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Miles Davis Complete Jack Johnson Sessions D2~5 2003 [EAC FLAC] (oan)

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By Rod Sibley

The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions, Columbia's latest
addition to the Miles Davis reissue series, documents the period
from January 27, 1970 to June 4, 1970 and contains unedited
takes from the sessions plus previously unreleased material.

A bit of background: Jack Johnson was the world heavyweight
boxing champion from 1908-1915. Miles felt an affinity toward
Johnson; not only because Miles himself boxed, but because of
the racial issues of being a Black man in America both men
faced. Director William Clayton made a documentary movie
about Johnson's life. A Tribute To Jack Johnson is the
soundtrack to the film. The album was released in the summer
of 1971.

A Tribute To Jack Johnson was a continuation of Miles' musical
direction away from more traditional jazz forms. The densely
layered music of Bitches Brew, recorded in August of 1969, was
stripped down and became funkier and more groove oriented.
The music also incorporated more elements of rock with the
guitar work of John McLaughlin. For listeners whose only Miles
Davis recording is Kind Of Blue and want to hear some "electric
Miles," The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions may be the
starting point to work your way backward, as well as forward,
through the Miles Davis catalog

Disc Two: March 1970

The unedited takes of the song "Go Ahead John" are the
centerpiece of Disc Two. Miles' producer, Teo Macero, had free
reign in editing his music. One of the most commonly cited
examples of the excessive use of that freedom is his postproduction
work on "Go Ahead John," where he used an
electronic switcher that moved tracks around like an extreme
panning effect and a device that created the illusion of
instruments playing together. Despite the technology, Miles fans
tend to agree that the effects were used well past the point of
annoyance, especially when listened to with headphones. The
unaltered takes are presented for the first time in the box set.
The final version is not included, but it is available on the Big
Fun CD.

The first take has Miles soloing over a solo blues progression,
as only he can. Miles is the master of doing so much with so
little. The delay effect on the final version sounds like there are
two trumpets playing together, so hearing the original trumpet
part will make Miles fans very happy.

The switching effect makes Jack DeJohnette sound like two
drummers. The unaltered takes reveal DeJohnette's forceful
and wickedly syncopated drumming. The box set's remastering
makes the drums sound thunderous. The real shame of this
piece is not Teo's use of the switcher on the drums, but that the
drums were not recorded in stereo in the first place. The
extreme switching effect has also been removed from the take
that contains McLaughlin's highly distorted guitar solo, but does
not differ much from the final version.

Another highlight is the "part 1 remake," which has Johnny Mac
playing over the same slow blues as Miles did on "part 1."
Hearing him out of his element is a revelation. This track differs
from his playing on "Archie Moore." Instead of straight-ahead
blues riffing, we hear more of McLaughlin's personal style,
which had a raw quality at that time. His extreme string bending,
his double-stops, and his picking attack all foreshadow the time
when he kicks his chops up a notch or two and refines these
licks in the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Miles also takes a solo,
which is just as smooth as the first take version. Miles and the
blues...was there ever a better match made in heaven?

Two more of the boxer named tracks round out Disc Two:
"Duran" and "Sugar Ray." The two takes named for Roberto
Duran are funk grooves that you can almost dance to. Miles
thought that he might have had a hit record had it been
released at the time. Billy Cobham is in the drummer's seat and
he stays in the pocket. McLaughlin overdubs lead guitar on the
first take that Miles obviously likes, saying at the end, "That's
some raunchy shit, John." The second version was released on
the Directions album in 1981, adding Wayne Shorter and
Bennie Maupin on horns. It's the same groove, but with more
intensity and drive than the first version. McLaughlin and
Cobham play off of each other as if they were already
telepathically linked: a sign of things to come.

It doesn't matter whether the "Sugar Ray" track is named for
"Robinson" or "Leonard" because the tune is lame and totally
forgettable.

PERSONNEL

Miles Davis - Trumpet; John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock -
Guitar; Michael Henderson, Dave Holland, Ron Carter, Gene
Perla - Bass; Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette - Drums; Chick
Corea, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock - Keyboards; Steve
Grossman, Wayne Shorter - Saxophone; Bennie Maupin - Bass
Clarinet; Airto- Percussion; Hermeto Pascoal - Vocals



1. (13:09) - Go Ahead John (part 1)
2. (07:02) - Go Ahead John (part two A)
3. (10:07) - Go Ahead John (part two B)
4. (03:40) - Go Ahead John (part two C)
5. (11:06) - Go Ahead John (part one remake)
6. (05:39) - Duran (take 4)
7. (11:22) - Duran (take 6)
8. (06:16) - Sugar Ray


Playing Time.........: 01:08:20
Total Size...........: 419.85 MB



http://www.discogs.com/Miles-Davis-The-Complete-Jack-Johnson-Sessions/release/490807

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