IN A SILENT WAY

If you are after short songs with catchy melodies, you can very well stop reading now. Shh/Peaceful (18 min.) has the band improvising over a 16th note hi-hat pattern and only one chord.. There is very little variation, so as the song goes on, the little things come increasingly important. I always wonder if Tony Williams got bored playing the same thing for so long. There are bits where it sounds like he's just about to take off, but then restrains himself and goes back into that same pattern.

Perhaps he walked off the studio, since the title track doesn't feature any drumming. Just a beautiful melody over a constant bass note. However, Miles apparently persuaded him to return, so It's About That Time features another ultra-simple beat with hi-hat and snare drum. This is the most uptempo section of the album and even features two (!) catchy riffs. John McLaughlin and Wayne Shorter play solos before Mr Davis himself takes over, and during his solo, Williams finally blows his top and explodes into a very wild beat, bashing his drums extremely loud. Once Miles finishes his solo, he takes a very threatening look at Tony, who returns to his earlier beat. The album then finishes with a reprise of In A Silent Way.

I like this album very much, and so did Miles. When the LP was originally released, he immediately phoned Joe Zawinul and told him how excited he was about it. Indeed, this may very well be one of his greatest achievements.

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