A Tribute To Jack Johnson
If *Bitches Brew* is the revolutionary jazz fusion album and *On the Corner* is dirty street-funk masterpiece, then 1971’s *A Tribute to Jack Johnson* is Miles Davis’ exemplary answer to rock. The two tracks here (assembled from two sessions in 1970) were the soundtrack for a film about controversial African-American boxer Jack Johnson, whose taste for the high life resonated with Davis. For rock you need electric guitar, and both John McLaughlin (whose slashing rhythm playing on “Right Off” and general riffage are some his finest moments set to tape) and Sonny Sharrock can be heard here. Session visitor Herbie Hancock (who had business elsewhere in the studio) and Chick Corea are also on hand, as are funk bassist Michael Henderson and drummers Billy Cobham and Jack DeJohnette, among others. This is more stripped-down than the densely layered *Bitches Brew*, with the spooky opening to “Yesternow” offering some of Davis’ most direct playing ever. Those who can’t get enough of this endless boogie can also check out *The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions*, which features 42 tracks.
In the spring of 1970, Miles Davis was fresh off his trailblazing, artistic watermarks In a Silent Way and Bitches ...
For the first time since 1992,Rolling Stone'sdefinitive classic returns to the scene, completely updated and revised to include the past decade's artists and sounds. When it comes to sorting the truly great from the merely mediocre, the enduring from the fleeting,The New Rolling Stone Album Guideprovides music buffs and amateurs alike with authoritative guidance from the best voices in the field. Filled with insightful commentary, it not only reviews the most influential albums of all time, but also features biographical overviews of key artists' careers, giving readers a look at the personalities behind the music.This fourth edition contains an impressive -- 70 percent -- amount of new material. Readers will find fresh updates to entries on established artists, hundreds of brand-new entries on the people and recordings that epitomize the '90s and the sounds of the 21st century -- from Beck to OutKast to the White Stripes and beyond -- along with a new introduction detailing changes in the music industry.Celebrating the diversity of popular music and its constant metamorphoses, with thousands of entries and reviews on every sound from blues to techno,The New Rolling Stone Album Guideis the only resource music lovers need to read.
None of Miles Davis' recordings has been more shrouded in mystery than Jack Johnson, yet none has better fulfilled Davis' promise that he could form the "greatest rock band you ever heard."
This set, a very full LP brought out on a single CD, was one of the series that old Miles Davis fans regarded as horrors when originally released.