Audio CD review:
Miles Davis - E.S.P.

Miles Davis - E.S.P.

Band: Miles Davis Title: E.S.P. Rating: Release Date: 13 October, 1998 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: E.S.P. 2: Eighty-One 3: Little One 4: R.J. 5: Agitation 6: Iris 7: Mood

Editoral Review S. E. P. is an inventive post-bop treasure that finds Mr. Davis totally re-energized by the young guns of his second quintet. Davis's first album of new material in six years (most of it written by the band), E. S. P. is a brilliantly-executed treatise on the workings of tension and release. The songs are predominantly modal and the structures themselves are different, with a minimalist bent and more emphasis placed on melodies that are repeated, fractured, improvised upon, and released into the ether of total, free sound. The supple rhythm section--powerhouse drummer Tony Williams and bassist Ron Carter--provide ample room for Davis, Hancock, and Shorter to explore interlocking melodies, notably on the jaunty "Eighty-One" and the sweet lullaby "Iris. " On "Agitation," Williams brings the noise, grafting the rhythmic freedom of the day's free-form music to the group's tuneful and "out" playing. --Mike McGonigal .. You can see a complete list of all Miles Davis discography, or go back to the Miles Davis tabs