Tribute to Jack Johnson

Read About This Recording

Most jazz giants make their impact in one or two styles, developing an original sound and then sticking to the same basic format throughout much of their careers. Miles Davis was a major exception. A restless improviser, Davis continually evolved and practically every five years he was on to a new type of music.

Born in 1926, Davis missed being part of the Swing Era but was part of practically every jazz style since then. Originally a great admirer of Dizzy Gillespie, he developed a quieter bop style on the trumpet that was more accessible and less virtuosic, fitting in quite well with Charlie Parker's quintet. Then starting in the late 1940s, Davis was a pioneer in cool jazz, hard bop, modal music, a highly individual style of avant-garde jazz, and fusion. For many, his individuality and constant desire to stretch himself symbolized jazz.

By the time he recorded the soundtrack to a documentary film on Jack Johnson in 1970, Miles Davis was one of the leaders of fusion. His music continued to evolve during that era, with the performances on A Tribute to Jack Johnson being more intense and explorative than that on the earlier In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. His all-star group features Steve Grossman on soprano, Herbie Hancock on organ, guitarist John McLaughlin, electric bassist Michael Henderson and drummer Billy Cobham. It is a measure of Davis' impact on the era that Hancock (the Headhunters), McLaughlin (the Mahavishnu Orchestra) and Cobham would each soon be leaders of their own major bands. The music on A Tribute to Jack Johnson consists of two lengthy but controlled jam sessions on "Right Off" and "Yesternow," each clocking in at over 25 minutes. The results are intriguing and consistently stirring.

—Scott Yanow

Extended Article

By 1970, when the relentlessly innovative trumpeter-bandleader Miles Davis recorded the music herein, jazz-rock fusion was once and for all the idiom through which he chose to communicate. Certainly he'd been moving in that direction during the previous two years on the groundbreaking albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew (the latter initially issued as a two-LP set). Brew had rocked harder than the more ethereal Silent Way, but Jack Johnson left both in the dust. For Jack, Davis (1926-1991) made an audacious move, from jazz-rock to something else again: rock-jazz. A lifelong boxing fan who often worked out in the ring himself, Davis paid tribute to the first African-American heavyweight champion via an album comprised of just two selections, Right Off and Yesternow. Each filled an LP side with electrifying sounds for a superb documentary film directed by the late William Cayton, later to become Mike Tyson's co-manager.

In Davis' corner are some of the hottest young players of the day, including keyboardist Herbie Hancock, soprano saxophonist Steve Grossman, guitarist John McLaughlin (whose blasting spot at the top of the blues Right Off sets the stage for the trumpeter's all time, hardest-rocking solo), electric bassist Michael Henderson, and power-drummer Billy Cobham. Davis and crew punch out the jams that, with producer Teo Macero cutting and pasting masterfully, ultimately yield the knockout that is A Tribute to Jack Johnson.

Contents

Remastered!

Right Off; Yesternow.

Miles Davis, Trumpet; Steve Grossman, Soprano Sax; Herbie Hancock, Organ; John McLaughlin, Guitar; Michael Henderson, Bass; Billy Cobham, Drums.

CD Special Features

An absolute masterpiece by Miles!

• Features Steve Grossman, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Mike Henderson and Billy Cobham

• Check out Ken Burns' new PBS documentary — Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

• Miles' controversial soundtrack celebrating the great black fighter, Jack Johnson

• Includes Miles' original essay about Jack Johnson/new essay by Bill Milkowski

• New and rare photos

• 24-bit digitally remastered — superb sound!