A TRIBUTE TO JACK JOHNSON

I was not aware any history of Miles Davis and I only knew that he was a trumpet player in jazz music. Nothing more that I knew about him until a friend of mine whom a proghead introduced me that Miles is actually one of pioneers in prog music. Is it? So I tried to get to know the music and purchased the CD of Kind of Blue. Nothing that quite impressed me but how productive he had been as 52 studio albums were released by him. It's a great achievement.

I thought then that Jack Johnson was a jazz musician and I finally know that he is a boxer who in the past never been defeated. And this album bya Miles Davis is depicting how the life of Jack Johnson was. It surprised me that this album comprised two tracks only or something similar to Jethro Tull "Thick as a Brick" or "A Passion Play" but in here there are jazz beat. I have to admit that Jack Johnson is an excellent and in its particular concentration of biting, staccato rock,it's quite unique. The musicians that support this studio album are excellent . John McLaughlin has stated that he spontaneously started playing the straight-ahead rock shuffle "Right Off" and that Miles, characteristically, went with it; in any case, this song is as some critics say it is the closest thing to pure rock music Miles ever attempted. Drummer Cobham whom I knew later is also here in this record with his simple beats and I do not realize it's him playing unless the inlay say so. Bassist Henderson just grooves along the track and it's for the first time he joined Miles Davis after he played for Stevie Wonder.

The two tracks featured here are all basically jam session music even though the style between the two are different. It's a must for those who loved jazz music especially the fusion part. Keep on proggin'!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW