Retro Reviews: Miles Davis: On the Corner

    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. This is a lesser-known album.

Miles Davis – On the Corner (1972)

****

Producer: Teo Macero

Musicians: Miles Davis, Michael Henderson, Don Alias, Jack DeJohnett, Billy Hart, Al Foster, James Mtume, Carlos Garnett, Dave Liebman, Bennie Maupin, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Harold Ivory Williams Jr, Lonnie Liston Smith, Cedric Lawson, Dave Creamer, John McLaughlin, Khalil Balakrishna, Colin Walcott, Paul Buckmaster, Badal Roy

Music: On The Corner / New York Girl / Thinkin’ of One Thing and Doin’ Another / Vote For Miles, Black Satin, One and One, Helen Butte / Mr. Freedom X

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    Miles Davis has had a significant influence, not only with Jazz, but the field of music in general. Of this much me and Ralph J Gleeson can agree. You can hear it with the proliferation with Progressive Rock acts that have surfaced, and in the 60s with acts like The Doors or The Soft Machine, or even many of his peers that have formed fusion jazz or rock acts. After the bold Bitches Brew, Miles recorded the soundtrack to the Jack Johnson documentary, and the bold double album Live/Evil, a project that was a mix of studio and live performances. The new album doesn’t list the musicians, so I had to rely on press kits, or their prior involvement with the last two releases. Nevertheless, this new instrumental project does feature a roster of the top talent working today, it demonstrates just how eager musicians are to play with the legend and learn from him. These days, Miles has his eyes set on youth culture, and he wants to offer something they can mentally groove to.

    Most peers are already missing the point, both Jazz and rock critic peers. The emphasis of this is on rhythm, the musicians are expected to accent their melodies on the beat. The first section is broken into four titles, “On The Corner, New York Girl, Thinkin’ of one Thing and Doin’ Another” and “Vote For Miles”, all of them blur into one another with the rhythm of the drums and bass as the core anchor. This may just represent urban life, what people who live on the street and on the corner, see and experience. It attempts to tell a story musically. Side One closes with “Black Satin”, the first minute features exotic Indian and African percussion before it shifts into a complex drum and bass groove, but it all feels rather fragmented, the top instruments weave around a simple childlike melodic statement, you can’t really dance to this of course, but it’s build on a vibe, this feels more like Stockhausen than anything else, the Organ plays some outside tones. 

    Side Two’s opener, “One and One” features a prominent funk Wah bass groove, and a complex start and stop drumming pattern, the Saxophone and bass clarinet weave around each other like predators. The vibe takes priority on the piece. The snare seems to segway into the next piece. “Helen Butte” offers an altogether different grove, but still links back to “Black Satin”, the organ in a more freer form will remind some of Sly Stone. Miles uses a Wah to slide his musical scales like a guitar, the bass guitar sounds liberated on the early half of the number. The saxophone soloists stay true to the objectives and keep the groove faithful. McLaughlin steps in with some clean phrases. There are moments that will remind one of Crimson’s Robert Fripp. There are moments that sound like a slide flute. The keyboard work truly goes into some outside territory about the halfway point. There’s even a modulating synth to be found. The number seems to morph into “Freedom X”, which has some more introspective and gothic elements within, the African rhythms come back into focus, bringing this all back home. While there’s a darker element to some of the performances, it also feels very real to what is happening now. 

    This album isn’t interested in meeting the arbitrary expectations of others, you’ll have to accept it on its own terms. Hence, this is why critics so hostile to this one; but if anyone had been paying attention since 1968, the evolution of Miles’s work makes sense. This won’t be for everyone, but the gambles do seem to pay off overall. Miles’ vision keeps this interesting and I will be listening for more.