IN A SILENT WAY

Recorded around the same time as Bitches Brew, 'In a Silent Way' also revolutionized jazz. Not at all what you might expect from jazz-rock fusion, though, this album sees Tony Williams lay out some very new beats but very softly and continuously, while stars like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, and Joe Zawinal are muted in their solos, offering new colours like soft palettes on a modernist painting rather than the ripping trails they would blaze later on. The result is a new modern sound, but one that fits easily within jazz and that let's Miles be Miles with his slow building solos. There is a constant feeling of potential throughout the album, as if something could suddenly bust forth at any time, but the band is held back and the mutations are mostly evolutions (except for Mile's habit of splicing bits together), so this feeling of potential continues throughout the album. By the end, it feels both very rich - one has experienced high quality music - but also slightly unsatisfying as if something that were supposed to happen never did. But one is also struck by the sheer quality of the music. A perfect partner to Bitches Brew, which is much more in-your-face, In a Silent Way establishes the reason why one would want to listen to the next Miles album (and the next, and the next). Hugely influential among musicians everywhere, this album deserves its place in music history. I give this album 8.6 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which places it as 4 PA stars.

Share this MILES DAVIS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Walkscore
• Report this review (#1696970)
• Buy MILES DAVIS music online with PA partners
• Show all MILES DAVIS MP3/Stream
• Go to MILES DAVIS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to In A Silent Way page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for MILES DAVIS related discussions