Miles Davis: 'On The Corner'

After the success of Miles' 1969 masterpiece, 'Bitches Brew', his music began to take on a more funky sound, clearly influenced by the likes of James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Miles has said countless times that James Brown and Sly were a tremendous influence on his music. Never before has a musician mixed funk-rock and jazz like Miles does on this album.

This album features an all-star lineup of some of the greatest jazz musicians of that time: John McLaughlin (guitar), Herbie Hancock (keyboards, synthesizer), Chick Corea (keyboards), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Bennie Maupin (clarinet) - among several other top-notch musicians. The musicianship is absolutely flawless. The music is tight, funky and everything else you would expect from Miles. Then again, I take that back, because this is the first album Miles has ever recorded that sounds like this. Nevertheless, it's a phenomenal album. It's a must have for all fans of funk and jazz music, and anyone who likes good music overall. Without a doubt, 'On The Corner' is one of the most groundbreaking albums of the 70's. A total masterpiece from beginning to end. Another thing I would like to add is that no other jazz album has ever seen the diversity of instruments that this album has. Everything from the clarinet to the sitar can be heard on this album.

The album starts off with the epic title track, 'On the Corner.' The song is broken down into three parts: 'New York Girl,' 'Thinkin' One Thing and Doin' Another' and 'Vote For Miles.' This track features the steady, funky drumming of Mr. Jack DeJohnette. Each musician has their chance to shine on this track. There is an absolutely mind-blowing guitar solo by John McLaughlin, and a keyboard solo by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. The song ends with a nice sitar and bongo drum fadeout.

The second track opens with yet more sitar, then quickly merges into a funked-out drum beat by DeJohnette. Miles enters the mix soon after with his trademark trumpet playing. The drum beat remains constant throughout the track, until the track eventually closes with the same sitar lines that it opened with.

Track three, titled 'One and One' sounds a lot like the prior track, but only longer and with more interplay between the members of the group. There is some nice, tasteful trumpet playing by Miles, and a clarinet solo by Bennie Maupin. Once again, the rhythm of this song is also constant throughout, but with much interplay between the other members of the group.

The last track on this album, titled 'Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X' is the longest track on the album, clocking in at 23:18. Once again, the song takes the same general rhythm of 'Black Satin,' but only this time the music is more layered. Miles plays some nice melodic trumpet, and DeJohnette plays the same beat that propelled 'Black Satin,' only this time his playing is much more aggressive and pronounced. About halfway through the song, Herbie Hancock enters with some brilliant Fender Rhodes keyboard playing. Suddenly, the groove takes a more sinister tone. The song ends with some tasteful percussion playing while Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea add some nice keyboard effects to the song to create atmosphere. The song then fades out with a nice steady bass line from Michael Henderson.

'On The Corner' stands as one of Miles most revolutionary albums - successfully melding fusion jazz with funk-rock. The end result is superb.