MILES DAVIS QUINTET: NEFERTITI

Nefertiti is one more Miles Davis masterpiece, but that time from late sixties. So, the band is different from his late fifties: future fusion keyboard star Herbie Hancock, future foundator of Lifetime ,great fusion band, drummer Tony Williams, future fusion star ( Weather Report and solo works) sax player Wayne Shorter and one of the greatest jazz/fusion bassist Ron Carter. Sound very seriously,isn't it?

And the music is great again. In other manner,than ten years ago,more complex. All sound is based in acoustic Hancock piano and light rhythmic Tony Williams' layout with competent bass line and some brass solos.

You can perfectly feel there, that musicians came to their next step - into the fusion - very nearly.But - it still jazz, in it's best form, but still 60-s post bop.

The album is complex, with very competent players, one of the best from it's time ( in jazz field). And you can hear all the team of future fusion stars there as well. So, what else you need,just listen! But for prog purists - for jazz fusion please try a few albums later.

Miles Davis has made many, many, many albums. Nefertiti, by many critics, is considered one of his masterpieces, even though it isn't as well known as other Davis classics, such as "Kind Of Blue", "Bitches Brew", "In A Silent Way", or the debut "Birth Of The Cool", just to name a few. But, in my humble and not so expert jazz listener point of view, this album can't be considered a masterpiece. Sure, some fabulous moments are present, like in "Fall", the best song in the album in my opinion, or in "Pinocchio" and "Riot". Even in the longer songs the nice moments aren't completely absent, but still, they didn't appeal much to me: "Madness" and "Hand Jive" are the two perfect examples. I find it kind of strange reviewing a jazz album like "Nefertiti" in a progressive rock site. The inclusion of Miles Davis is absolutely necessary, because of his fusion period, that started the genre practically, but many of his albums (most of them), don't really belong here, like this one.

'Nefertiti' is Miles' last jazz record before he starts slowly sliding toward the rock side of things and it makes for a grand farewll as he and his band are at the apex of their creativity and stretch the genre for about as far as it will go. The title tune opens the album and presents a bizarre repeating abstract melody without any solos as the band, especially Hancock and Williams, interject energetic harmonic and rhythmic variations as the tune continues to come around and around. In similar modern developments, 'Fall' doesn't so much have a melody as more like somber horn colors that come and go as Hancock and Shorter occasionally solo while being backed by Williams' stop-start rhythms and subtle meter changes. Surely the old formula of playing a head tune followed by everyone taking a few rounds for a solo has been thrown out the window on most of this album. Likewise Hancock and Williams continue to re-write what a rhythm section can and should do while someone is soloing, introducing more freedom and abstraction with each passing album the quintet records.

'Hand Jive' closes out side one with high speed aggressive almost free hard bop in a style similar to Ornette Coleman. 'Madness' opens side two with more free ranging hard bop until the middle of the tune where everyone drops out and Hancock launches into a solo that sounds more like modern composition than jazz. I get the feeling that Miles really enjoyed the sophistication that Herbie's concert hall sensibilities brought to the band and encouraged him in that direction. Side two closes out with two more highly original takes on the post bop genre this band created with an aggressive piano solo on 'Riot' and finally another solo from Miles on 'Pinocchio'.

After this record Miles slowly began to shift his band toward electronics and the psychedelic groove. Although Miles made a lot of great music in the worlds of fusion and rock, re-listening to this record I can see why so many fans felt such disappointment and even sadness when Miles decided to shift gears. Although in Miles' mind it was time for a change, sometimes it does seem like a shame that all of this sophisticated abstract beauty and hip beatnik cool got replaced with loud amps, wah-wah pedals, extra wide flare jeans, high-heeled stacks, cocaine and thousands of admiring slack jawed hippies.

Nefertiti is a sometimes fast, sometimes peaceful, and occasionally playful farewell to all- acoustic jazz configurations from Miles Davis. From this point on, Miles began the gradual process of going electric, so if you're a stick-in-the-mud purist you may even consider it to be an end to your explorations of his music - though I personally can't understand anyone who'd deprive themselves of In a Silent Way. As it stands, it's more or less a continuation of the sort of musical approach featured on Miles Smiles, so a change in gear was probably necessary at this point, but it's still an infectious listen which is consistently entertaining.

To be sure, this has to be one of the most talented lineups ever in jazz history--and despite Miles' collaborators being in their young 20s and most definitely showing signs of some immaturity, the greatest innovation occurring here is with Tony Williams' drumming.

1. "Nefertiti" (7:52) a rather dull and slightly melodic lead song with Miles and Wayne up front has some rather adventurous performances from Herbie Hancock and, especially, the dynamic Tony Williams. (13.25/15)

2. "Fall" (6:39) another pleasant, melodic song in which the musicians are operating more nearly on the same wavelength--until fourth minute, that is, when Tony begins to go off into his own world, rhythmically, beneath Herbie's piano solo, but then he backs off and gets very quiet during Wayne's following solo and what follows. Interesting! (8.875/10)

3. "Hand Jive" (8:54) a much more dynamic song construct with Ron Carter walking all over his upright double bass while Tony Williams flies around his cymbals and toms. There is an odd, subtle shift in tempo in the third minute that I do not think is intentional but obviously not considered significant enough to correct or redo--and Ron Carter is not always "in the pocket" (at least not according to these amateur ears), but the song certainly displays the skills of all of the band members, with a considerable amount of time given to Wayne Shorter's solo in the middle. When Herbie is next given his turn, he seems a bit lost at first, but, after he gets warmed up, he starts to move better. Maybe everybody's just a little overwhelmed or intimidated by Tony's creativity (and Ron's hot-and-cold conformity to the "pocket"). (17.5/20)

4. "Madness "(7:31) more of the same as the previous song with Ron's fast walking and Tony's cymbal play providing the bulk of support beneath one of Miles' more dynamic and passionate solos on the album. The trio seem quite entrained. Then Wayne is given the nod to take over from Miles. He's not quite as dynamic but very impressive for his softer, breathy notes. When it comes time for Herbie's turn, everybody nearly cuts out, with only Ron and Tony remaining beneath part time, not flying around the fretboard and cymbal like they were. But then they return to their earlier form as Herbie heats up, though not quite as synched as they were with Miles--which may have something to do with Herbie's less smooth, less-melodic approach. And then they all come back together ever-so briefly before bringing the song to a quick close. (13.375/15)

5. "Riot" (3:04) Same cymbal play from Tony while Ron machine guns around the upper registers of his bass and Herbie plays a lot of chords beneath Wayne's initial lead. Then Miles is there, too. It's nice to hear the whole band working together (and Tony does get a little more active as the song develops). (8.875/10)

6. "Pinocchio" (5:08) a song that feels more like standard or old Miles bebop or hard bop. Opening with the whole rhythm section behind Wayne and Miles, Ron and Tony become more active as the song develops, something that is more noticeable during Wayne's solo (as Miles and Herbie check out). Tony really picks it up here, even when Miles and Wayne return to recapitulate the main melody. Then Herbie gets his solo. It's good, probably the best on the album, but then its over and the band pulls together to close. Very tight, "standard" jazz tune. (8.875/10)

Total Time 39:08

I think this album is most significant for confirming how much of a force drummer Tony Williams is (and is going to be). As impressive as Tony is (and Miles and Wayne, as well), I think Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter are showing how much growth they have yet to achieve--especially to be able to achieve the moment they are called upon.

B/four stars; an excellent album for prog rockers to gain insight into the genius of some of Jazz-Rock Fusion founders and all-stars--especially the phenom that was drummer Tony Williams.