In a Silent Way is a studio album by the American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis, released on July 30, 1969, on Columbia Records. Produced by Teo Macero, the album was recorded in one session date on February 18, 1969, at CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City. Macero edited and arranged Davis's recordings from the session to produce the album. Marking the beginning of his "electric" period, In a Silent Way has been regarded by music writers as Davis's first fusion recording, following a stylistic shift toward the genre in his previous records and live performances.

Upon its release, the album was met by controversy among music critics, particularly those of jazz and rock music, who were divided in their reaction to its experimental musical structure and Davis's electric approach. Since its initial reception, it has been regarded by fans and critics as one of Davis's greatest and most influential works. In 2001, Columbia Legacy and Sony Music released the three-disc box set The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, which includes additional tracks.

Background and recording

By January 1969, Davis' core working band had stabilised around Wayne Shorter on soprano saxophone, Dave Holland on bass, Chick Corea on electric piano, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. For his next studio album, Davis also brought in drummer Tony Williams and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, previously members of his Second Great Quintet. In the following month, the six were joined by Austrian keyboardist Josef Zawinul and English guitarist John McLaughlin, who had been in the United States for less than two weeks to join The Tony Williams Lifetime before Davis asked him to attend the recording session. McLaughlin had been a longtime fan of Davis, and spoke with Davis of his nervousness at the prospect of recording with his idol. Among the compositions by Zawinul that Davis took a liking to was "In a Silent Way", an atmospheric piece that was titled at the suggestion of Nat Adderley while Zawinul was in the Cannonball Adderley band. Adderley wished to use the piece for his band, but Zawinul turned him down, informing him that he had already promised it to Davis.

Although Davis' live performances and recent albums Miles in the Sky and Filles de Kilimanjaro (both 1968) had indicated his stylistic shift towards jazz fusion and increasing incorporation of electric instrumentation, In a Silent Way marked a complete transition into the style, marking the beginning of his "electric" period. It was also his first recording to be constructed largely by the editing and arrangement of Davis and producer Teo Macero,

Reception

Peaking at number 134 on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs chart, In a Silent Way became Davis's first album since My Funny Valentine in 1965 to reach the chart. While it performed better commercially than most of his previous work, According to The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), Davis' recording process and producer Teo Macero's studio editing of individual recordings into separate tracks for the album "seemed near heretical by jazz standards". Freeman continues by expressing that both reactions were "rooted, at least partly, in the critic's paranoia about his place in the world", writing that rock criticism was in its early stage of existence and such critics found "reassurance" in viewing the album as having psychedelic rock elements, while jazz critics felt "betrayed" amid the genre's decreasing popularity at the time. Davis' next fusion album, Bitches Brew, showed him moving even further into the area that lay between the genres of rock and jazz. The dark, fractured dissonance of Bitches Brew ultimately proved to be instrumental in its success; it far outsold In a Silent Way.

Track listing

::* "Shhh"  – 6:14

::* "Peaceful"  – 5:42

::* "Shhh"  – 6:20

::* "In a Silent Way" – 4:11

::* "It's About That Time" – 11:27

::* "In a Silent Way" – 4:14

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's 1969 liner notes.

Musicians

  • Miles Davis – trumpet
  • Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
  • John McLaughlin – electric guitar
  • Chick Corea – electric piano
  • Herbie Hancock – electric piano
  • Joe Zawinul – electric piano, organ
  • Dave Holland – double bass
  • Tony Williams – drums

Production

  • Teo Macero – producer
  • Stan Tonkel – engineer
  • Russ Payne – engineer
  • Lee Friedlander – cover photo
  • John G. Walter – back cover photography
  • Frank Glenn – back cover notes

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Chart performance for In a Silent Way

! scope="col"| Chart (1969)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

! scope="row"|U.S. Billboard Top LPs <!-- chart names per 1969 issue of Billboard, https://books.google.com/books?id=xykEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72&dq= -->

| 134

|-

! scope="row"|U.S. Billboard Best-Selling Jazz LPs

| 3

|-

! scope="row"|U.S. Billboard Best-Selling Soul LPs

| 40

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

! scope="col"| Chart (2024)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

! scope="row"| Croatian International Albums (HDU)

| 30

|}

References

Citations

Books

  • Carr, Ian. Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography. Thunder's Mouth Press, New York, 1998.
  • Tingen, Paul. Miles Beyond: The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967–1991. Billboard Books, New York, 2001. Miles Beyond
  • "Jazz Annual: Miles Davis/Tony Williams" by Robert Christgau
  • "Electric Miles: A Look at the In a Silent Way and On the Corner Sessions" by Victor Svorinich