MILES DAVIS QUINTET: MILES SMILES

The great 60's quintet released their second brilliant album. On the surface, it's still an acoustic jazz rooted in post- bop but each member steps out of their comfort zone to create a then futuristic jazz album. "Orbits" has a conventional rhythm section with Miles and Shorter providing capturing solos but it is Hancock who blows me away by his choice of solo notes. "Circle" is a slow but I feel a positive tension in the music in the chord structure. "Footprints" is one of this quintet flagship pieces with its free flow and Afro-fusion (sounds to me) rhythmic inspiration. Williams is doing a great job with many inspiring alterations and Shorter shows why he was the most important composer of the quintet. "Dolores" is a jazz-attack upbeat number. Hancock and Williams, in particular shine through. "Freedom jazz dance" has an inventive foot jazz drumming (busy too) with Miles providing lyrical solo and dueling with Shorter. If you considered the music content to be too non-conventional, then you return to the traditional post-bop structure on the last track, "Gingerbread boy". Excellent album by excellent musicians and players. Intelligent and label-defying piece of jazz.