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- Date Released: January 20, 1965
- Genre: Jazz
- Label: Columbia/Legacy
- Copyright: Originally Released 1965 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
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We Say...
If you want to know what Wynton and Branford Marsalis were listening to when they erupted on the scene in the early 1980s, hear E.S.P. — they even reprised its "R.J.," using the same rhythm section, on Wynton's debut album. The roots of the brothers' swaggering attitude and deft transitions from one time feel to another are here too. E.S.P. was the first studio outing by trumpeter Miles Davis's second great quintet of 1964-'68, where Wayne Shorter on tenor sax joined the gold-plated rhythm section of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. (The band had already been warming up on the road.) Shorter had the concept: tunes with weird chord sequences, and even weirder melodies that seemed to pogo around in one spot, like the title track. Soon they were all writing like that, with Miles editing the tunes to bring their best ideas into focus. There's a little of Davis's old Spanish feel on "Mood," but the music's also influenced by free jazz's way of picking at the edges of forms. Trumpet and saxophone attack the melodies in loose unisons that recall Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry — or it would, if Miles and Wayne weren't so much more urbane as stylists.
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They Say...
ESP marks the beginning of a revitalization for Miles Davis, as his second classic quintet -- saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams -- gels, establishing what would become their signature adventurous hard bop. Miles had been moving toward this direction in the two years preceding the release of ESP and he had recorded with everyone outside of Shorter prior to this record, but his addition galvanizes the group, pushing them toward music that was recognizably bop but as adventurous as jazz's avant-garde. Outwardly, this music doesn't take as many risks as Coltrane or Ornette Coleman's recordings of the mid-'60s, but by borrowing some of the same theories -- a de-emphasis of composition in favor of sheer improvisation, elastic definitions of tonality -- they created a unique sound that came to define the very sound of modern jazz. Certainly, many musicians have returned to this group for inspiration, but their recordings remain fresh, because they exist at this fine dividing line between standard bop and avant. On ESP, they tilt a bit toward conventional hard bop (something that's apparent toward the end of the record), largely because this is their first effort, but the fact is, this difference between this album and hard bop from the early '60s is remarkable. This is exploratory music, whether it's rushing by in a flurry of notes or elegantly reclining in Hancock's calm yet complex chords. The compositions are brilliantly structured as well, encouraging such free-form exploration with their elliptical yet memorable themes. This quintet may have cut more adventurous records, but ESP remains one of their very best albums.
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07 Total Tracks, 48:00 Total Length
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Credits
- Bob Belden - Liner Notes // Bob Belden - Reissue Producer // Ron Carter - Bass // Ron Carter - Bass // Ron Carter - Bass // Ron Carter - Bass // Ron Carter - Bass // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Herbie Hancock - Piano // Herbie Hancock - Piano // Wayne Shorter - Sax (Tenor) // Wayne Shorter - Sax (Tenor) // Tony Williams - Drums // Tony Williams - Drums // Tony Williams - Drums // Tony Williams - Drums // Michael Berniker - Coordination // Michael Cuscuna - Reissue Producer // Tim Geelan - Remixing // Gene Santoro - Liner Notes // Irving Townsend - Producer // Irving Townsend - Original Recording Producer // Mark Wilder - Mastering // Gary Pacheco - Coordination // Penny Armstrong - Coordination // Seth Rothstein - Project Director // Bob Cato - Photography // Randall Martin - Reissue Design // Rob Schwarz - Mastering
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Other Details
- Instruments:
- Piano //
- Trumpet //
- Bass (Vocal) //
- Drums //
- Sax (Tenor)
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