Country Son

Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Miles Davis (cornet), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums). From the album Miles in the Sky (1968).

From 1964 to 1968, Miles Davis redefined with his quintet the vocabulary of modern jazz ensembles while keeping the distance with free jazz, although he took some of its innovations from Ornette Coleman. He managed to brilliantly create similar results, but more focused tonally. In Davis’ music we can find the same vocal quality in the wind section, the floating freely rhythms and the indirect way of improvising. The feeling of freedom is so enveloping that the harmonic structures go unnoticed. In fact, very few listeners are aware of the presence of chord progressions.

However, this music is very strictly structured, but the extraordinary compositions of Shorter and Davis are so subtle that you don’t notice them. Another of its essential characteristics is its attenuated sense of rhythmic movement. The interaction between Hancock, Carter and Williams was decisive in determining the sound of the group. They were inspired by the trio of Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian from the late 1950s and it was without a doubt one of the best rhythm sections in the history of jazz.

In this composition there is no theme, it’s very swift and the whole group enters at once except Shorter. Davis does it by making a solo directly; he uses few notes, but also introduces frantic phrases. Sometimes Williams intervenes with loud thunder. All of a sudden the interpretation is pacified and cheered up again, but this time at medium tempo. Then Shorter comes in with a paused and meditative speech while Williams plays at a large volume. At a certain point, Carter introduces walking and Shorter adapts to the new speed playing in a moderate and conventional way, although he then accelerates his rendition driven by Williams. Next the calm returns as if in a dream and the rhythm section is left alone. Carter changes the pace and Hancock begins to make a balanced and serene solo. After that, Carter reintroduces walking and Hancock continues to enjoy his discourse. Here comes the calm again and Davis enters increasing the speed and making a second solo coherent and well articulated. Carter reintroduces walking while Davis continues playing, but this time he becomes daring and fast-paced pushed by Hancock and Williams; and to conclude, the group calms down and everyone stops playing.