Track Listing

1. Catémbe
2. Cobra
3. Big Time
4. Hannibal
5. Jo-Jo
6. Amandla
7. Jilli
8. Mr. Pastorius

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144064 in Music
• Released on: 2002-12-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording remastered, Import
• Dimensions: .14 pounds

Album Description
2002 remastered reissue of 1989 album. Digipak. Warner Jazz.

Amazon.com
Amandla doesn't sound like any of the contemporary jazz records of its time, as Miles Davis returns one last time to a leadership role he'd basically abdicated to Fender bassist/multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller on the preceding Tutu and Siesta. By plugging in with the cream of his live collaborators on Amandla, Miles retained the big band sound of Tutu, but with a more humanized sense of interplay and swing. "Catembe" heralds the third world rhythmic locus which snakes its way through the entire album, while "Jo-Jo" and "Jilli" engender an ongoing call-and-response between front line and back line, between main and secondary themes, as Kenny Garrett's fat, burnished alto lines coil and strike around Davis's more circumspect, muted phrases. The most poignant moments come on the title tune, with chord changes reminiscent of Davis's traditional ballad style, and on the closing "Mr. Pastorius," where Davis finally reverts to his classic open horn to pay tribute to the late bassist over a laidback swing beat, with echoes of "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews

One of my favorite albums
Amandla has always had a way of creeping into my playlist. It may be characterized as 80s fusion, but there is something deep about this album that has grown on me with each listen. While much of 80s jazz is not worth a listen today, there is something about Amandla that makes it timeless. Yes, there are programmed drum tracks and 80s synthesizers, but everything in this album is done with the best of class, and the sum of its parts is simply classic.

You're not going to find the Miles Davis of his past in this album. Instead, you will find an artist stretching his horizons in the way that Miles did throughout his career. Miles was a master of bringing contemporary musicians together, and Amandla showcases this talent. Marcus Miller and Kenny Garrett absolutely shine on this album in the same way that Ron Carter and Wayne Shorter shone in days past.

Musical and interesting
At first I didn't like this album a whole lot because I couln't get over the whole late eighties fusion sound. After having put it away for a while and bringing it back out, however, I really dug it. Tunes are subtle but interesting and fresh sounding. Lots of great playing by Miles and the other musicians. Synthesizers are often used to expressive effect, rather than as musical draperies. It just goes to show you that a creative, musical mind can take an idiom that is commonly viewed as gauche and turn it into something worth listening to. Set aside your "Disco Sucks" preconceptions and this album has a lot to offer.

LAST GREAT EFFORT
This is Miles ahead of everyone else. Hip-Hop jazz is the theme. Around the theme, is world music, and open horn ballads. Great supporting cast, especially Kenny Garrett, who always compliments Miles totally. Very, very, cool solos by Kenny Garrett. Very controled and focused solos. No one was playing this kind of stuff at the time, which, of course, is one of the aspects that made Miles so much of an icon. Always ahead of his time. Always the leader. Miles' muted trumpet floating around on top of the tracks. Great songs, of course. Jo Jo is my favorite, and you aren't going to find anything cooler than that. Miles is the king of cool. Just listen here.