Miles Davis – Miles Smiles

1960 to 1965 marked the darkest time of Miles Davis’s life. The white police busted his head open. His parents passed away two years apart. His drinking and snoring cocaine increased. His wife left him. Yet on top of all, in his own word, “[T]he music wasn’t happening and that was fucking me up.” But Miles Smiles again when he finds the sound from the young players: pianist Herbie Hancock, tenor Wayne Shorter, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. When playing with these youngsters, Davis recognizes that, “this was going to be a motherfucker of the group.” This album helped pushed Davis’s career out of the slump period. The group plays together in an endeavor to bring its music to a higher level. For detail readings of each track on Miles Smiles, the last two chapters of Jeremy Yudkin’s Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop are highly recommended. Yudkin’s meticulous explanations show what goes on in the studio during the recording sessions.