Retro Reviews; Miles Davis: Nefertiti

 I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. These albums are lesser-known titles.

Miles Davis: Nefertiti (1968)

**** ½

Producers: Teo Macero, Howard Roberts

Musicians: Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams

Music: Nefertiti, Fall, Hand Jive, Madness, Riot, Pinocchio

Reviewed by Matthew Anthony Allair

    Nefertiti is an incredible jazz record, the fourth of Miles new quartet with Shorter, Hancock, Carter and Williams. The blend of Davis and Shorter as horn players compliment each other well, Hancock’s playing has a fresh harmonic complexity, and the Carter and Williams rhythm section has an astonishing inventiveness. While Davis did not compose any of these titles, his assured presence drives the tone throughout. Sorcerer went into some interesting directions, but this new record has an additional confidence. All of the players who composed for the album seem to have the talent to present to Davis the kind of material that reflects his introspective nature. The album is another example of his continued explorations into modal playing. 

    The title track, written by Wayne Shorter is a wonder, a mournful piece where Davis and Shorter states the melody on horn while the shifts come from Hancock and the rhythm section, a haunting piece. The next piece written by Shorter, “Fall” is another introspective piece and another wonder, Hancock’s piano soloing is beautiful on this. The next piece, “Hand Jive” is the one Williams composition and seems to connect back to Miles hard bop tradition. The piece allows Williams to stretch out as a player.

    “Madness” is another fast tempo piece written by Hancock, another fast tempo piece that allows Davis to shine as a soloist. Ironically, Hancock sits out during the Davis solo, and comes in during Shorter’s section. There’s an element of self-discovery as this progresses. The next piece, the all too brief “Riot” finds a fitting tone and the other Hancock composition. The final piece, written by Shorter, “Pinocchio” simply illustrates what an adept composer he is, the interplay between the three of them is so satisfying, but Hancock manages to bring it home with his solo before the resolve.

    Davis has managed to assemble such a blend of players with this quartet, that I hope it never ends but it probably will, it is indeed exciting, and he has managed to move forward from John Coltrane’s free jazz expressions and find his own way, his own sound, to explore that ideas that Coltrane was so bravely willing to examine. This album hints at the direction Davis may go in the next decade.  This moves forward from Davis’s past work in the fifties and it’s a wonder to behold. Recommended.