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Miles Davis - Water Babies CD (album) cover

WATER BABIES

Miles Davis

 

Jazz Rock/Fusion

3.46 | 71 ratings

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Marty McFly
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Let's jump into the Water (with babies inside). First track, Water Babies is somehow different from typical Miles you may (or may not) know, it sounds like vehicle in motion, moderately fast, engine off and just sliding down, not knowing where the road will take it, as driver does not have much control of the vehicle. Final minute of this song is even unpleasant to the point, where you may feel in danger by something not entirely particular. The problem is that I don't like jazz drumming that much. And because in these songs (more like genre) you can hear every instrument quite clearly, because there's big silence (you know, the opposite is for example extreme metal, everpresent sound), first two tracks uses (for me), annoying drumming. Maybe I'm too much used on prog drumming, where it's far more variable and when it's not, it doesn't matter, because drums are just one of 4-5 instruments playing. Nevermind, trumpet line raises the stakes high again, bringing very sad (maybe too sad, too painful) and melancholic melody in first two songs (respectively). Third one, Sweet Pea means calmed dr(oo)ums, used in far more clever and complex way and that's something I can admire. This is by far the best track of this side (I mean having LP, it would have been "side"), being successful in having damn fine ratio between each instrument, mood and innovative element featured.

The rest two tracks are somehow different. I know less than previous two reviewers, so I'll leave facts to them. Two Faces is truly interesting song. Where again, it's not so typical jazz music I would expect. Rich in changes, musical virtuosity and most importantly, ideas. It's like whole new fertile land left for us to explore. 18 minutes are not problem at all, it manages to be interesting from start to the end. And trumpet/sax duet from 8:24 to about 9:24 is pure fantasy. With so little means how to produce music (they were still pioneers and as much as jazz genre gives a lot of freedom, it also restricts from its basis, trumpet isn't guitar, or keyboards. Second song features more prominently electric piano (sounds like to me, may be wrong) and also drum solos, while forgetting a little bit about trumpet, in its later stages uses graduating structure, where we're over and over closing to end only to skip back and have more of this jazz again.

4(-) I would say, because of first two songs (which aren't so good), some drumming issues and also for my taste, not so much prominent bass (which would at times help). But not any of these can spoil this nice little album.

Marty McFly | 4/5 |

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