MILES DAVIS - BIG FUN 2 LP RECORD SET/1974/Electric Miles Period/SIDE LONG SONGS
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Description
Miles Davis: Big Fun (2LP Set) 1974
(Collective:] Miles Davis, trumpet; Steve Grossman, Carlos Garnett, Wayne Shorter, soprano sax; Bennie Maupin, bass clarinet, clarinet, flute; Sonny Fortune, soprano sax, flute; John McLaughlin, electric guitar; Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, electric piano; Joe Zawinul, electric piano, Farfisa; Lonnie Smith, Harold I. Williams, piano; Larry Young, organ, celeste; Khalil Balakrishna, electric sitar; Bihari Sharma, tambura; Ron Carter, Dave Holland, acoustic bass; Harvey Brooks, Michael Henderson, electric bass; Al Foster, Billy Hart, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, drums; Airto Moreira, percussion; Badal Roy, tabla; Mtume, African percussion.
One of the less-remembered, underappreciated releases in Miles’ discography, revamped for the new century and ready to open some ears.
A few months after the Bitches Brew sessions that broke jazz-rock out like Phoenix from the flames, Miles Davis returned to the Columbia recording studios with the intent to push his music in yet another startling direction. This time around, Miles took inspiration from classical Indian music, interpolating it into rock and jazz structures as the Beatles, altoist Toby Harriott, and others had done before. But, as expected from Davis, he did it in an entirely new and unexpected manner. That session resulted in “Great Expectations”, the first of four side-long tracks on Big Fun as originally released in 1974.
The long, ever-droning, darkly exotic electric music, and in fact the very idea of just four songs taking up four full sides of an album, was not too appealing to critics or the general market at a time when short, sharp disco tunes were beginning to chart like wildfire. So Big Fun received generally weak reviews from writers who (once again) didn’t quite understand what Davis was trying to prove. Never mind that this was the incubator from which soon emerged the next wave of fusion: members of Weather Report, Lifetime, Return To Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra, among others, learned from the master and followed on.
Tracklist
A Great Expectations Bass – Ron Carter Bass Clarinet – Bennie Maupin Drums – Billy Cobham Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Harvey Brooks Electric Guitar – John McLaughlin Electric Piano – Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock Percussion – Airto Moreira Sitar [Electric], Tambura – Bihari Sharma, Khalil Balakrishna Soprano Saxophone – Steve Grossman Trumpet – Miles Davis Bass – Ron Carter Bass Clarinet – Bennie Maupin Drums – Billy Cobham Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Harvey Brooks Electric Guitar – John McLaughlin Electric Piano – Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock Percussion – Airto Moreira Sitar [Electric], Tambura – Bihari Sharma, Khalil Balakrishna Soprano Saxophone – Steve Grossman Trumpet – Miles Davis 27:34 B Ife Bass – Michael Henderson Clarinet, Flute – Bennie Maupin Drums – Al Foster, William Hart* Percussion [African] – Mtume* Piano – Lonnie Liston Smith Piano, Sitar – Harold "Ivory" Williams Soprano Saxophone – Carlos Garnett Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Sonny Fortune Tabla – Badal Roy Trumpet – Miles Davis Bass – Michael Henderson Clarinet, Flute – Bennie Maupin Drums – Al Foster, William Hart* Percussion [African] – Mtume* Piano – Lonnie Liston Smith Piano, Sitar – Harold "Ivory" Williams Soprano Saxophone – Carlos Garnett Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Sonny Fortune Tabla – Badal Roy Trumpet – Miles Davis 21:33 C Go Ahead John Bass – Dave Holland Drums – Jack DeJohnette Guitar – John McLaughlin Saxophone – Steve Grossman Trumpet – Miles Davis Bass – Dave Holland Drums – Jack DeJohnette Guitar – John McLaughlin Saxophone – Steve Grossman Trumpet – Miles Davis 28:26 D Lonely Fire 21:21 Bass – Dave Holland Bass Clarinet – Bennie Maupin Drums – Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Harvey Brooks Electric Piano – Chick Corea Electric Piano, Organ [Farfisa] – Joe Zawinul Instruments [Indian] – Airto Moreira, Khalil Balakrishna Saxophone – Wayne Shorter Trumpet – Miles Davis
(Review)
Probably the most overlooked record of the entire Miles Davis catalog. Most critics considered it a bunch of "throwaway" tunes because it consists of "leftover" material recorded for Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson, and On the Corner between 1969 to 1972.
But that's possibly why this album holds so much sway for me.
It serves as a summary of the incredible "Electric Miles" period. "Ife" is just as groovy as anything you'll hear on On the Corner. "Go Ahead John" rocks as hard as anything from Jack Johnson and it includes one of the most interesting guitar solos you'll ever hear. And both "Great Expectations" and "Lonely Fire" capture moments of the moody, ambient bliss that are scattered throughout In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew.
For me, this is essential Miles and perhaps top 3, along with In a Silent Way and Kind of Blue.
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