Given the expansive range of musical diversity within In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and On the Corner, it should come as no surprise that these particular albums in question received mixed reviews. Rock critics, such as Lester Bangs, praised Miles Davis for expanding his musical horizons. Jazz critics, however, disagreed: viewing it as treason because they “betrayed” the authenticity of jazz. [1]
Philip Freeman views Davis’ jazz fusion albums, such as On the Corner, differently. Although he acknowledges that this album does not truly capture the essence of 1970s funk music, Freeman sees the repetitive and jarring nature of On the Corner as essential to its musical structure.[2] With regards to what Miles thought about the criticism of his music, the answer can best be summed up by his son, Gregory: “Later on, when Miles went commercial playing fusion music and wasn’t playing what he had played years before, he didn’t like people telling him what to do or that he had sold out. He hadn’t liked it then, and he didn’t like it now.”[3]
Conclusion
In summation, one can see how and why Miles Davis adapted his later compositions. Despite the factual errors in his autobiography, current sources about Davis concur that he sought to maintain relevance in a constantly changing musical era. He achieved this with his jazz fusion music through experimentation and self-motivation. In the nearly forty-five years since their initial release, In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew and On the Corner have caused a backlash in jazz because they deviate from the listeners’ expectations. One must still give Davis credit for pushing boundaries: something that, as an artist, concerned him most.
Bibliography
Bangs, Lester. “Review of In a Silent Way (album) by Miles Davis. Rolling Stone, November 15, 1969.” http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/in-a-silent-way-19691115 (accessed April 4, 2014).
Bergstein, Barry. “Miles Davis and Karlheinz Stockhausen: A Reciprocal Relationship.” In The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 76, 4 (1992) http://www.jstor.org/stable/742474 (accessed February 27, 2014)
Carner, Gary, ed. The Miles Davis Companion: Four Decades of Commentary.New York, London: Schirmer Books, Simon and Schuster, Prentice Hall International, 1996.
Davis, Gregory and Les Sussman. Dark Magus: The Jekyll and Hyde of Miles Davis. San Fransisco: Backbeat Books, 2006.
Davis, Miles and Quincy Troupe. Miles: The Autobiography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.
Early, Gerald, ed. Miles Davis and American Culture. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society Press, 2001.
Freeman, Philip. Running the Voodo Down: The Electric Music of Miles Davis. San Fransisco: Backbeat Books, 2005.
Szwed, John. So What: The Life of Miles Davis. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002.
Tingen, Paul. Miles Beyond: The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis: 1967-1991. New York: Billboard Books, 2001.
Discography
Davis, Miles. At Plugged Nickel, Chicago. Columbia/Legacy: Sony Music Entertainment, 1965, 2009.
__. Bitches Brew, Columbia/Legacy, 1970 (?),1999.
__. The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions. Columbia, 1998. CD.
__. In A Silent Way. Columbia, 1969, 1985 (?). CD.
__. The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions. Columbia/Legacy, 2001. CD..
__. On the Corner. Columbia/Legacy,1972, 2000. CD,
__. The Complete On the Corner Sessions. Sony BMG Music Entertainment Inc., 2007. CD
__. Porgy and Bess. Columbia, 1958, 1996. CD.
Footnotes
[1] Lester Bangs, review of In a Silent Way (album) by Miles Davis. Rolling Stone, November 15, 1969. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/in-a-silent-way-19691115 (accessed April 4, 2014): Stanley Crouch, “Play the Right Thing,” in The Miles Davis Companion: Four Decades of Commentary, ed. Gary Carner (New York, London: Schirmer Books, Simon and Schuster, Prentice Hall International, 1996), 34.
[2] Philip Freeman, “Chapter Six: On the Corner,” in Running the Voodoo Down: The Electric Music of Miles Davis (San Fransisco: Backbeat Books, 2005), 105.
[3] Gregory Davis and Les Sussman, Dark Magus: The Jekyll and Hyde of Miles Davis (San Fransisco: Backbeat Books, 2006), 62.