Miles Davis - The Man With The Horn (2022 Remaster) (2022) [Hi-Res]

The Man With The Horn was the first album Miles Davis recorded after his prolonged retirement in the second half of the 1970s. It was his first studio album since the already distant Get Up With It (Columbia Records, 1974). It marked the beginning of his second and last recording period and, logically, it was experienced as a great event.

This is not his best work, in fact, it is somewhat disappointing, but that is the least important thing: the important thing was that Miles Davis was once again creating music, that he had overcome his serious health problems (starting with a terrible addiction), that he was almost ready to do what he did best. The almost is due precisely to the years of hiatus, because anyone who has played an instrument knows how quickly technique is lost, and this is valid even for exceptional cases such as Miles Davis, people who had spent a lifetime glued to their instrument.

If it is already noticeable after a couple of weeks, imagine after years without even getting close to a trumpet. Of course, his conception of jazz never exactly demanded an outstanding technique, but it is clear that, when he recorded The Man With The Horn, he was not yet in top form, he still had to recover his old level, to get his lips used to it again.

But some things hadn't changed. For one thing, as was usual for him, he surrounded himself with some of the best instrumentalists of the time, starting with saxophonist Bill Evans and bassist Marcus Miller, two promising musicians who thus began their interesting careers. On the other hand, Miles Davis was still interested in electric jazz, in fusion with rock and funk, although here he returned to a somewhat more traditional interpretation of the trumpet and a more conventional conception of jazz, if 'traditional' and 'conventional' are adjectives that can be applied to the American's music.

All in all, The Man With The Horn is not essential, but it can hardly be essential on a label that includes Kind Of Blue (Columbia Records, 1959) or Bitches Brew (Columbia Records, 1970), among other wonders. Obviously, if it had been the debut of an unknown musician, the critics would have praised it infinitely, but when it comes to Davis, the demand is much higher.

Miles Davis, trumpet, pedals
Bill Evans, tenor & soprano saxophone (except 3)
Barry Finnerty, electric guitar (except 5)
Mike Stern, electric guitar (1)
Marcus Miller, bass (except 3 & 5)
Al Foster, drums (except 3 & 5)
Sammy Figueroa, percussion (except 5)
Robert Irving III, Yamaha CS30 synthesizer, piano
Randy Hall, synthesizer, electric guitar, celeste, Moog synthesizer; lead and backing vocals (5)
Felton Crews, bass
Vince Wilburn, Jr., drums

Digitally remastered