eMusic

Start Your Trial

Nefertiti

by

Miles Davis

 
  • Pick
Nefertiti
view larger image View Larger

Rate it!

Avg: 4.5 (276 ratings)

  • Date Released: January 1, 1967
  • Genre: Jazz
  • Label: Columbia/Legacy
  • Copyright: Originally Released 1968, 1998, (P) 1988 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
  • We Say...

    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 the jazz quintet.

  • They Say...

    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.

  • You Say...

    Write a Review

    I would like to say...

    Artist: Miles Davis

    Album: Nefertiti

    Review Title: (maximum 50 characters)

    Your Review: (maximum 1,000 characters)

    Cancel

    Please keep your comments to the recordings themselves, and be courteous and respectful. Thanks! For further info, read our Community Guidelines.

The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

© 1998-2009 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.