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Miles Smiles
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| Miles Smiles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 16, 1967[1] | |||
| Recorded | October 24–25, 1966 | |||
| Studio | Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:44 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Teo Macero | |||
| Miles Davis chronology | ||||
| ||||
Miles Smiles is an album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released on February 16, 1967,[1] by Columbia Records. It was recorded by Davis and his second quintet at Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City on October 24 and October 25, 1966.[4] It is the second of six albums recorded by Davis' second great quintet, which featured tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.[4]
Music
[edit]Miles Smiles showcases Davis' deeper exploration of modal performance with looser forms, tempos, and meters. Although the album did not follow the conventions of bop, neither did it follow the formlessness of free jazz.[3] According to musicologist Jeremy Yudkin, Miles Smiles falls under the post-bop subgenre, which he defines as "an approach that is abstract and intense in the extreme, with space created for rhythmic and coloristic independence of the drummer—an approach that incorporated modal and chordal harmonies, flexible form, structured choruses, melodic variation, and free improvisation."[2] Music theorist Keith Waters writes that the album "accentuated the quintet's connections to both the hard bop tradition and the avant-garde."[3]
On three tracks from this album—"Orbits", "Dolores", and "Ginger Bread Boy"—pianist Herbie Hancock takes the unusual liberty of dispensing with left-hand chords and playing only right-hand lines. "Freedom Jazz Dance" has more conventional accompaniment from the piano, although the quintet altered Eddie Harris' composition by inserting additional bars between the melodic phrases of the piece, as well as performing the piece at a slightly faster tempo.[3]
"Footprints"
[edit]Wayne Shorter's composition "Footprints" was first recorded for his album Adam's Apple, but on Miles Smiles, the correlation between African-based 12
8 (or 6
8), and 4
4 is playfully explored. Drummer Tony Williams freely moves from swing, to the three-over-two cross rhythm—and to its 4
4 correlative. The rhythmic approach of Williams, and bassist Ron Carter, strongly suggests compound quadruple meter (12
8), rather than triple meter (3
4), because the ground of four main beats is maintained throughout the piece. The bass switches to 4
4 at 2:20. Carter’s 4
4 figure is known as tresillo in Afro-Cuban music and is the duple-pulse correlative of the 12
8 figure. This may have been the first overt expression of systemic, African-based cross-rhythm used by a straight ahead jazz group. During Davis’ first trumpet solo, Williams shifts to a 4
4 jazz ride pattern while Carter continues the 12
8 bass line.
The Davis "book"
[edit]Three of the album's compositions made it to Davis' live "book". "Dolores" is known from a single recording in the spring of 1967. "Ginger Bread Boy" and "Footprints" were played much more frequently. Early live versions of "Ginger Bread Boy" (from the spring and summer of 1966) retained the melody of Heath's original version. The melody on the studio version is somewhat different (presumably changed by Davis), and ensuing versions often retain this change. "Ginger Bread Boy" was played as late as the summer of 1969. "Footprints" appears on Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1, 1969 Miles: Festiva de Juan Pins, Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2, and unofficial live recordings from the Fillmore West in April 1970.
Reception and legacy
[edit]| Retrospective reviews | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [5] |
| Down Beat |  [4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [6] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [7] |
| Q | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [9] |
Miles Smiles received critical acclaim in 1967,[3] and was praised for its original compositions, the quintet's chemistry and playing, and Davis' phrasing.[10][11][12][13] CODA editor John Norris praised the quintet's "mastery of sensitive interaction" and wrote that they "must be one of the most beautifully integrated groups ever to play jazz".[10] Norris noted that "Every man is listening intently at all times, responding sensitively to mutual hints and directions", and stated "The empathy between Carter, Williams and Hancock, the way they anticipate each other, push each other, support each other, and phrase together - all this without a sign of strain - is really amazing".[10] He cited the Davis-penned "Circle" as the album's highlight and wrote that the composition "defines the excellence of the group... a masterpiece".[10] Nat Hentoff of Stereo Review called Tony Williams and Ron Carter "prodigious technicians and restless", while noting "Though tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter does not quite reach the incandescent performance level attained by his colleagues, he is inspired by them to deliver some of his most inventive playing on records so far."[12] Hentoff cited the quintet as Davis' "most stimulating rhythm team so far" and concluded with a discourse on its potential significance, writing that:
[Miles Smiles] is certain to remain an important part of the Davis discography, both for the trumpeter's persistent brilliance and for the lesson by Williams and Carter in how the functions—and the dynamic range—of the jazz rhythm section are being explored and changed.[12]
Martin Williams, writing for the Saturday Review, called it "an exceptional recital, Davis' best album in some time, and clear evidence of his continuing dedication as an improvising musician", while stating that it is "directly in the tradition of the 'experimental' Davis recordings, the tradition established by Kind of Blue in 1959—an album whose implications jazz musicians are still exploring—and continued by ESP of 1965—an album which seemed to me much less successful".[11] Williams viewed each player as in their best form, particularly Williams and Carter, noting "their superb contributions are beyond the words I could muster for so brief an account as this one".[11] Time similarly complimented both musicians and stated "Williams expertly helps build the mood and [Carter] has a sure feel for the note that underlines the swirl of chords".[14]
Reviewing the record's 1992 CD reissue, Q called Miles Smiles "essential...one of the quintet's best albums" and cited "Footprints" and "Dolores" as "all-time great jazz compositions".[4] Musician cited Miles Smiles as one of "the great quintet albums" and wrote that it "has lost none of its cutting edge ... Has any band ever grooved harder than Miles and company do on 'Orbits', 'Dolores' or 'Ginger Bread Boy'--and has Miles ever penned a more touching ballad than 'Circle'?"[4] Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the quintet's compositions as "memorable, yet open-ended and nervy, setting (and creating) standards for modern bop that were emulated well into the new century".[5] Erlewine viewed that the quintet "really began to hit their stride, delving deeper into the more adventurous, exploratory side of their signature sound ... all their strengths are in full bloom", and elaborated on the music's accessibility:
It's not just the fast, manic material that has an edge—slower, quieter numbers are mercurial, not just in how they shift melodies and chords, but how the voicing and phrasing never settles into a comfortable groove. This is music that demands attention, never taking predictable paths or easy choices. Its greatest triumph is that it masks this adventurousness within music that is warm and accessible—it just never acts that way. No matter how accessible this is, what's so utterly brilliant about it is that the group never brings it forth to the audience. They're playing for each other, pushing and prodding each other in an effort to discover new territory. As such, this crackles with vitality, sounding fresh decades after its release.[5]
Down Beat complimented its "simpler, drier, more austere sound" and stated "the unrehearsed, rough Miles Smiles holds up so well simply because it was more of a jazz record ... Davis' exquisite waltz, `Circle,' showcases his lyrical, muted-trumpet playing".[4]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Orbits" | Wayne Shorter | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Circle" | Miles Davis | 5:52 |
| 3. | "Footprints" | Wayne Shorter | 9:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dolores" | Wayne Shorter | 6:20 |
| 2. | "Freedom Jazz Dance" | Eddie Harris | 7:13 |
| 3. | "Ginger Bread Boy" | Jimmy Heath | 7:43 |
| Total length: | 41:44 | ||
Personnel
[edit]Musicians
[edit]- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock – piano
- Ron Carter – double bass
- Tony Williams – drums
Production
[edit]- Producer – Teo Macero
- Recording engineer – Frank Laico
- Cover photography – Vernon Smith
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Miles Smiles". Milesdavis.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Bailey, C. Michael (April 11, 2008). "Miles Davis, Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop". All About Jazz. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Waters, Keith (February 15, 2011). The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68. Oxford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0199830169.
- ^ a b c d e f g Product Page: Miles Smiles. Muze. Retrieved on 2010-11-03.
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 1, 2001). Review: Miles Smiles. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-11-03.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Cook, Richard. "Review: Miles Smiles Archived April 21, 2017, at the Wayback Machine". The Penguin Guide to Jazz: 376. September 2002.
- ^ Hoard, Christian (November 1, 2004). "Review: Miles Smiles". Rolling Stone: 214, 217.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 58. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ a b c d Norris, John (1967). "Review: Miles Smiles". CODA: volume 8. 16–17.
- ^ a b c Williams, Martin (1967). "Review: Miles Smiles". Saturday Review: volume 50. 187.
- ^ a b c Hentoff, Nat (1967) "Review: Miles Smiles". Stereo Review: volume 18. 61–62.
- ^ Baraka, Imamu Amiri (1967). "Review: Miles Smiles". Down Beat: volume 34. 61.
- ^ Columnist (April 21, 1967). Review: Miles Smiles. Time. Retrieved on 2010-11-03.
- ^ "Miles Davis - Miles Smiles". Discogs. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
Miles Smiles
View on GrokipediaBackground
Quintet formation
The Miles Davis Second Great Quintet began to take shape in the early 1960s following the departure of John Coltrane from Davis's First Great Quintet in 1960, marking a transitional period for the bandleader as he sought fresh personnel to advance his musical vision.[3] By 1963, Davis had assembled the core rhythm section with bassist Ron Carter, who had joined in 1963 after Paul Chambers left, pianist Herbie Hancock, who replaced Wynton Kelly in May 1963, and drummer Tony Williams, a prodigy who joined at age 17 that same year.[4][5][6] This lineup provided a foundation of youthful energy and technical prowess, with Williams's explosive, boundary-pushing drumming particularly influencing the group's rhythmic intensity from the outset.[7] The quintet reached its definitive form in September 1964 when tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter joined, completing the ensemble of Davis on trumpet, Shorter on tenor saxophone, Hancock on piano, Carter on bass, and Williams on drums—a configuration that lasted until 1968.[8][9] Davis intentionally selected these relatively untested musicians to evolve beyond the hard bop style of his earlier groups, incorporating modal frameworks and freer improvisational structures inspired by Coltrane's innovations and the emerging free jazz movement.[3][10] Shorter emerged as the primary composer for the band, contributing intricate, harmonically open pieces that encouraged collective exploration, while Williams's innovative approach to time and texture often propelled the music into uncharted territory.[5][8] Throughout 1965 and into 1966, the quintet honed its chemistry through extensive live performances, including club dates at venues like the Village Vanguard and international tours that allowed the musicians to develop a telepathic interplay and signature sound.[11] These early gigs, marked by Davis's emphasis on spontaneity and rhythmic drive, solidified the group's dynamic before entering the studio, culminating in the recording of the album Miles Smiles in October 1966.[10]Recording sessions
The recording sessions for Miles Smiles took place over two days, October 24 and 25, 1966, at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studio in New York City.[2][12] These sessions captured the Miles Davis Quintet—comprising Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums—in a focused effort that yielded the album's six tracks.[13] Producer Teo Macero supervised the dates, employing a hands-off style that emphasized the group's cohesion and allowed Davis to direct proceedings with minimal interference.[14][15] The quintet arrived well-prepared, drawing from a repertoire of both originals and standards in Davis's "book" of tunes, which facilitated efficient recording. Most tracks were completed in a few takes, reflecting a "hit-it-and-quit-it" spontaneity akin to their live performances, with the group attempting six compositions: "Orbits" (five takes on October 24), "Circle" (four takes), "Ginger Bread Boy" (two takes), "Footprints" (three takes on October 25), "Dolores" (two takes), and "Freedom Jazz Dance" (three takes).[1][13] Davis selected the material to balance Shorter's contributions ("Orbits," "Dolores," "Footprints") with his own "Circle" and covers of Eddie Harris's "Freedom Jazz Dance" and Jimmy Heath's "Ginger Bread Boy," prioritizing the ensemble's improvisational chemistry over extensive rehearsal.[1] Technical aspects underscored the album's live-in-studio aesthetic, utilizing Columbia's standard multi-track equipment without overdubs to preserve the quintet's organic interplay and the studio's renowned acoustics.[16] Engineer Frank Laico captured the sessions using a modest setup of microphones, capturing the full band simultaneously for an unadulterated sound that highlighted their telepathic rapport.[1] The final selections were edited from these attempts, resulting in a concise album that embodied the quintet's evolving post-bop language.[13]Music
Style and structure
Miles Smiles represents a pivotal advancement in post-bop jazz through its fusion of modal jazz, hard bop, and subtle free jazz influences, prioritizing collective improvisation and group interplay over individual solos.[17] The quintet's music negotiates effortlessly between structured compositions and spontaneous interaction, with Wayne Shorter's motivic expansions and Herbie Hancock's colorful harmonic explorations enhancing the ensemble's cohesion.[18] Rhythmically, the album derives its vitality from Tony Williams's innovative polyrhythms and metrical displacements alongside Ron Carter's elastic bass lines, fostering a "time, no changes" sensation that elasticizes harmonic rhythm and invites metrical conflict.[17] This approach breaks from conventional swing patterns, incorporating staccato pulses and dynamic tensions to propel the music forward while maintaining a sense of spacious mood.[19] Harmonically, the tracks utilize pedal points and static vamps for tonal ambiguity and subdominant emphasis, as exemplified in "Footprints" with its modal minor blues structure and characteristic riff-based ostinato. These structures echo Davis's earlier modal innovations in albums like Kind of Blue, employing suspended fourths and quartal harmonies to create static frames that enable freer improvisation.[19] The album's form comprises six tracks totaling about 41 minutes, with an average length of roughly seven minutes per piece, structured to showcase the quintet's balanced interplay across varied heads and solos without filler.[1] It opens with Wayne Shorter's "Orbits" and features several of his compositions, including "Footprints" and "Dolores," underscoring the group's unified voice.[12] Though drawing from John Coltrane's quartet in its exploratory freedom, Davis's quintet adopts a cooler, more concise aesthetic, emphasizing lyrical melodic motives and restrained space over intense modal-scale negotiations.[18]Notable tracks
"Footprints," composed by Wayne Shorter, stands out as a modal waltz in C minor, characterized by its cyclic form and a persistent bass ostinato that anchors the ensemble's improvisations.[20] The track highlights Miles Davis's muted trumpet, which weaves lyrical lines through the modal framework, while the group unisons emphasize the quintet's tight interplay during the head statements.[21] This piece, originally from Shorter's 1966 album Adam's Apple, exemplifies the quintet's ability to transform standards into vehicles for collective exploration.[22] "Dolores," penned by Wayne Shorter, offers a lyrical ballad that opens with an impressionistic piano introduction, evoking a sense of introspection before the full ensemble enters.[22] The composition features a fluid structure allowing rubato passages and metric ambiguities with precision.[23] Davis's trumpet delivers a poignant melody over Hancock's harmonic cushion, underscoring the track's emotional depth and the pianist's emerging role as a compositional force within the group.[20] The quintet's rendition of "Freedom Jazz Dance," a standard by Eddie Harris, reimagines the tune as a funky, riff-based groove that prioritizes rhythmic freedom over strict adherence to form.[1] Ron Carter's bass and Tony Williams's drums drive the propulsive pulse, creating a layered texture where solos build on interlocking riffs rather than conventional chord changes.[20] This arrangement captures the era's fusion of jazz with soul influences, showcasing the band's versatility in adapting pop-oriented material to their modal aesthetic.[24] "Ginger Bread Boy," Jimmy Heath's up-tempo bebop head, features altered bridges that add harmonic tension, propelling the track's energetic momentum.[20] Shorter's tenor saxophone solo evokes John Coltrane's "sheets of sound" technique, with dense, rapid phrases that fill the space while maintaining bebop's swing feel.[25] Williams's drumming further amplifies the intensity, highlighting the quintet's command of hard-swinging rhythms amid complex improvisations.[22] The tracks on Miles Smiles form a cohesive "Davis book" of repertoire, with thematic echoes linking compositions across the album, such as the Latin flavors in "Orbits" that serve as an ensemble showcase for the quintet's synchronized precision.[26] This interconnected approach reflects the group's evolution into a unified improvisational unit, where individual innovations contribute to a broader modal and rhythmic dialogue.[27]Reception and legacy
Initial reviews
Upon its release on February 16, 1967, by Columbia Records (catalog numbers CL 2601 for mono and CS 9401 for stereo), Miles Smiles was met with enthusiastic critical reception in the jazz community, celebrated for advancing the quintet's experimental yet accessible post-bop sound.[1][12] In the June 29, 1967, issue of DownBeat, critic Dan Morgenstern awarded the album four-and-a-half stars, calling it "the most exciting album [the quintet] has made since E.S.P." and praising its confrontation with avant-garde elements while maintaining swing and melody.[28] He highlighted the maturity of the ensemble—featuring Miles Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums—noting their "uncanny communication" and the rhythm section's dynamic propulsion. Morgenstern particularly commended Shorter's compositions like "Footprints," "Orbits," and "Dolores" for their innovative structures, and Davis's "Circle" as a lyrical masterpiece that exemplified the group's telepathic interplay.[28] Other contemporary outlets echoed this positivity, with Billboard noting the album's innovative appeal in its jazz listings, though some more traditional critics viewed its abstract harmonies as challenging. Commercially, Miles Smiles achieved strong sales within jazz circles, charting successfully on jazz album lists that year, driven by Davis's fame, even without broader pop crossover.[29] Reviewers positioned it as a key progression from E.S.P. (1965), bridging to the quintet's subsequent Sorcerer (1967) with its blend of freedom and discipline.[28]Long-term impact
Miles Smiles stands as a cornerstone of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet era, exemplifying the group's pioneering advancements in post-bop jazz through complex rhythmic interplay and collective improvisation.[30] The album's influence extended into jazz fusion, as key members like saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock applied the quintet's innovative harmonic and textural approaches in subsequent projects; Shorter, in particular, co-founded Weather Report in 1970, blending jazz improvisation with rock and world music elements drawn from his Davis tenure.[31] The album has seen notable reissues that underscore its enduring value. A 1998 Columbia CD edition (CK 65682), remastered from original session tapes by Mark Wilder, included enhanced audio fidelity and preserved the quintet's dynamic range.[32] In 2019, Columbia/Legacy reissued the album on 180-gram vinyl.[33] In jazz education, Miles Smiles is frequently studied for its advanced improvisation techniques, with solos on tracks like "Footprints" and "Ginger Bread Boy" serving as models for motivic development and melodic paraphrase in ensemble settings.[22] It is cited in seminal texts, such as Ian Carr's 1998 biography Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography, as a peak achievement of post-bop, illustrating Davis's mastery of space, tension, and group interaction during the 1960s.[34] Modern assessments affirm the album's lasting significance. AllMusic awards it 5 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describing it as "essential" for capturing the Second Great Quintet's unparalleled creativity and influence on jazz's trajectory.[2] The album's reach extends to hip-hop, where tracks like "Footprints" have been sampled in productions, such as Calibre's drum and bass track "Mr Right On," bridging jazz improvisation with contemporary beat-making.[35] Broader cultural reappraisals position Miles Smiles within Davis's 1960s transition from acoustic post-bop to electric fusion, prefiguring the groundbreaking Bitches Brew (1970) through its embrace of modal structures and rhythmic experimentation.[36] In 2020s scholarship, the album is examined alongside evolving discussions of gender and race dynamics in jazz history, highlighting Davis's role in challenging racial barriers while noting the era's underrepresentation of women in leading ensembles.[37]Release and credits
Side one
- "Orbits" (Wayne Shorter) – 4:35
- "Circle" (Miles Davis) – 5:52
- "Footprints" (Wayne Shorter) – 9:44 [12]
Side two
- "Dolores" (Wayne Shorter) – 6:20
- "Freedom Jazz Dance" (Eddie Harris) – 7:11
- "Gingerbread Boy" (Jimmy Heath) – 7:40 [12]