We're rapidly approaching the 500th review now, but before we do, I thought I'd take the opportunity to fill a couple of gaps, in the form of years not yet visited. So it's back to 1963, and a Miles Davis / Gill Evans collaboration, which I have no recollection of buying or ever listening to.
Hailed as 'the stunning Bossa Nova collaboration', it's a gentle listen, as the title implies, with a big band feel in parts, and while it's a fine listen, the album feels rather short of anything which makes me sit up and say "Wow".
Opening track Song No. 2 has a decent trumpet solo, but it isn't anything you feel only Miles could have done. And to be honest, the short pieces fly by, all feeling like a nice listen, but without massive impact, until the more upbeat Song No. 1. Sadly, the gentle background effect of the album continues to the end. But wait! What's this? A bonus track not on the original LP?
The Time Of The Barracudas perhaps doesn't fit on this album, being much longer, at twelve minutes, than any other track, but suddenly the more restrained Miles from earlier is given a bit more free rein, and it's a fantastic listen, a piece containing a number of themes, and a number of pointers of things to come and things past. It's certainly a wake up after the soporific effect of the main album.
This isn't a bad album, in fact it's a nice listen, but the Davis bar is set very high, and Evans' more restrained arrangements don't always allow him to cut loose. But there's much to enjoy here.
3* - a decent enough album, without any standouts until the bonus cut.
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