Nefertiti

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Total Tracks: 10   Total Length: 65:33

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Kevin Whitehead

eMusic Contributor

06.30.09
Miles Davis, Nefertiti
1998 | Label: Columbia/Legacy

By 1967 and Nefertiti, the fourth (and last full) album by trumpeter Miles Davis's great '60s quintet, the music had gotten increasingly bizarre. On tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter's title track, he and Miles just keep repeating the mournful short melody line over and over; there are no solos, unless you count pianist Herbie Hancock's bursts of commentary in the cracks, or drummer Tony Williams 'fireworks behind the horns. "Nefertiti"'s circular strategy worked so well, they reprise it with variations on "Pinocchio" (one line melody, but with solos this time) and "Capricorn" (a tune constructed from repetitive figures.)

By this stage in the band's development, there was no mistaking who was driving: Tony William's double-time cymbals and cracking snare thunder are all over everything, all the time, but the effect is so relentlessly musical his onslaught never feels like too much. (Listen to him slowly come to a roiling boil on "Nefertiti.") Hancock had gotten in the habit of soloing one-handed, to keep a lean profile. Ron Carter is the band's pulse and heartbeat. His fast running lines tether "Pinocchio," "Capricorn" and "Hand Jive"; on "Riot" his bass is a log drum. This is the sound of musicians reinventing the art of… read more »

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miles' last "jazz" record

efresh

this and "filles de kilimanjaro" are two great overlooked records in the miles davis catalogue -- probably because they represent the transition from cutting-edge acoustic jazz of the 2nd quintet to the rock/electric experimentation of "silent way" and beyond. do not count either of these records out, they are understated gems. shorter, hancock, carter, williams -- this band is topnotch.

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Leadership

McSurfer

I cannot think of anything from Miles that I do not like. But I think this album deserves special attention, as it is another example of Davis, and the talented men he surrounds himself with, re-defining Jazz and leading the way to new interpretations of the genre.

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This is Jazz.....

HSWT

Honestly you can't go wrong with any album from Miles during this period. In my opinion this is probably Miles' most musically significant period. If anybody ever asks you to explain what Jazz is, just play them an album from this period.

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Heart of Darkness

greg6711

Deep, dark african and hot!

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Essential Miles

Drum4JC

With the depth and breadth of Miles' work, it's hard, if not impossible to narrow it down to a handful of essentials. However, this album would have to be included in that list. This album paves the way for his upcoming transformation into the fusion era. The elements are in place. Right on the edge waiting to go over. Propelled by Tony Williams' exuberance, this album just has it all.

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Always a classic

drjkraut

I first got turned onto this record many years ago by a jazz buff who had far surpassed me in his discovery of the genre - Tristano, Konitz & Marsh, collectively, were another big discovery I encountered through him. This album is filled with great material, but the title track, a gorgeous repeating theme over which drummer Tony Williams creates increasingly complex and compelling variations is a one-of-a-kind track. If you haven't gotten this one yet, waste no more time!

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EMusic PLEASE get an EDITOR

Amadeus

According to your typist, Herbie Hankock played TRUMPET, I revere him and know his talent is a jazz landmark, but PLEASE, can someone check the credits. The number and type of mistakes on E-Music should embarrass anyone.

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eMusic Features

a9485a011e8c2fa39c9a70c49f9be421

Icon: Miles Davis

By Kevin Whitehead

Before Bob Dylan or David Bowie or whoever else became famous for periodically reinventing themselves, Miles Davis was already at it. He first gained attention playing fast bebop trumpet with Charlie Parker, then fronted the nine-piece band that established softer cool jazz. (One of his collaborators was arranger Gil Evans, who'd go on to direct a series of orchestral LPs for Miles.) In the '50s Davis founded his first great quintet, a highly… more »

They Say All Media Guide

Nefertiti, the fourth album by Miles Davis’ second classic quintet, continues the forward motion of Sorcerer, as the group settles into a low-key, exploratory groove, offering music with recognizable themes — but themes that were deliberately dissonant, slightly unsettling even as they burrowed their way into the consciousness. In a sense, this is mood music, since, like on much of Sorcerer, the individual parts mesh in unpredictable ways, creating evocative, floating soundscapes. This music anticipates the free-fall, impressionistic work of In a Silent Way, yet it remains rooted in hard bop, particularly when the tempo is a bit sprightly, as on “Hand Jive.” Yet even when the instrumentalists and soloists are placed in the foreground — such as Miles’ extended opening solo on “Madness” or Hancock’s long solo toward the end of the piece — this never feels like showcases for virtuosity, the way some showboating hard bop can, though each player shines. What’s impressive, like on all of this quintet’s sessions, is the interplay, how the musicians follow an unpredictable path as a unit, turning in music that is always searching, always provocative, and never boring. Perhaps Nefertiti’s charms are a little more subtle than those of its predecessors, but that makes it intriguing. Besides, this album so clearly points the way to fusion, while remaining acoustic, that it may force listeners on either side of the fence into another direction. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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