Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Album Review: Miles Davis - Double Image

Miles Davis
Double Image
** out of *****

This Record Store Day release titled Double Image has a slightly interesting history as the tracks were originally included on The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions, released in 1998. The truth of it is though these songs were not part of the Bitches Brew sessions proper, but recorded sometime after (November '69 and February '70), just before Miles moved on to Jack Johnson. Technically these songs would fall into that bridge between the two records, but they were lumped in for the Bitches Brew extended release. No matter what you label them though, make sure they have  the word 'outtakes' on them, because they clearly are.

The band joining Davis are some of his most well known collaborators, Wayne Shorter on soprano sax, John McLaughlin on electric guitar and a triple-threat electric piano section featuring Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea and Larry Young.The tracks for the most part feel like the band trying stuff out an just throwing phrases at the wall, seeing what sticks. 

Opener "Yaphet" starts off meandering (an adjective that describes the release as a whole) with little desire to do much of anything. "Corrado" is way over long but has a few moments of magical brilliance which pop up when the band seem to be lost, before the two versions of "The Little Blue Frog" feel ominous but incomplete.   

The albums title track is a freaky groove that bumps along with direction and key/horn/guitar slices, producing the best complete effort on the record while "Feio"sets a tone with it's sparse creepiness and dripping percussion. "Recollections" has traces of In A Silent Way flowing through it with closer "Take It Or Leave It" featuring the warmest horn from Miles on this outtake album. 

Bitches Brew and Jack Johnson are two of the greatest modern jazz records, so naturally hearing what Miles and crew were up to during any sessions around this era would be interesting, but these recordings are strictly for die hard fans as they are sketches in progress without any real direction. For Davis completists and vinyl enthusiasts, Double Image is a slightly interesting release but all other listeners can skip this one.
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