Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Share
Items31
1
Miles in the Sky (1968)
Released
1968. On Stuff, Herbie Hancock’s electric piano and Ron Carter’s electric bass loosen up the quintet’s pulse. Begin here to hear what electrification changes while the band’s quick exchanges are still familiar.
More about Miles in the Sky2
Filles de Kilimanjaro
1969. Listen to Mademoiselle Mabry for the slow electric keyboard chords beneath the trumpet. The long takes make sense as the next step after the quintet’s earlier records, with electric instruments taking up more of the room.
More about Filles de Kilimanjaro3
In a Silent Way (1969)
Released
1969. Start with the title melody, where John McLaughlin’s guitar has space to play slowly and softly. Teo Macero brings back earlier material through editing, so the two long sides feel composed even when the players are improvising.
More about In a Silent Way4
Bitches Brew (1970)
Released
1970. Try Miles Runs the Voodoo Down for the rubbery bass and layered percussion. Move to Pharaoh’s Dance to hear how a bass clarinet and multiple keyboards can turn the stereo field into an ensemble of competing ideas.
More about Bitches Brew5
Miles Davis at Fillmore
1970. The original double album turns four nights at the Fillmore East into four edited sides. Try Wednesday Miles to hear the band make quick turns between electric keyboard textures, trumpet phrases, and high-volume group playing.
More about Miles Davis at Fillmore6
A Tribute to Jack Johnson (1971)
Released
1971. Right Off begins with guitar, bass, and drums already in motion before the trumpet enters. Put this on first if the side of fusion you want to hear is close to a rock band, with the groove allowed to run.
More about A Tribute to Jack Johnson7
Live-Evil (1971)
Released
1971. Sivad includes extended live material from the Cellar Door, with electric keyboards and trumpet playing over Michael Henderson’s bass. The short pieces elsewhere on the album interrupt that density with something closer to a miniature.
More about Live-Evil8
On the Corner (1972)
Released
1972. Start with Black Satin for its recurring rhythm and abrupt instrumental color. The pieces fit more by repetition and editing than by a sequence of cleanly handed-off solos, which makes this a natural starting point for funk listeners.
More about On the Corner9
Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West
1973 in Japan, from an April 1970 set. Start at the opening and follow the changes the players make without stopping between pieces. It is a useful companion to the edited Fillmore East album when you want to hear a single night unfold.
More about Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West10
In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall
1973. Hear how the group extends the heavy rhythms Davis had been working with in the studio. This live recording gives the musicians time to work with a repeated groove before changing its shape.
More about In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall11
Big Fun (1974)
Released
1974. The recordings come from several sessions between 1969 and 1972. Go Ahead John keeps drawing attention to John McLaughlin’s guitar and to the mix itself, where the treatment of the instruments becomes as audible as the performance.
More about Big Fun12
Get Up with It
1974. He Loved Him Madly gives you the sparse side of this period: slowly changing keyboard chords, guitar, and long stretches of space. Rated X offers an abrasive contrast when you want to hear what the same band could do with repetition.
More about Get Up with It13
Agharta
1975 in Japan. This is the afternoon performance from the band’s February 1 Osaka date. On Prelude, Michael Henderson’s bass and the percussion keep a foothold while Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas open up the sound around them.
More about Agharta14
Pangaea (1976)
Released
1976 in Japan, from the evening show on the same day as Agharta. Start with the quieter space at the opening of Gondwana, where the winding flute and percussion show how far the band can drop its volume before building again.
More about Pangaea15
Water Babies
1976. This archive release brings together recordings from before and during the move to electric instruments. Choose Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Williams Process if you want to hear the earlier quintet’s ease with meter carry into a different set of textures.
More about Water Babies16
Dark Magus
1977. Recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1974 and first issued in Japan. Start with Moja for concentrated percussion and electric guitar underneath the shifting signals. Choose it to hear the band stretching its studio vocabulary out in real time.
More about Dark Magus17
Circle in the Round
1979. This archive collection reaches back across several eras. Play the long title performance to hear the late-1960s band finding new colors around the trumpet, including Joe Beck’s guitar, before the electric records became Davis’s main focus.
More about Circle in the Round18
Directions
1981. An archival collection, including the two takes of Joe Zawinul’s Directions. Compare how the groove develops in each, then move back to In a Silent Way to hear the studio music the same period of personnel was capable of making.
More about Directions19
The Man with the Horn
1981. Fat Time opens the return after Davis’s long time away from records. Mike Stern’s guitar and Marcus Miller’s bass give the performance more of a backbeat than the 1969 albums, even when the trumpet leaves a great deal of space.
More about The Man with the Horn20
We Want Miles
1982. Start with Jean Pierre, where the tune is simple enough to follow across a long live performance. The bass and percussion keep it clear while Davis and the other players alter how much they leave around the melody.
More about We Want Miles21
Star People
1983. Give the title track time to stretch out. Its blues pacing and guitar give it a connection to the smaller electric groups, even as the surrounding record reaches for shorter, cleaner rhythmic shapes.
More about Star People
