direction Davis had been exploring, pushing it to its furthest, most abstract limits. It combined free-form jazz improvisation with a dense, electrified sound. The […]
In a Silent Way is the first album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on July 30, 1969, on Columbia Records. The album marked a dramatic change in Davis’s musical direction. Following the more acoustic, post-bop sound of his second quintet, In a Silent Way pioneered the genre of jazz […]
A Tribute to Jack Johnson is the third studio album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on February 24, 1971, on Columbia Records. The album is a fiery, muscular exploration of hard rock, funk, and jazz fusion. It was conceived as the soundtrack for the documentary film of the same […]
Get Up With It is an album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on November 22, 1974, on Columbia Records. The album is a sprawling, retrospective collection of previously unreleased material recorded between 1970 and 1974. It spans the entire sonic palette of Davis’s electric period, from the hard funk […]
Journey to Love is the third album by American jazz-rock bassist Stanley Clarke, released in 1975 on Nemperor. Tracklist: A1. “Silly Putty” (4:40) A2. “Journey to Love” (4:54) A3. “Hello Jeff” (5:16) A4. “Song to John (Part 1) (Dedicated to John Coltrane)” (4:20) B1. “Song to John (Part 2) (Dedicated to John Coltrane)” (6:05) B2. “Concerto […]
Visions of the Emerald Beyond is an album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released in February 1975 on Columbia. The album is the fourth chronological studio release under the Mahavishnu nameplate and the second to feature the mark II lineup with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and drummer Narada Michael Walden. A1. “Eternity’s Breath – Part 1” (3:10) […]
John McLaughlin (born Jan. 4, 1942) is an English jazz-rock guitarist from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, active on the international jazz scene since the late 1960s. In 1969, he joined Tony Williams Lifetime for three albums and also appeared on the sessions for Miles Davis‘ seminal electrification releases In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew (1970). […]
Birds of Fire is the second studio album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on March 26, 1973, on Columbia Records. A1. “Birds of Fire” (5:50) The title track opens with a ceremonial gong strike, echoed by a swarm of guitar harmonics and tremolo textures that build immediate intensity. John McLaughlin initiates a […]
Apocalypse is the third studio album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, produced by George Martin and released in April 1974 on Columbia Records. A1. “Power of Love” (4:36) The album opens in subdued form as strings from the London Symphony Orchestra establish a slow, pulsing atmosphere. McLaughlin contributes lightly voiced acoustic guitar figures […]
Devotion is the second solo album by English jazz-rock guitarist John McLaughlin, released in 1970 on Douglas Music. Tracklist: A1. “Devotion” (11:250 A2. “Dragon Song” (4:13) B1. “Marbles” (4:05) B2. “Siren” (5:55) B3. “Don’t Let the Dragon Eat Your Mother” (5:18) B4. “Purpose of When” (4:45) Credits: John McLaughlin — guitar, writer Buddy Miles — drums, […]
The Inner Mounting Flame is the debut album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on November 3, 1971, on Columbia Records. 1. “Meeting of the Spirits” – 6:52 “Meeting of the Spirits” opens the album with a sequence of sharply punctuated ensemble hits that establish the piece’s underlying tension. Cobham initiates motion through […]
Love Devotion Surrender is a collaborative album between American Latin-rock guitarist Carlos Santana and English jazz-rock guitarist John McLaughlin, released in 1973 on Columbia. Tracklist: A1. “A Love Supreme” (7:48) A2. “Naima” (3:09) A3. “The Life Divine” (9:30) B1. “Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord” (15:45) B2. “Meditation” (2:45) Credits: Carlos Santana […]
