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 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.

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.

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.

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.

I CUM

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 consider expressing that “in a silent way”.

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.

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.

2 songs. 38 mins. flex

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 🍷🍷🍷

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

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 mom says you can listen to 2 more songs before bedtime

Jazz init

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

Pretty amazing when the two tracks are close to twenty minutes each and I still didn't want them to end. To the person who said they felt like they were on hold with their insurance company: please share the company name. I'm sure a lot of us would like to switch. My dealings with my insurance company would be so much more pleasant if this were the hold music.

In A Silent Way I was into this from the first note, finding it just the right amount of jazz, just the right amount of rock and just the right amount of fusion, making it a brilliantly undulating and expressive 40 minutes of music. Shh/Peaceful evokes a lovely, graceful, shifting mood, circling around the main theme, repetitive but never boring. It's a superb piece of music, reminding me a little of Lalo Schiffrin’s soundtracks in places, particularly Dirty Harry. In A Silent Way/It’s About That Time is equally fantastic, surely a huge influence on Music for Airports, but it also reminded me of Talk Talk’s final two albums, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, in the way the music gently unfurls over the opening passage and gently winds down of the closing passage, and John McLaughlin’s superb guitar playing brings Shuggie Otis to mind too. More proof, if proof be need be, that the Overton Jazz Window (Overton Window of Jazz? Jazz Overton Window?) has shifted significantly for me since starting the list, and this is definitely one of the top discoveries, I absolutely loved it. 5. 🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇 Playlist submission: Could be either piece, but I’ll go with In A Silent Way/It’s About That Time.

My mate Dave (hi Dave!) and I were talking just last week about 'Miles Ahead', Don Cheedle's biographical film of Miles Davis. Cheedle is magnificent in capturing Miles, but the film itself is a lost opportunity. As Dave astutely observed, you can open Miles' autobiography at almost any page and find an incident worthy of a film, so why they felt the need to invent a fictional event featuring a white journalist is beyond me. We both decided that the story that they really _should_ have made was Miles meeting and marrying Betty Mabry. She introduced him to rock and funk and threw out all his suits, replacing them with the colourful and funky wardrobe that he became known for. And In a Silent Way is where we really see Betty's influence in Miles' music. The change here is a dramatic as the change in his wardrobe. Phil Freeman, in book Running the Voodoo Down: The Electric Music of Miles Davis, writes of In A Silent Way: "It didn't swing, the solos weren't even a little bit heroic, and it had electric guitars... But though In a Silent Way wasn't exactly jazz, it certainly wasn't rock. It was the sound of Miles Davis and Teo Macero feeling their way down an unlit hall at three in the morning. It was the soundtrack to all the whispered conversations every creative artist has, all the time, with that doubting, taunting voice that lives in the back of your head, the one asking all the unanswerable questions." I find it hard to describe better than Phil Freeman -- the language borders on pretentious 'international critic speak', but damn, it really captures the feel of this record. I am familiar with the subsequent albums Bitches Brew and On The Corner (my favourite of Miles' electric albums because it is the funkiest), but I hadn't spent time with In A Silent Way before today. I have listened to it four times through in a row today. And I like it better every time. I am starting to feel like it is a better record than Bitches Brew, and certainly one I am more likely to listen to regularly. Damn, I really need to own a copy of this record... Five stars.

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

Pretty cool. Only bad part was that it was interspaced with an AI voice saying "Battery low, please charge now."

I have to be feeling a certain way to throw on some jazz but In A Silent Way can scratch that itch. Something about it is very "night time in New York, in the rain" and I cannot for the life of me figure out why. But, it is a vibe.

Don't really listen to jazz on purpose, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. The three-act song structure and the electric, ambient elements are very neat. Perhaps Davis and band went a little overboard with the improv padding both tracks out to almost 20(!!) minutes, but what the heck. I’m Chinese, I can appreciate a good noodle. · · ─ · ✶ · ─ · · Favorite track: In a Silent Way Least favorite track: Shhh / Peaceful (reallyyyyy spoilt for choice here)

I want to like Miles more than I really do (wife beating aside). I enjoy the music but it drifts into the background rather than getting lost in it

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.

Not a big jazz fan, but I kind of liked this. Nice background music while studying or something like that. Would I listen to it again? No, probably not. 6 / 10

Clearly, this was a groundbreaking album. The musicianship is stellar. The songs are just ok to me though. They almost feel a little too precious at times.

Man, Miles Davis has some long-ass songs.

really cool for background music, chill vibes and lovely tunes

Very background

I don't want to have to give this record a rating. I own it and I've listened to it a gazillion times but I'm honestly not sure how much I like it. Miles is in my top tier upper echelon favorite. Most listened to most influenced by musicians but I'm still working on getting a handle on this phase of his career. Few years before this he was making some of the most profound music ever and a few years after this he settled into something pretty special, but this particular. In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew and the albums on either side just doesn't totally do it for me. Feels a little transitional and even tentative, which is ordinarily kind of the last word I would ever use to describe Miles and even now I'm wondering if I'm misinterpreting what I'm hearing. If I were in charge of this list, it's very possible that Miles would have the most albums on it of anyone but I don't think this is a good album for this list. There's a good half a dozen records from his first quintet that I would put ahead on that list, and a similar number from his second quintet I would put on there. And then a few in between and before those quintets that may be worthy. and then even some stuff from when he came out of retirement a decade after this album. All of that may be worthy of this list but not this.

Wow, what long songs you have!

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.

It’s alright only listened to about 3 minutes of each song I dont really like songs longer then 10 minutes

Jazz > Punk Still not my jam, no disrespect intended for the great 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

This might be a wildly off-base take but: I think Miles Davis was a talented and charismatic eccentric. So much so that normie-ostracized, nerdy white guys took his musings and made it technical and complicated and derivative, kinda like what Zuck did with human interaction. If you just don't think about it, you end up discovering how truly impressive this work is.

This is my favourite Miles Davis album, shoot me

phenomenal instrumentals loving listening to this in the bath

Really dig this album. It’s fun, accessible and musically interesting. 4.7.

Dammit, jam bands are just jazz, aren’t they? Jokes aside, this was great, I was really grooving. Sub-note: The “joke” above was my own, but I went to Claude to see if it could come up with anything funnier. My favorite: “I don’t like jazz. I just like 20-minute improvisations over modal harmony with extended grooves. Totally different.” I realized I didn’t know what “modal harmony” meant. So I asked! > Modal harmony is when music is built around a mode (a type of scale) rather than around chord progressions that pull you toward a home key. In traditional jazz or pop, chords create tension and resolution — you feel that pull toward the “one,” the home chord. Modal harmony sits in a scale and just lives there, creating atmosphere and color instead of that constant push-pull. > In a Silent Way is a perfect example. Instead of cycling through chord changes, the music hangs on one or two chords for long stretches, and the musicians improvise using the notes of a mode over that static foundation. It’s what gives the album that floating, hypnotic quality. This is actually a big part of why it connects to what you already love in jam bands. When Goose locks into a long jam and the harmonic movement slows way down while the band explores texture and rhythm — that’s essentially modal playing. Miles (along with guys like John Coltrane) pioneered that approach in the late ’50s and ’60s, and it filtered directly into the improvisation-heavy music that came after, from fusion to funk to jam bands. > So your quip is more literally true than you probably meant it to be.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Apparently Miles Davis is going to be my next deep dive. 9/10. Actually, no, fuck it, this gets my first 10/10. 10/10 Godlike

I am not a fan of instrumental Jazz but I know that any greatest hits list of the 70s will always include this gentleman’s Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew so was interested. This was absolutely beautiful. It was like sparkling rain on my head tempered with rolling thunder. Never has a trumpet sounded so yearning. It made me happy in a way I can’t explain and I can only imagine that when I eventually get (I hope) his two greatest albums my head will explode with the sheer immensity of his work.

Excellent jazz. I understand why he is such a legend

Love this - all all his Fusion period.

Wow

Spacey-fusion Miles is mijn favoriete Miles. Deze is een stuk toegankelijker dan Bitches Brew maar je hoort al heel goed welke kant het de jaren erna op zal gaan. Misschien wel de perfecte balans zo.

Ya like Jazz?

Flying with Miles

Real music!

Very relaxing

2 songs, one jazz album Shhh/Peaceful: This song is unassuming. It begins off as great background ambiance and as soothing jazz that I personally think is easy to listen to but it is not slow. it keeps a steady upbeat rhythm, easy to not bore the listener. toward the end, it rises and crescendos in a way that the previous composition didn't hint at. the instruments begin to dance with each other in an amazed bacchic celebration that i only wish i could have witnessed in person. it is the type of all encompassing emotional swell that fills the soul deeply to replenish and further soar only to be calmed down again by the soft retire of the day. i enjoyed all 18 minutes and 18 seconds of this jazz ensemble and if it comes on again while doing my homework, i will be sure not to skip. In a Silent Way: This one is an interesting one. (To me all jazz is interesting so it doesn't surprise me). This feels like walking through the busy life of a city musician and all he wants more than anything, is to be able to live in a silent way. Just for a moment. To me, that respite is the end of the song. A calm moment where his energy can recharge, he can take in life in around him, and he's living it not letting life happen.

In a Silent Way is wonderful, sounding at once like an ambient lullaby, a jazz-space rock exploration, and a timeless meditation. The keyboards from Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Joe Zawinul, who wrote the title composition, add layers of mystery and intrigue. They’re like beds for the splotches of texture, rhythm and melody supplied by the rest of the band. It takes you to some faraway places.

I relistened to the album today on a nice walk around my neighborhood. I thought this album was great months ago when I first heard it and I still thought it was great today. Bring on more of the jazz random album generator!

Well, I honesty don’t know how to feel about getting this recommended to me; I have this one on vinyl, and adore it to pieces, and I’ll get to that in a second, but I would hope to get more new albums in a second. Like wouldn’t it be so cool to get like a kinks album recommended? The typa stuff I wouldn’t normally listen to. This… I’ve already heard. Whatever though. I got like more than 900 albums still to go. Something like 986 I wanna say? One day at a time. But anyway this album is flawless. Shhh/peaceful is one of the most masterful pieces of jazz I’ve ever heard in my life, what with the way the guitars and organ interact in the track pan… I fell in love with music production because of that. And in a silent way is one of the most beautiful pieces of ambient-jazz type music I’ve ever, and probably single-handedly invented nu jazz. And it’s about that time… I mean have you heard that trumpet riff at around 13 minutes in?? It takes a titan to do something like that. And that’s what Miles Davis was, a titan. Uhh I don’t really got much more to say. This is like maybe the best jazz album ever though so it’s got that going for it 10/10

Acogedor, muy agradable de oir.

Now this is real music. What a dream, what a journey. Loved every minute.

Hell yeah

Loved this album. It's calm but driving

This album still sounds way ahead of its time, so much so that I still can’t imagine how amazing it must have been to hear this back when it came out at that time. It’s unfortunate that only this and Bitches Brew are the late representations of Miles Davis on this list because all the albums after those are absolutely mind blowing. I mean come on, how can you leave On The Corner off this list! Also the two long pieces on Get Up With It are two of the greatest examples of not just experimental music but all music ever made in the whole history of music!! The more I get through this list, the more I see how badly it was made but that just makes me realize that I just need to make my own list!

Late night magic

lo escuche mientras caminaba y fue una experiencia increíble

My second Miles Davis album was amazing, Birth Of The Cool and all was nice but this was a lot better. This one is a lot more focused on slower paced songs and more atmospheric than Birth Of The Cool. I love the first minute or two of the two songs, especially the title track, the first minute or two is totally feels comforting, and I feel completely at peace; all worry gone, just for the moment. The ambience a bit afterwards continues the peacefulness. Whilst the first track is kind of similar with it feeling a tad bit less comforting, though it has Miles and the band a bit more rowdy to make up for it. Really enjoyed this one, definitely an album I needed to hear before I died. Highlight Song/s: "In A Silent Way"