These recordings are by no means jazz in the traditional sense, but it's good to note that by this point Miles had pretty much given up on jazz. 'Let the white boys have it,' he said. I am one of those Miles-for-lifers though, and I don't reject his fusion, funk and later pop oeuvre. I personally think he stuck to his musical guns until the day he died, and these records are only proof of his all-encompassing vision.
There are naysayers who complain that Miles abandoned jazz for commercial music of disputable quality. I believe no such thing occured - if anything, the sheer quality that he imparts to the commercial music he performed in the 80s is a testament to his musical imagination. 'Human Nature' is played with a joie de vivre that is almost infectious, and his talent for understated romanticism takes him places on 'Time after Time'. Sure, it ain't jazz, but who cares? It is a pop record of rare poise and sensibility. And I'm glad he made it.
No comments:
Post a Comment