Filles De Kilimanjaro

"Filles de Kilimanjaro" is very much a transitional release by Miles Davis, standing between 1968's Nefertiti, the last word in superbly refined post-bop, and 1969's In a Silent Way, the first coherent fusion achievement. His lineup changed in the course of recording. The first session had his traditional quintet companions Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Oddly, this was the mainly electric attempt, as when Chick Corea came in on piano and Dave Holland on bass in the second recording, Davis had gone back to an all-acoustic lineup.

These are all Miles Davis compositions, as opposed to the Shorter-dominated songwriting on NEFERTITI. Davis was beginning an interest in longer timespans; three of the tracks here clock in at 14, 12 and 16 and half minutes respectively. Nonetheless, things do tend to meander a bit, and I sense a constant uncertainly in the playing on most of the tracks. Ron Carter's bass on "Tout de suite" establishes the sort of mood found (with a very different lineup) on "In a Silent Way", but after a few minutes it seems like Davis and Shorter are no longer confident. Similar moments can be found in most of the remaining tracks. Though named for his future wife Betty Davis, who was to influence his fusion direction and who put out some sex-drenched funk of her own, "Mademoiselle Mabry" is perhaps the most securely post-bop slice on the record, and perhaps the most successful.

This is very much a minor release. If embarking on a Miles Davis collection, get NEFERTITI and IN A SILENT WAY first.

In 1968 Miles Davis recorded Filles De Kilimanjaro. It is a true landmark album and is the very first Miles Davis fusion album. Now, when I say fusion it is not as extreme as On the Corner, Bitches Brew, at Fillmore etc. This is still the second great quintet and they are in good form. This would be the sixth and final album by the quintet. In my opinion it is another classic in the Miles Davis canon. My favorite songs are Frelon Brun, Petits Machins, and Filles De Kilimanjaro. Buy this! you will enjoy it.

The beauty and the Genius of this album is how that it not only signals the departure of cool jazz into electric jazz and eventually fusion, but more importantly, how it shows that Miles was already way ahead of the crew! Briefly, although I find the first 4 tracks excellent, it is Mademoiselle Mabry that really blows me away! Miles' playing is so differently lyrical. He plays less but communicates so much more. Although the piece is coherent and, to me, far from a 'ballad', I wonder if after (and I mean years after) Wayne Shorter thought he sounded too 'old-school' for lack of a better expression. Very highly recommended for this track alone!

Another amazing album from my favorite period of Miles Davis output. It may not be what most people think of as Jazz but to me it's great music, whatever label you want to apply to it. Great musicians transcending the established definitions of what jazz is, perhaps creating something new or just stretching the boundaries. Plenty of great listening. If you like this period of Miles work you won't have any problems. You either get it or you don't but if you don't you might get it someday. I never had a problem with it and love it all to this day.

As I've said elsewhere, I started off collecting Miles' electric material and believed I would have little interest in Miles' legacy work... WRONG! Once I'd snapped up everything I could find from the 68 - 75 era, I picked this up (along with Nefertiti, Miles Smiles, ESP, Miles in the Sky and Waterbabies). Man, I love all those releases but this one is very special. The band toys with rock rhythms on Miles in the Sky and that is actually where Herbie first played the Rhodes for a release. But this release finds the band a little more immersed in the rock sound. The listener can really hear how Miles' sound changed. Part of that change may be that Davis wrote almost all of the lead sheets rather than Shorter (who was this quintet's principal composer)

Tony Williams is a monster of a player on this disc - Frelon Brun drums is like nothing I've heard before or since. The rhythm section is split between the Williams/Carter/Hancock "staff" and the Williams/Corea/Holland "staff". All the players are incredible. You can really tell the difference between the two line-ups. I really dig the doubled bass line on Frelon Brun.

Look, I could write and write and write about this release but you'll find all you need to know elsewhere on the Web. If you read the autobiography and any of the biographies, you are going to discover this release figures very prominently. Buy it! Now! You will also want to pick up Water Babies which is made up of more material that was recorded during this time frame (but remained unreleased until the mid 70's.

Miles Miles Miles! ya gotta have it all but if you can't afford them all then this is the ONE CD you want to own by this particular quintet.