Miles Davis - Sorcerer (US 2 eyes Columbia 1st press.) LP rip in 24 Bit/ 96 Khz + Redbook

May 1967 was the beginning of an amazing burst of studio creativity for Miles Davis; the first recordings in that burst are on this album. Sorcerer is even darker and moodier than its predecessor, Miles Smiles. (And even for a Miles Davis album, this is very moody and very dark.) It features less memorable tunes but the improvisations go even further away from the jazz mainstream. "Masqualero", a Wayne Shorter tune, is essentially an anything-goes performance with a Spanish tinge; there's a lot of fireworks in Miles's solo as the rhythm section rumbles under him, and Herbie Hancock's solo is a textbook example of tension and release. Another one of Shorter's compositions, "Vonetta", takes a quirky ballad and marries it to martial drumming by Tony Williams. There's also "Pee Wee", a Williams ballad with some beautiful playing. The other three tunes are similar – haunting, dreamy themes coupled with complex group interaction. "Nothing Like You" is an odd vocal tune, a leftover from Gil Evans/Miles Davis sessions five years later that offers a bit of comic relief after the ominous music that precedes it. If you like Miles Smiles and E.S.P., this is essential. But try those albums first. Amazon.

Track listing:

1. "Prince of Darkness" (W. Shorter)
2. "Pee Wee" (T. Williams)
3. "Masqualero" (W. Shorter)
4. "The Sorcerer" (H. Hancock)
5. "Limbo" (W. Shorter)
6. "Vonetta" (W. Shorter)
7. "Nothing Like You" (Bob Dorough) (1962)

Recorded:

May 16 - May 24, 1967 at Columbia Studios B and 30th Street Studio, New York.
"Nothing Like You": August 21, 1962 at Columbia Studio A, New York

Performers:

* Miles Davis - Trumpet
* Wayne Shorter - Tenor saxophone
* Herbie Hancock - Piano
* Ron Carter - Double bass
* Tony Williams - drums

The lineup differs on the track "Nothing Like You":

* Miles Davis - Trumpet
* Frank Rehak - Trombone
* Wayne Shorter - Tenor saxophone
* Paul Chambers - Double bass
* Jimmy Cobb - drums
* Willie Bobo (William Correa) - bongos
* Bob Dorough - vocals