VARIOUS - Directions In Music 1969 To 1973 - 2LP - Vinyl

This compilation looks at the musicians who worked with Miles in his most controversially radical phase, from Filles De Kilimanjaro, In A Silent Way and the hit album Bitches Brew through to Jack Johnson, On The Corner and beyond. The influence of some of these albums was felt at the time, whilst others have only revealed their importance over the years. Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Dave Holland, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette and Billy Cobham all became superstars in the world of jazz in the years immediately following their participation, whilst others such a Gary Bartz, Lonnie Liston Smith and Michael Henderson gained success by mixing jazz with contemporary black music and making classic albums lauded down through the years. And of course, there is the woman who is often said to have been the catalyst for the whole Electric Miles period, Betty Davis (née Mabry).

Of all of the music Miles made in his career, this period offers the greatest fascination. The future of both electric and acoustic jazz and the stars of the genre were mapped out, and the reactions for and against Bitches Brew, In A Silent Way, On The Corner and this whole period continue to reverberate even after 50 years.