Vote for Miles

I probably have more Miles Davis in my collection than any other artist. Why? Because he consistently assembled the most bad-ass players, writers  and conceptualists in music and played them like an orchestra, both in the studio and on-stage. Over the past decade or so, major creative periods of his career have been systematically organized, compiled and reissued. The latest, and possibly last in this series, is the remarkable music made around the time of his controversial album On the Corner. Reviled by the critics, fetishized by the crate-diggers, it's not for the casual jazz listener - it has more in common with Stockhausen, James Brown and Hendrix than Charlie Parker or even Ornette Coleman. Scratch-funk guitar deconstructions. Tabla and sitar. Distorto wah-wah trumpet. Funky-ass bass lines from the 21-year old Michael Henderson. Drum grooves that distinctly predict drum n' bass. Yeah, it's the shit all right. The box set has 6-CDs worth of music, so it's hard to pick one representative track. This previously unreleased jem will have to do.

Miles Davis - Jabali