In A Silent Way

Meh. This made me feel like I was on hold with my insurance company

A masterpiece of creativity; not just the act (all albums do that, I suppose) but the feeling, the process, the thrill. Tune in and tag along as Miles & co head to destinations unknown, laying their tracks as they go, their reach just far enough ahead of their grasp that they don't fall off. Not that the journey feels precipitous, heading for the end of an unfinished bridge, oncmoing train, or slathering mouth of a recently landed outer-space monster. And that's because of THE crucial detail: we're following Miles, who's following his nose, which is the nose of a genius. So unless you're a genius (unlikely, no offense) you ain't felt nothin' like this before.

This was chill, but not too chill. Jazz fusion wasn't as bad as I expected, and the brass instruments really shone through without having an irritating timbre. Also, the cat really liked it. Curled up like the roundest little cinnamon roll.

Miles Davis was smack in the middle of a period of profound transformation musically speaking when In A Silent Way Came Out. Inspired by his young drummer, Tony Williams, Davis was steadily abandoning the advanced harmonic underpinnings of jazz and emphasizing rock and R&B grooves in his music, putting him in the vanguard of the first wave of jazz fusion. The main thing he kept from the 2nd great quintet (Shorter, Williams, Davis, Carter, Hancock) was how the tunes themselves were just templates meant to be fleshed out in performance, and that is the case with a vengeance on In A Silent Way. The first tune, Shhh / Peaceful is 18 minutes and 15 seconds of one chord and a groove. It doesn't get any more basic than that. The only reason it works is because of the musicians: Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Tony Williams, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, and Dave Holland are seven of the greatest musicians to ever pick up an instrument. Each one is a monster player, composer, and band leader in his own right. Even so, there is precious little grandstanding on Shhh / Peaceful. Instead, the musicians weave around one another gracefully, painstakingly building the groove and providing peerless atmospherics that, in hindsight, sound almost proto-ambient. It's a little like slowly turning over the Hope diamond watching an ever changing light show through the facets. The other cut, In A Silent Way, starts with John McLaughlin stating the bucolic folk like melody over an open tuning on guitar. Originally, McLaughlin used Zawinul's jazzy chord changes, but Miles kept goading McLaughlin to go simpler, simpler. Finally, almost as a joke, McLaughlin went with an open E major chord and the rest is history. About ten minutes in, the R&B groove of It's About That Time kicks in. The band swings like crazy before ending the album with a reprise of the main theme. It's hard to overstate how successful Davis is here. On his first attempt at a communally based, performance driven, open ended rock and R&B influenced music, he comes up with a stone classic, only equaled and arguably surpassed by Bitches Brew a year later.

Look, I've listened to this Album on a rainy day, while sipping some red wine and saying words like furthermore and still didn't enjoy it.

This was just 40 minutes of kinda nothing? I have to give it at least 2 because it wasn't outright bad and I could hear there was talent behind it... but 40min of what sounded like an improv jazz interlude was a bit much. 2/5.

This is probably one of the most ignorant things I could ever say but I genuinely reckon that if I knew how to technically play a trumpet then I could do what Miles does here. Inane.

Excellent album. Excellent moods. Seamless movement from expression to expression and every instrument contributing in a way that makes them each stand out on their own and yet somehow simultaneously get lost in a blend that is something infinitely more than the sum of those parts. Something approximating the music a rat might hear when they trying cheese and grapes together.

I just can’t do this. Improvisational jazz is the oil to my water. The first couple minutes of In A Silent Way is my favorite part of the album.

Man, this 1001 albums thing is getting me to reconsider jazz. Maybe my mood was right today...on another day I might have complained that essentially they're noodling around a couple of themes for 20 minutes, but the word that kept coming to my mind was CAPTIVATING. Both pieces just evoked certain moods and I found myself transfixed throughout my first listen. Time went by faster than I expected - I was actually surprised each piece was over, even though both clock in at almost 20 minutes (can't believe they recorded this thing in a day). Again, maybe I just caught it on exactly the right day at exactly the right time, but it connected with me. Second listen (a little more background this time - I had work to do!) was just as enjoyable and I was again surprised when it was over. Gotta give it a 5 for that captivating feeling. Wow.

2 songs. 38 mins. flex

This album sounds like "hold music?" Y'know, I don't very much like to make commentary on other people's reviews. I mean, I don't think anyone's here for that, and I'd rather focus on trying to express my own opinions than spend my time having a one-sided debate or argument with someone else's. Absolutely, honestly, it'd be a waste of review to do that. But, like... The top-rated review of this album is a 2-outta-5 calling it hold music. And enough people, who knows how many, agreed with it to make it the top-rated review. Frankly, I don't know what insurance companies these people are getting stuck on hold with if anything on this album sounds like hold music. Not a single instance that reminded me of Kenny G, anywhere. I mean, most hold music isn't made to be anything more than pleasant-enough background music to keep your ear occupied while you wait six hours. To suggest that this album is as mild and unadventurous as that is an insult — in fact, it seems to land on exactly the opposite of this album's mission. Now, look, I was negative years old in 1969. Heck, **my parents** weren't even born yet, I'm sure. I can't exactly remark on the controversy this album stirred up in the jazz scene, but just knowing that it was controversial... I mean, I can't say I can't hear it. This is some adventurous jazz fusion. I mean, electric piano like this? I can't recall the last time I heard something like that on a jazz album — and it's great. Especially on "In A Silent Way"; that song's downright pretty. And the thing is, these are long songs — this album's two long, and they both approach 20 minutes — but they're never boring songs. Really, they both fit into the two ways I figure makes a perfect jazz album. These songs are a journey-and-a-half hearing where they go next, so, hey, if you're into listening to jazz for its complexities, it's no THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME, but it'll still be right up your alley. By that same token, they're, yes, pleasant to listen to; to get lost in — so if you're into jazz for a good atmosphere, absolutely, you'll love this. I mean, there's no shame in that sort of thing — let's just not add on the extra disqualifier that they're meant to be ignored, because they absolutely aren't. The album's a big ol' 5 from me. Like, put aside any rebuttals I have against randos for their opinions — which, let's be clear, are absolutely valid, no matter what I think. It's just an incredible work. I'm thinking back to every instrumental jazz album I've heard before, from Frank Zappa's to the stuff I've discovered on this list, and I can't think of one I liked better than this. Maybe ELLINGTON AT NEWPORT for "Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue", but even there I'd call it a pretty close tie. It's just... Oof, way. Immaculate. And not even in a very loud way. Goodness. I mean, seriously, if I called the bank and they served me up either of these songs as hold music... Well, it'd probably sound like ass comin' out of whatever machine they play hold music on, but still, y'know? I'd hardly complain.

An enthralling listen. Even if you don't know/care about its legendary status as the first jazz-rock fusion album, you will enjoy the music.

Ethereal, spare, transcendental. Jazz but not Jazz. Ambient textures, moods over melody. A masterpiece in minimalism that continues to influence. Its ground breaking cut and paste production stitched together by Teo Macero was ahead of its time, much like this album. Bitches Brew would send out musical shockwaves across the world six months later, but all the elements of that record, albeit more restrained, were present here first.

I CUM

I ended up listening to 5 hours of Miles Davis. Smooth music

Another jazz album that shows how little I know about jazz. I'd probably give this a 2.5 if I could. Don't know why, but I found it rather annoying at parts. Sorry jazz fans.

When it locks into a groove, this is fine stuff. But there's too much mumbling around for this to be a fun listen. I always thought Miles was overrated and this does nothing to change my mind.

Bitches Brew might get more of the accolades, but for me, In A Silent Way is top. …and by the way, should you ever find yourself about to make an absurd claim for the entire world to see, like this one… “I genuinely reckon that if I knew how to technically play a trumpet then I could do what Miles does here” …do yourself a favor, take Miles Davis’ advice and find a way to express that “in a silent way”.

Do I have to do this? Yes, I will do this. This is the album that changed my life, and that still surprises me anew every so often. Of the many things I have learnt (thus far) from In A Silent Way, the most influential was the presence of the edit as a live instrument. The raw material was recorded in a three hour session; Miles and Macero did not rearrange it as much as reconceptualize it, conjuring something that clearly belonged to the source but said something different altogether. One gets the sense of working through a maze in the dark: there is a destination, but experimentation, muscle memory and optimism are the only things that can take you to that end point. It is an exaggeration to say that if I had to chose my Desert Island Discs, I'd take eight copies of this one. But I would be quite happy with this alone, should it come to it.

This is a beautiful, dreamy album. It's one of his first forays in jazz fusion and it's a winner. I've listened to it enough times to know that this Aussie gives it five bags of Pods out of five.

Miles the Magnificent

Nope. While I guess I can appreciate the technical ability on display here, it's not, on any level, an enjoyable listening experience. Both tracks (because there are only two) are repetitive, atonal, empty of melody, and utterly lacking in structure. Saved from a one-star review because the musicianship is good. Too bad they didn't put those skills to better use.

I don’t understand jazz. This sounds like a 40 minute warm up

...I somehow thought this would be boring. Amazing!!! I feel like I'm listening to Pink Floyd for the first time again. That trumpet is godly. I get why people like Jazz now. SO MUCH SOUL IN THIS. Had me grinning like a maniac.

Wow, this album is stellar. Two tracks, the musicians all seem so in-tune with each other, but it all feels so relaxed and original. (This list is really getting me into Miles I guess?) 4.5/5

If there’s any artist that isn’t built for this challenge, for a “first, quick listen” it’s Miles. Dylan, Prince and Bowie qualify too, and they all have one thing in common: a long and illustrious recording career, but a sense, sometimes a passion, to reject following a creative path expected of them by fans and/or their record label. True artists with a “I don’t give a fuck” personality that is driven to follow their personal muse, even if it meant commercial pain. In all these cases it’s led to some transcendent work, multiple times over the course of their careers. Miles is probably the gold standard of this approach, literally changing the course of Jazz at least half a dozen times over his lifetime, almost to the point I was intimidated about diving deep into his discography…it was almost too overwhelming. Then I saw this Netflix documentary, and it changed everything for me. I “got” Miles, and it really opened a doorway into his music and more. A year in and I’m still discovering SO many special moments in his music, and I haven’t even gotten past his mid-fifties output, he was so prodigious. So the 4-rating is simply that I need more time to dive into this masterpiece from his Electric Era. I’m patient: the joys to be gained from getting to know his art is more than worth it 🍷🍷🍷

I am not well versed in music theory, or any of that kind of smart music. That being said, there are several jazz albums that I really like, and In A Silent Way is one of them. There's something so lively about the music and perfect about this album that fails to come through on a lot of other jazz "classics" in my opinion. While the mix isn't perfect, it makes the songs feel more lived in if that makes any sense at all. I want to liken it to a hole in the wall that you find walking downtown and enter the most beautiful jazz club with the best jazz you've ever heard. The gut reaction is to live in that moment and take it all in, but since its a live jazz improvisation, you want to get a recording of it, so you put your phone down on the table to maybe capture some of the magic of the moment. Words are difficult. I really enjoyed this jazz album, and I hope you do too. Highlights: 1, and 2.

Very Jazz. Really enjoyed it. Great background music whilst I work. Must revisit. It was a soundscape.

A hypnotic album that sits at the end of one era and the beginning of the next, while remaining its own thing.

This album is a fun, immersive listen and exactly what I’m looking for when I want to dive into jazz. It’s smooth, atmospheric, and effortlessly cool, with a laid-back vibe that draws you in. Miles Davis and his band create a soundscape that feels both easygoing and adventurous. Perfect for getting lost in.

When I was younger, the names of prominent jazz musicians kept striking my walls as paintings that I couldn't quite understand. The colors and shapes were all in front of me and yet I stayed far from names such as Coltrane, Mingus, Hancock, etc. I had an interest in wanting to understand these works of music, but I just wasn't ready for it. Another name that can fit into this category is Davis, Miles that is. I've heard about his classics for years now: Kind Of Blue, Birth of The Cool, Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson and now this one: In A Silent Way. I had never found the right time to be able to sit down and interpret his work for myself, so thankfully this project can given me the opportunity. I find that I am a much more matured individual when it comes to music and what I can conclude upon hearing this record is a better understanding of what I'm hearing. The ambient focus of the first track would have alienated me at a young age, but now I hear something greater. There's something so enticing about how light and open that track is. I find its tranquility to be endearing. The second track starts off beautifully before transitioning into a more upbeat movement. The way this record moves around is unlike anything I've heard up to this point. It has its own unique and relaxing vibration where it lets the percussion, keys, guitar and bass do the heavy lifting. The addition of Wayne Shorter's sax or Miles' trumpet is merely an added flavor to this harmonious affair. In other words, a star in the sky that hasn't faded (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

my goat right here

Wow. I listen to some jazz now and then and have a couple of Miles's albums (Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain), but I had not heard this album. I have missed out! I would probably rather listen to this than Kind of Blue, and given the accolades that album gets, that's saying a lot. I listened to it three times today. The playing is tight but not showy, and everything fits together really well. This album might not get the same mainstream attention, but it’s easily one of his most compelling.

5/5. don’t make me choose between the two tracks.

Незвичний музичний формат, але тим і прекрасний.

Amazing album, a great first foray into “electric” music for Miles. This album and the later “tribute to Jack Johnson” are both great examples of this rock leaning era of Miles. I really enjoy it, but it’s not for everyone. Took me a few listens back in the day to get it. I do think it's fairly accessible, if you look at it as a proto funk album and less as a jazz album. Still, a great album overall.

Okay, you guys did this on purpose, somehow, didn't you? My last album was The Message (extended)-Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and I argued that is not an album and therefore couldn't recieve a 5 because it only has 5 songs and is 35 minutes long which is barely enough to be an album, and this comes up with 2 fucking songs at 38 minutes, and I was considering giving it a 5, but my former decision gives me pause.

Exactly what I needed today. And probably tomorrow.

In a Silent Way is Miles Davis' most underrated album. Most people point to Kind of Blue or Bitches Brew but for me this is his best album by far. Although it contains only two songs (both made up of two parts each, so actually four) but they are filled to the brim with some of his best playing, ideas and composing. Additionally, he changed his sound into a more Psychedelic Jazz-Fusion style and got new artists into his band to roll out that new sound. One of them is the legendary John McLaughlin but also people like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinful and Wayne Shorter meaning this thing is an absolute powerhouse. And they created an absolute masterpiece that blends Jazz Fusion with a very atmospheric and often dark sound that still has a lot of diversity and as well as soothing and mellow passages. The album starts with 'Shhh / Peaceful' which takes up the first half with around 18 minutes of playtime and brings in a mix of the established Modal Jazz sound he's been doing for a decade together with the new Fusion ideas as well as a bit of Avant-Garde playing here and there. On top of that it all follows the very Cool Jazz additude that makes his career and playing so poignant in the first place. The track starts with the sound of an Organ around which more and more instruments get together and just play a ton of lovely melodies and ideas around a certain theme. It just flows from one instrument taking mainstage presence into the next with all of them feeling like they work together beautifully. Sometimes a little bit weird or Avant-Garde but this is Jazz of course it'll be a little bit weird here and there and this is really not that strong here which is a good thing because I think that too much Avant-Garde would disembody the atmospheric nature of the track. After certain ideas are established and the guitar takes the the centre together with the electric piano, the song really starts with the psychedelic influences and creates a beautifully hypnotizing effect that pretty much lasts for the entire duration of the song. There are such beautiful moments woven into all of it that it not only makes a perfect night time album but often just a great album to appreciate the calm moments of life. And everytime Miles Davis returns with a beautiful trumpet improv it really filps everything over and shows a new side of the song but in a different light and angle. And the song goes back and forth it returns in a split of a moment back to the theme at the start and again gives same ideas a different light with the same atmosphere but all different and with even more psychedelic sounds until it returns to the start once again and let's Miles himself finish this song by building some intense tension that is released slowly by a more and more quiet playing from everyone. This entire song is simply perfect! The second side starts with the title track 'In a Silent Way / It's About That Time' of which that first part is composed by Joe Zawinful which plays out very calm, nearly Ambient but full of beauty especially with the guitar that transitions into Miles' trumpet. I think that this guitar/trumpet part right here at the start sounds exactly like the album cover art looks like. After this "intro" it suddenly changes its pace very fast and turns into a more energetic and more Avant-Garde playing that with the Jazz-Funk influences feels totally different than the start of the track. After it calms down and settles into a more atmospheric sound which is still more energetic than the title part, it again turns into a calm and hypnotic listen that beautifully transitions between the different instruments and playstyles including a wonderful guitar passage that very much embodies this first wave of Miles' Jazz Fusion adventures. But of course the sax, the pianos, the organ, the rhythm section and Miles Davis all do a wonderful of giving this part incredible life and love that really pays off with the way it's structured and flows from part to part. And although I still love this part, it is definitely the weakest on the album. It then transitions back into the Ambient beauty of the title part with less rhythm, mainly driven by the piano, organ, guitar and the trumpet to finish the track which again, is absolutely beautiful and definitely a perfect song as a whole. favourites: Shhh / Peaceful, In a Silent Way / It's About That Time least favourites: none (If I had to choose a part: It's About That Time) Rating: decent to strong 10 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Going into this album preemptively knowing everything I did about Miles Davis, this album was pretty much exactly what I expected. There was only 1 thing about this that subverted my expectations; I loved it. The idea of listening to two 20 minute long instrumental experimental jazz songs was daunting, but wow it was great. Somehow it manages to remain interesting all the way through and keep my attention without being annoying or repetitive. I also love how immersive this album feels, there are very few albums out there where I can just sit down and listen to them, I almost always have to be doing something, even if it's small. But with this, the music is so immersive that I can literally just sit down and listen to it and not feel the need to distract myself with anything. Which is especially impressive considering that this is also in instrumental album.

5.0 - If “In A Silent Way" sounds like the onset of sweet slumber, "Bitches' Brew" is your feverish nightmare. I hear many similarities between the two records - the echoey trumpet, the interplay between electric organ and guitar, the approach to composition involving the stitching together of recordings from different sessions. Whereas BB rejoices in chaotic explosions and jagged textures, "In A Silent Way" floats in a gentle and hushed dreamscape.

Sometimes my favorite MD album, always reveals new and interesting elements with each new listen. Until yesterday Bitch's Brew was new to me but not new to me because In a Silent Way is an old favorite cloth. Bitches Brew might be more ambitious and more varied but I still prefer In a Silent Way for its more consistent mood and its the beautiful atmosphere it creates in each song. No brainer; 5

Life is a river, and you can either yield to the currents or kick against it. Miles knows that, and finds that by yielding to the currents you wind up down all manner of tributaries you never expected to go down, and drift past sights you’d never have the time to notice if you’re kicking. And anyway, you all end up at the same place downriver anyway. It’s the journey isn’t it? Suffice to say, I loved it.

Nutty album. Low 5 from me

CoooooooOooOoooooooOooOoooOOOOOOOOooool shit

Very nice and chill. This is a great listen on an early morning.

I hadnt seen this album before. I liked it. The two sides were both good, but very different.

Davis hit the target on first go here; I’m glad he moved on, but this encapsulates and surpasses all kinds of smooth that decayed to lounge at speed. I’ll plug again his later, much rawer “A Tribute to Jack Johnson”.

Interesting listen, perhaps can hear some Krautrock origins in the fusion arrangements. I've played this 5 times over the weekend and can't remember a single motif, however..

Hard mot to enjoy Miles. This is pretty much a slight exploration album - and isa nice listen - especially as background,

Track one is a really pleasant listen but didn't hook me, but the second track blew me away! Will be putting it on regularly.

I can dig it. Some parts are a little too jazz noodling for me but I absolutely loved In a Silent Way. Cool guy.

When mom says you can listen to 2 more songs before bedtime

I can tell that this was when Miles Davis changed direction and experimented, as it is a little clunky in some respects, but you do have to remind yourself that this sound was still from the 60's and does sound way ahead it's time. Its not an easy listen but you can tell from this he would go on and improve this kind of sound to greater things in later material. The man was a genius.

Jazz init

If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.

Maybe I'm just not cerebral enough for jazz music but so much of this just sounds like elevator music. He's obviously incredibly talented, but I can't imagine putting this on and spinning it just because I love it so much. It's fine, nothing special

I had this on cassette years ago. It was perfect personal stereo headphones on staring into a rain lashed train window on a long journey by night music. Then I had it on CD and lay in bed hungover on Sunday with it on. Now I have a vinyl copy and look out at the foliage of all the back gardens and the abandoned caravan park I can see out of my window typing this.

Es Miles Davis Intimo, melancolico, y particularmente experimental Me atrevo a decir que es un 9/10, pero tiremos para arriba la nota

nice and minimal

Exactly what I expected. Magnificent. The quality of the musicianship on this album is probably close to perfection as you can get: Herbie Hancock and John McCloughin add a depth of musicality that is transcendental.

Surprisingly enjoyed it.

Wonderful

I had this in my MP3 collection. But never listened to it. WOW! Genius is thrown around, probably too much. But Miles had it...here's an example.

I've been almost dreading this one: how can I even begin to write a review of In A Silent Way that does it justice; I have no idea. There's the circumstances of when I heard it for the first time, in the cool flat of my bohemian collegue who'd put it on, joints were involved, likely, wine, possibly. And how it blew my mind, then. How it opened my ears. But that would be cheesy, even if true. Then there's how it continued to blew my mind, for years. How it's unmistakably the mayhem of fusion jazz, but light, airy and wispy. Simultaneously, with structure and purpose. How it's serious, deep, and for some people apparently difficult music while Davis instructed his fellow musicians to play as if they'd been just introduced to their respective instruments. How intent listening rewards you with all those riffs and licks shimmering in its undulating flow. How timeless it is, while it absolutely is an artwork from when Hendrix played Woodstock. And then, today, while the sensation of having my mind blown has worn off, I always happily return to it like meeting an old friend. I might also pick up something another reviewer has made me realise: this album is the shortest 40 minutes of music ever recorded. Whatever I would say, in that review: "In A Silent Way" is my most important album in all of these 1001. If aliens landed in front of me and demanded a piece of humankind's culture, I'd play them this. One Million Stars.

You’ve got to love miles Davis’s brilliant album.

Put it on for my 40 minute bike ride home. Ended up taking me 60 minutes and I started listening to it again because I was so relaxed I wasn't riding my bike fast.

Listening to this album was like falling in love for the first time. Unpredictable, indescribable, and full of highs and lows.

Friday album so had a full weekend with this one. Listened to it 3 times over the weekend and saw it is great

Love this album!

Incredible, beautiful and serene music. Immediately creates a chilled atmosphere and builds on it, some of the best musicians of the 20th century. Perfect close your eyes and listen album

Despite 2 mega tracks still found myself noticing clear musical divides. Its like a Jam of the most amazing artists of their respective instruments. Top quality. I would say at times its a little repetitive but thankfully mostly in a mediative, trance like way. With it always building or winding towards something and if you really listen there is always a sub note track going on. I still maintain its hard to get the most out of Jazz without being there live but the mood they generated in this was outstanding. Played to the title and tracks to perfection. Loved the odd crackle and mild airy tone on Trumpet Miles gets in there as well. To play a trumpet so clean and mild yet chuckiung in the odd delicate imperfection is amazing. Got better with each listen. Now, if you'll excuse me, I suddenly have an urge to dust off my old trumpet and resurrect my dire blowing skills.

This is the kind of music you have to fully immerse yourself in and let yourself fall into the instruments. It's just so full of emotions. Songs saved: Both Album saved: Yes

Now this is what I'm talking. Smooth and enjoyable. Truly a please to listen to. Peaceful is most likely my fav. Fun album indeed. Reminds me of a 70's cop TV show's episode music.

Sublime

The first track is more of a soundscape than a melody, though it also has movements, and you're either going to go with it or resist it. The title track is easier to settle into and is really beautiful. Not the easiest thing to get into, but reading reviews and appreciation of this album confirms some impressions and gives language for others: psychedelic, fusion, minimalism, negative capability. One guy compared it to Dylan going electric. Like so much of Davis's work, this album deserves to be listened to on vinyl on a hot night with a bottle of wine. It grows on me every time I hear it.

This one is special. It hits all of my buttons. It makes me want to go back and knock my other 5-star albums down a star. After all these years I'm still being hooked by new grooves or hearing a new lick. (By the way, I peeked at what's ahead and since it won't be coming up, let me here suggest "On the Corner" as required listening if you were into this one.)

So dreamy and definitely going straight to my instrumental playlist

Incredible. I wish it was longer. It felt familiar and new at the same time. It felt like running and swimming.

Mesmo não gostando tanto da fase fusion dele, acho que aqui quando ele começa a experimentar com instrumentos elétricos o Miles Davis consegue criar algumas das sonoridades mais criativas da sua carreira

i’m speechless

At first I was inclined to give 2 stars; its just random notes and trumpet improvising. After listening some more, I remembered that I actually quite like disorganized notes. The trumpet playing is interesting - as a modern trumpeter (albeit not a very good one) it doesn't seem revolutionary, but I also wasn't alive in 1969, so... Also, the bit of it being a full length album consisting of 2 tracks is just so good.

Intimate and seductive. This is an album you can escape to in order to unwind and dispel all toxins from the day.

Very chilled for an afternoon off work

Hva faen

Absolute fucking gold.

Absolutely awesome

bästa jazzen nånsin?

Wow, this was genuinely one of the most magnificent things we have listened to thus far. Ethan shared that this album was the birth of Jazz fusion, which is just why I love this album so much. The electric guitar and electric keyboard did something for me! I fell in love with the drums in the first song; they were pristine in their execution as the trumpet came in and out, the keys adding organ-y interruptions throughout. The star of the show for me, though, was the title track. I loved the piano(?) that welcomed you into the song; it felt like glitter. The guitar was so beautiful, too! My favorite part of the song was the very end portion, where things went quiet and were way more relaxed. The soft trumpet with the glittery keys is out of this world.

A Proto-Ambient Masterpiece 1001 Albums Generator 53 (06/16/2025) Just play it like you don't know how to play guitar. This is the advice that trumpeter, band leader, and jazz legend Miles Davis gave to guitarist John Mclaughlin when Davis was unhappy with his complicated, chord-heavy arrangement that the first part of In A Silent Way was originally based on. Mclaughlin decided to take this to an extreme, stripping the arrangement back to revolving around a single E Major chord, one of the simplest chords on a guitar. To say it was played like a beginner would be disingenuous however; nothing about Mclaughlin's delicate, beautiful playing sounds like something a novice could play. It is also worth noting the guitar itself. This was not an acoustic guitar, which was more traditional for jazz arrangements; instead, Mclaughlin brandished an electric guitar. Meanwhile, Davis had not one, not two, but three of the greatest pianists in jazz history all playing electric keyboards. The trio of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Josef Zawinul add constant layers of keyboards, with the most iconic parts being the organ that starts the whole album at the beginning of Shhh / Peaceful and the descending 3-bar chorda line that repeats throughout various points of the title track. The implementation of electric instrumentation into jazz, while not entirely new (even to Davis, whose last two albums had incorporated sparse electric elements), was very controversial. In A Silent Way is not the first jazz fusion album, as Frank Zappa and Larry Coryell had already started playing with the sound. But, both of these artists came onto the music scene with rock backgrounds. For Miles Davis, the jazz master, to incorporate rock elements into his sound was seen by some as a betrayal of his roots. Can I just say, this whole discourse is so strange in retrospect. This is not a rock album. Besides about two minutes in the title track, it's not even close to a rock album. But to contemporary reviewers, the sound of an organ or a guitar plugged into an amp was enough to classify it as "rock-adjacent". These are not the only players on the album, however. Dave Holland is playing an acoustic bass on this album, and the great Tony Williams has remained from the remnants of Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet. Wayne Shorter's saxophone adds an undeniable jazz element as well. And of course, Miles himself is still on the trumpet. I can only imagine that these reviewers' minds exploded when Davis started playing organ on later albums, but for now, he remains on the brass. His compositional skills are on full display, with his modal method of composition combining with a surprisingly ambient timbre throughout the whole thing. The greatest moment on this album is in the title track when, after 13 minutes of building, the drums open up and everyone's energy skyrockets. This is the moment. The other hero of this album is of course Teo Macero. In many ways, this album can be seen as a beta test for what would come on Miles' next album, Bitches Brew, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the production techniques. Similarly to that album, these songs are not only products of the musicians: they are products of the studio. Macero took the recordings on tape and physically put them together to create these 20 minute songs out of individual recordings of Davis and his band. For the most part, these cuts are very good (although not as good as the cuts on Bitches Brew). There is one cut around 9:07 on Shhh / Peaceful that is not very smooth, but besides that, Teo does a great job. In A Silent Way is my favorite album by Miles Davis. I have rated 50 of them, and this is the one that I come back to the most. It is a sublime musical statement and is so ahead of its time. It's an easy 5/5. Favs: Shhh / Peaceful In A Silent Way Least Fav: NONE!

A brilliant jazz album with one of the best line ups of all time. This album is ground zero of jazz fusion and is a precursor of the legendary seventies group Weather Report. Unlike the more lauded Bitches Brew that followed a year later, In a Silent Way seems more accessible and it is a very relaxing album with beautiful laid back grooves and subtle sounds blending together to create a beautiful dreamy textures. The last few minutes of the title track are sublime.

Proof that essential jazz doesn't have to be inaccessible. 5/5 Highlights: Shhh/Peaceful

I was bowled over by this record: playful and inventive, rockish and jazzy, all held together by Miles’ interesting trumpet lines. Awesome.

A very smooth album, this was very easy to enjoy while listening in and out. Shhh / Peaceful is gentle and subtle as kt carries its high hat and bass heartbeat for almost the entire 18 minutes. In a Silent Way feels a little more experimental. It full stops a couple times to pivot into a different direction, but the middle section is pure bliss. A great production, great groove, and great evolution and escalation of the song, especially around minutes 10-15. This feels like an experiment, the first of fusion, and it's really enjoyable. Davis' representation on this list has such a wild diversity, he truly was gifted.

An incredible jazz album. Desperately need this.

boua

Superb jazz masterpiece!

I could listen to Miles Davis play the trumpet for 12 hours

Absolutely sublime, one of the finest jazz fusion albums of all time. Miles and his band lay down rock-solid grooves and absolutely tasty jazz jams all throughout. Excellent nocturnal listen, and one I'll be spinning fairly regularly any time.