Note :

Origine du Groupe : North America / Jamaica

Style : Reggae Irie Roots

Sortie : 1970

Tracklist :

A1 - Common People

A2 - There's A Chance For Me

A3 - Honey Come Back

A4 - Compared To What

A5 - Oh Me Oh My

A6 - Let It Be

B1 - Freedom Train

B2 - All In The Game

B3 - Trying Times

B4 - Hold On

B5 - I Found That Someone

B6 - If I Only Had Time

erry Jones at the Kingston Hotel is a rare 1971 Studio One release that documents the permeable boundary between American and Jamaican music in the late 1960's. The PK / Blood And Fire
compilation Darker Than Blue: Soul from Jamdown (1973-1980) picks up the story slightly later, focusing on Jamaican versions of American funk songs and taking us up to the beginning of hip hop
with the inclusion of Welton Irie's Hotter Reggae Music.



Jerry Jones at the Kingston Hotel reflects a slightly older connection between late 1960's Soul music and Jamaican Ska. However, the inclusion of such tracks like the classic Les McCann penned
"Compared to What?" suggests the strength of the musical tributaries linking hip hop, jazz funk, soul and Jamaican music of all kinds.



Frustratingly, there is relatively little information out there about this gem of a record. While it has apparently never been re-released, some of the tracks have appeared on compilations like
Studio One Soul (Soul Jazz) and Feel Like Jumping: The Best of Studio One Women (Rounder).



There is also some confusing information out there as well. For example, roots-archives.com says that Jerry Jones at the Kingston Hotel was the alternate title of "Compared to what?" (pictured
above) which they list as Studio 1 LP #SOLP 9019. They list the catalog number for Jerry Jones at the Kingston Hotel (the record I saw) as Bamboo LP #BDLPS213 1971. But this information does not
match the title and catalog number of the record Magnus showed me which was Jerry Jones at the Kingston Hotel, Studio 1 LP #SOLP 9019 and had a picture of Jerry at the said hotel (as described
below).



The best information I was able to find about the record appears in the liner notes of Feel Like Jumping (reposted here c/o niceup.com).



Jerry Jones was an American singer who had come to Jamaica to perform at a show produced by Alty East at the Regal Theater. Mr. Dodd was one of the audience members. Jerry originally hailed from
Birmingham, Alabama and moved to Canton, Ohio where she performed at amateur talent shows. She started performing throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York State and as far north as Toronto and
Montreal, appearing with top Motown and soul stars. In the mid sixties she moved to Miami where one of her bookings brought her to Jamaica. After Mr. Dodd saw her at the Regal, he invited her to
record for Studio One, releasing a number of singles and the Jerry Jones at the Hotel Kingston album. The Hotel Kingston was located on Half Way Tree Road across from the Jamaica Telephone
Company and now houses some government offices. Mr. Dodd and Alty East produced a series of shows for Jerry that were held at the hotel and which led to the title of the album, but the songs were
all recorded at the studio on Brentford Road. "Compared to What" (1970) was a cover of the Les McCann and Eddie Harris collaboration that was a hit off the 1969 Swiss Movement album done for
Atlantic. Jerry Jones had other Studio One releases like "Still Waters" (1970) and "Honey Come Back" (1971) that were also quite popular when released.



Other than this plurb, there is relatively little information out there on this record or on Jerry Jones herself. She appears to have been a member of the Philly soul group Brenda and the
Tabulations but other than that, it is hard to find any other information about Jerry Jones on the web. Any info about her and or this record would be greatly appreciated.



By Pace

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Note :

http://www.molecule-music.com

http://www.myspace.com/moleculeindub

Origine du Groupe : France

Style : Electro Dub , Electro

Sortie : 2010

Tracklist :

01. Nymphes 1:26

02. Jamaica feat. Zig Zag 4:03

03. You Got Me feat. Flox 3:50

04. Jamais Choisi feat. F f & Leeroy 4:36

05. Our Town feat. Zig Zag 5:50

06. Feels Like You feat. Blond Dub Sexy Sound 3:39

07. Faluja (Isotroph Remix) 4:46

08. Ambush feat. Zig Zag 3:48

09. Baby Girl 2014 feat. Martina Topley-Bird 3:51

10. Na ades 1:45

11. L’Entr e Du Chef feat. Leeroy 2:45

12. Music Is My Protection 11:16

En trois ans et trois albums (" Part of you ", " In dub V1.0 " et " Climax "), Molecule s'est imposé au sein de la famille française de l'électro-dub. Une tribu dans laquelle il tient une place
particulière. Car, grâce à la qualité et l'inventivité de ses créations sonores, Molecule a largement contribué non pas au renouveau du dub, mais à son enrichissement en l'orientant vers de
nouveaux horizons musicaux. Participant, aux côtés d'autres, ténors ou de la nouvelle génération comme lui, à insuffler un second souffle à un courant musical en manque d'inspirations depuis
quelques années déjà. Ce qui différencie l'artiste dans cet univers musical : une formule bien à lui concoctée à partir d'une base dub, à laquelle il a additionné intelligemment une dose
d'électro + une bonne mesure de hip-hop + un soupçon de reggae et de trip-hop. Après avoir été secouée à coups de beats tranchants, amplifiés par une basse profonde, puis absorbée par quelques
featuring consentants (les récurrents Zig Zag et Leeroy ou, plus surprenants, Charlélie Couture et Arielle Dombasle), la composition dévoile l'étendu de sa puissance. Au fil des trois albums, la
formule Molecule n'a cessé de s'améliorer, de s'enrichir, de se bonifier, révélant écoute après écoute le potentiel de son inventeur et la diversité qui en fait son talent.



Alors, pourquoi ne retrouve-t-on pas le même enthousiasme à l'écoute de " Besides " ? Pourquoi l'alchimie n'opère-t'elle plus ? Ou beaucoup moins. La formule s'est-elle altérée ou ses effets déjà
dissipés ? La réponse est en fait toute simple, et apparaît à la première audition : " Besides " pèche par son absence de nouvelles créations !

En y intégrant la fin de l'agréable triptyque débuté avec " Sirène " sur l'album Climax et se concluant ici avec " Nymphes " et " Naïades ", la moitié des titres du CD sont des remix ou reprises
de titres existants : " Feels Like You ", " Faluja ", " Ambush " ou " Baby Girl 2014 ". Des titres puisés dans les trois précédents opus avec parfois le featuring original, comme Blond Dub Sexy
Sound pour le premier cité, ou Martina Topley-Bird succédant à Zig Zag pour une énième version de " Baby Girl " dont le riddim constituait déjà l'ossature d'une foultitude de titres de " In dub
V1.0 ". Bref, aucune surprise, voire un brin de lassitude ou d'exaspération, pour tous ceux qui suivent le parcours du compositeur.

Sans les quelques nouvelles compositions, " Besides " ne serait donc qu'une compilation. Une sorte de transition avant un prochain album que Molecule annonce différent, avec une sonorité " plus
énergique, plus rentre-dedans, plus rock ". Pour l'artiste, " Besides " symboliserait l'amorce de cette mutation ". Surprenant, car aucun des nouveaux titres ne flirte avec le rock. " Besides "
est plutôt imprégné de drum'n bass : avec une pointe de reggae chanté par Zig Zag (" Jamaica " et " Our town ") ou d'électro sur le survolté " You got Me " emmené par Flox. Le remix de " Faluja "
et " Music is my Protection " étant eux plutôt d'inspiration sound system, parfaitement taillés pour le dance-floor.



Si musicalement " Besides " n'affiche pas de ruptures franches avec les précédents opus, les textes de " Jamais Choisi " et " L'entrée du chef " tranchent avec le discours associé à la culture
hip-hop issue des cités. C'est à ce niveau que rupture il y a. Avec " Jamais choisi ", au refrain quelque peu ambigu, Féfé et Leeroy démontent méthodiquement les pré déterminismes des jeunes de
cité : rien n'est figé, l'avenir dépend de choix individuels. Le second texte, plus incisif et brillamment ciselé, est un pamphlet cruel sur le monde du rap, celui-là même issu des territoires
précédemment cités. Le flow de Leeroy ne donnant à son texte que plus de poids.

" Besides " étant donc loin de refléter la mutation annoncée, il se présente plutôt comme un ersatz des précédents albums. Une compilation améliorée, d'où une réelle déception



Par Stéphane

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Note :

http://www.mustardplug.com

http://www.myspace.com/mustardplug

Origine du Groupe : North America

Style ; Ska Punk Rock

Sortie : 2007

Tracklist :

01. Who Benefits?

02. Over The Edge

03. Hit Me! Hit Me!

04. Time To Wake Up

05. Something New

06. You Can't Go Back

07. Life Is Too Short

08. Copasetic

09. On And On

10. Tell Me

11. Puddle Of Blood

12. Real Rat Bastard

13. What You Say

You have to give these guys credit: no one can tell them that ska-punk is over. On their sixth album and 16 years into their musical career, Mustard Plug are still sticking with the verities:
sharp horn charts, big and crunchy guitars, vocals that are more enthusiastic than tuneful (though still fairly tuneful) and lots of gleefully skanking backbeats. "Gleeful" may not be not the
first word that comes to mind on listening to these songs, though. In Black and White opens in an up-tempo but dark mood, with the dour "Who Benefits?" followed by the even darker "Over the
Edge." "Hit Me! Hit Me!" brightens things up a bit and offers the album's first real hooks; by "You Can't Go Back" the band seems to have started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and
"On and On," which is one of the album's strongest tracks, is also its most unapologetically poppy. This is where you can really hear Mustard Plug's 16 years of accumulated songcraft pay off.
Then they go out with a two-fisted bang: the snotty and hilarious "Real Rat Bastard" and the horn-heavy, singsongy "What You Say." Most ska-punk bands celebrate their maturity by breaking up;
this one shows signs of being in it for the long haul. Recommended.

By Rick Anderson

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Note :

Origine du Groupe : Orichas

Style : World Music

Sortie : 1998

Tracklist :

01 - Papa Legba ouve baye

02 - St. Jak pa la

03 - An nou mache

04 - Ketu songs for Osain

05 - Bori songs

06 - Agolona

07 - Opanije (rhythms for Omolu)

08 - Ketu- Roda de Dada (song cycle)

09 - Ketu songs for Oxala

10 - Song for Elegua

11 - Song for Nana Buruku

12 - Song for Ogun

13 - Song for Dada

14 - Song for Yemaya

15 - Ochun Talade

16 - Song for Yemaya

17 - Song for Yemaya

18 - Song for Chango

19 - Itutu song (funerary rites)

20 - Itutu song

21 - Yariba-Oshun

22 - Shango ceremonial music

23 - Shango ceremonial music.

24 - Invocation

As winter progresses, long after its foliage has been shed, the tree loses most of the moisture in its trunk and must rely more than ever on the sap stored in its roots. In this spirit,
Soundological would like to share with you a healthy helping of the musical equivalent of sap from said roots and the wellspring from which the branches of most musical traditions featured on
this blog -- Blues, Jazz, Soul, Gospel, R&B, Funk, Rock & Roll, Hip Hop, etc. -- have extended themselves.



Long OOP, this CD fetches a high price (a new copy can go for upwards of $70) and is valuable not only for its pristine presentation of remastered material from
the Library of Congress (that's why these recordings fall under the public domain) but for the reverent and revelatory booklet that provides enlightening reading regardless of the degree of
familiarity one may have with the religious and cultural diaspora from Mother Africa. One might say this collection is essential for both its text and context, so if you were not fortunate enough
to find it a decade ago it's highly recommended you take advantage now.





AMG Review

by John Vallier



    The 24 tracks featured on this compilation are aural snapshots of Haitian Vodoun, Cuban Santeria, Trinidadian Shango, and Brazilian Candomble religious ceremonies. They were
originally recorded between the late '30s and the mid-'50s by such notable ethnologists as Laura Boulton, Melville Herskovits, and Lydia Cabrera. Culturally speaking, these recordings highlight
African diasporic religions that originated with the Yoruba and Dahomean peoples and were brought to the New World with enslaved Africans. Retrieved from deep storage at the Library of Congress
and digitally remastered by a team of audio experts, The Yoruba/Dahomean Collection: Orishas Across the Ocean is a powerful audio record that documents both the proud cultural legacy and
sophisticated musical practices associated with Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Brazilian cultures.



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Thanks !: http://soundological.blogspot.com

Note :

http://www.sweetback.net

http://www.myspace.com/sweetbackpowertrio

Origine du Groupe : France

Style : Electro , Downtempo , Trip Hop

Sortie : 1996

Tracklist :

1. Gaze. 5:26

2. Softly softly. 4:29

3. Sensations. 4:29

4. Au natural. 4:14

5. Arabesque. 3:36

6. You will rise. 6:28

7. Chord. 3:30

8. Walk of Ju. 4:06

9. Hope she’ be happier. 6:16

10. Come dubbing. 4:41

11. Cloud people. 5:28

12. Powder. 5:21

Apparently fans aren't the only ones getting tired of waiting for Sade to release another album: her band -keyboardist Andrew Hale, bassist Paul Denman, and guitar/sax man Stuart Matthewman,
collectively redubbed Sweetback- decides to burn a little creative energy between Miss Adu's efforts, and the result is far more satisfying than you might expect. Instead of merely being an
instrumental Sade record, "Sweetback" is an exciting foray into a world where lounge meets electronica, ending up in places a Sade record will never take you.

Of course, the boys are quite used to backing a singer, so there's no shortage of vocals onhand. Groove Theory alum Amel Larrieux lends some sexy, wordless vocals to the groovy etherealism of
"Gaze," and offers a self-help lyric to "You Will Rise." Leroy Osbourne, frequent background vocalist for Sade (most notably on "Never as Good as the First Time" and "Nothing Can Come Between
Us") makes the most of his time in the spotlight here on a stunning rendition of Bill Withers' "Hope She'll Be Happier," while rapper Bahamadia lays down a smooth spoken-word vibe on "Au
Natural." And since Sweetback played a significant part of soul master Maxwell's debut, it's only natural he should lend a hand on the silky "Softly Softly," a song he co-wrote with Mathewman and
offers the best elements of both Sweetback's and Maxwell's music.

But luckily, Sweetback doesn't need a mouthpiece to shine. "Sensations" is a smooth retro number with a gently percolating beat, and "Arabesque" is all down-and-dirty seduction; the muffled,
sampled beat paired with heavy guitars is sexy as hell, and "Arabic synth" (as is credited, anyway) adds a unique twist. "Walk of Ju" mesmerizes between its sultry sax and World Music overtones,
while "Come Dubbing" offers a atmospheric cross between World Music and Trance at a mellow tempo.

In fact, only the last two numbers -"Cloud People" and "Powder"- are unnecessary exercises, plodding along with minimum melody and treading dangerously close to the realm of New Age wallpaper.
But the bulk of this record is as exciting and innovative as the band's missing singer, and Sweetback proves they have enough atmosphere and style to last them between Sade releases...and
considering her recording timeline thus far, that's a good thing.

By John Jones "Musician"

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Note : ++

http://www.eriktruffaz.com

http://www.myspace.com/truffaz

Origine du Groupe : France

Style : New Jazz , Alternative

Sortie : 2008

Tracklist :

1 Mr Wyatt 5:08

2 Come Together 3:00

3 Addis Abeba 4:47

4 Nature Boy 3:01

5 Nina's Dream 3:57

6 La Mouche 3:17

7 Goodbye Tomorow 2:55

8 Don't Stop 3:35

9 The Fly 6:29

La tour Eiffel (1er plan) et les gratte-ciel de La Défense (arrière-plan) dominent Paris et sa banlieue ouest. Paris (prononcé [ p a ʁ i ] ) est la ville la plus peuplée et la capitale de la
France, chef-lieu de la région Île-de-France et unique commune - département du pays. Elle se situe sur une boucle de la Seine, au centre du Bassin parisien, entre les confluents de la Marne et de
la Seine en amont, et de l' Oise et de la Seine en aval. Ses habitants s'appellent les Parisiens. La position de Paris à un carrefour entre les itinéraires commerciaux terrestres et fluviaux au
coeur d'une riche région agricole en a fait une des principales villes de France au cours du X e siècle, avec des palais royaux, de riches abbayes et une cathédrale ; au cours du XII e siècle,
Paris devient un des premiers foyers en Europe pour l'enseignement et les arts. Le pouvoir royal se fixant dans cette ville, son importance économique et politique ne cesse de croître. Ainsi, au
début du XIV e siècle, Paris est la ville la plus importante de tout le monde chrétien.

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Note :

http://www.rxbandits.com

http://www.myspace.com/rxbandits

Origine du Groupe : North America

Style : Alternative Rock , Punk Ska

Sortie : 2006

Tracklist :

01. Untitled
02....And the Battle Begun
03. In Her Drawer
04. Only for the Night
05. On a Lonely Screen
06. 1980
07. One Million Miles an Hour, Fast Asleep
08. Apparition
07. A Mouth Full of Hollow Threats
08. Epoxi-lips
09. Tainted Wheat
10. To Our Unborn Daughters
11. Crushing Destroyer

In trying to write this review, I kept coming back to the same (lame) analogy:

If Progress was equivalent to "Reservoir Dogs," and The Resignation was "Pulp Fiction," then this is Rx Bandits’ "Jackie Brown."

Keep in mind, this is just my analogy. Some people believe Quentin Tarantino to be the master thief of cinema, but I love "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" is one of the few truly perfect films I’ve seen. With that, I also love "Jackie Brown," but it’s nowhere near the caliber of the other two.

Alright, enough of that.

…And the Battle Begun is the first album the Bandits have self-released on Matt Embree’s own Mash Down Babylon Records. With that in mind, the production and quality of the overall package is pretty good. The album finds the band embracing their live jams and is quite possibly the best representation of their live performance on disc.

So what’s the problem?

Quite frankly, the album is unfocused. The band may be incorporating their jams into songs more, but it doesn’t make for good songwriting. Many verses meander toward a chorus and back until they reach an end, with an overly long jam thrown in as a bridge or intro. Most of the songs aren’t cohesive within themselves, so how are they supposed to make for a complete album?

My other major quarrel is with the mix. Chris Tsagakis is a great drummer, but that’s no reason for the drums to overpower everything else on the album, especially the vocals. This is the first Rx Bandits album that I’ve had no clue what most of the lyrics were even after listening to it numerous times. From looking at the liner notes, it looks like they mostly follow the political themes and love/drugs analogies of past albums.

A slightly smaller problem I have is that there’s less ska/reggae on this album, “Apparition” and “A Mouth Full of Hollow Threats” being the only honest efforts. This isn’t a huge problem though, as I’ve long ago accepted that my favorite ska bands will eventually move past the genre.

But I’m being overly negative. This isn’t a bad album. Far from it. It’s a really solid album. For one, it seems like the band draw influence from recent experiences. Members of the band released a distinctly soul / old R&B-influenced album last year on Asian Man under the Satori moniker, and introducing those same styles on Battle makes for some interesting moments. As well, consistent touring with the Exit must have inspired the band to re-incorporate the definite Police nod of their reggae stylings they've been carrying since 2001's Progress.

In addition, many of the instrumental solos are fantastic. This is a band of great musicians and musicianship. This effort finds the band moving away from the frivolity of odd time signatures and has them writing interesting music around the live sound that they have developed over the years.

I really think that the fanboy inside got the best of me and set my expectations for this album way too high, leading me to be overly critical of the album when it turned out to be not as good as The Resignation. As such, the fanboy had it out with the critic inside of me and they came to an agreement on the album’s final score.

I just hope it’s not 6 years before we get to hear "Kill Bill."

By FatTony
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Note :

Origine du Groupe : China

Style : World

Sortie : 1992 (1930's - 1940's)

Tracklist :
1 夜上海 Night in Shanghai, Zhou Xuan
2 I have a situation, Wu Ying-yin
3 Dream, Zhou Xuan
4 郎是春日風 Lang Is the Spring Wind,白虹
5 Unspeakably Happy, 葛蘭
6 Give me a kiss, Zhang Lu
7 Without You, 白光
8 I want you to love, 葛蘭 (sung in English and Chinese)
9 小癩痲, Zhang Lu
10 Meet Maiden Henbu 恨不相逢未嫁時, Xianglan
11 Soul Ying Dreams 魂縈舊夢, 白光
12 Heartbroken Red 斷腸紅, Wu Ying-yin
13 My Dolls, Zhang Lu

Original Pathe label recordings 1930s-1940s?
apparently remastered from vinyl
(translations from Google Translate; omitted where translation seemed off)

In the early 1990s EMI Hong Kong transferred dozens and dozens of records from the cosmopolitan film and club scene of 1930s-1940s Shanghai to an extended series of CDs. The recordings were from the legendary Pathe label; and as near as I can tell fell out of print, and were unknown outside Chinese record shops, which, fortunately, I had the odd habit of trolling in the 1990s. New York City has a huge Chinese community and I've found lots of interesting music in Chinatown shops, though it can be completely hit or miss. As has been pointed out, sentimental pop love songs are HUGE in China even today, PRC, Hong Kong and Taiwan all included. Fortunately, this CD turned out to be a hit.

Before the second world war, Shanghai had become, by all accounts, the cultural doorway through which European and American influence arrived. The questionable relationship of Western powers and Western capitalism to corrupt, doomed Republican China is the topic for another blog than this one; let it be said that this collection of old-fashioned pop tunes shows that Shanghai had become a veritable sponge of diverse cultural influences.

Some of the songs here attempt to bring a more traditional Chinese sound to pop ballads, and these (esp. the tunes by Wu Ying-yin) are not the reason I'm posting this here. The songs that show a huge American influence are amazingly bouyant slices of nightclub jazz pop, albeit the kind your grandparents dug. The highlight here, don't miss it, is the super-swinging "I Want You To Love" (track 8), sung partly in heavily accented breakneck English: "Listen to your mama and you never will regret it..." Track 5 is also tops, and it sure sounds like this tropical Afro-Cuban number begins "Ja Jambo": Unspeakably Happy is about right. Track 6, "Give Me a Kiss" is another swinger, with a drum solo, and a swinging solo violin. The opening track is great as well, with an old-fashioned movie sound to it. Track 10 is similarly cinematic, with sweeping strings.

If you enjoy old-fashioned female vocalists and pre-bebop jazz, don't be put off by the fact that you won't understand most of these songs. This is really an entertaining listen.

The original CD came with the most elaborately folded booklet I've ever seen; a single sheet folded up origami-like with layers of flaps that give it a unique three-dimensional feel. I've included scans of most of it; it's 97% in Chinese. (I can't recommend Google Translate enough!)这是一个非常有趣的记录。喜欢它！

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Thanks ! http://ileoxumare.blogspot.com

Note :

http://www.eddieharris.com

Origine du Groupe : North America

Style : Jazz

Sortie : 1970

Tracklist :

01. Archway Theme
02. The Golden Striker
03. It Never Entered My Mind
04. Oliphant Gesang
05. Indonesia
06. Sounds At The Archway
07. Step Da Co Eel Waltz
08. Ed’s Blues

From Wikipedia :
Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996)  was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-known compositions are "Freedom Jazz Dance", recorded and popularized by Miles Davis in the 1960s [1]  and "Listen Here". He also invented the saxobone.

Note :

http://www.milesdavis.com

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Davis

Origine du Groupe : North America

Style : Jazz

Sortie : 1955

Tracklist :

1. 'round Midnight 5:58
2. Ah-Leu-Cha 5:53
3. All Of You 7:03
4. Bye Bye Blackbird 7:57
5. Tadd's Delight 4:29
6. Dear Old Stockholm 7:52
7. Two Bass Hit (Bonus) 3:44
8. Little Melonae (Bonus) 7:22
9. Budo (Bonus) 4:17
10. Sweet Sue, Just You (Bonus) 3:40

From Wikipedia :

Une figure centrale du jazz
    
Miles Davis commença à jouer de la trompette à l'âge de 10 ans, il fut à la pointe de beaucoup d'évolutions dans le jazz et s'est particulièrement distingué par sa capacité à découvrir et à s'entourer de nouveaux talents. Son jeu se caractérise par une grande sensibilité musicale et par une fragilité qu'il arrive à donner au son. Il a marqué l'histoire du jazz et de la musique du XXe siècle. Beaucoup de grands noms du jazz des années 1940 à 1980  ont travaillé avec lui.

Les différentes formations de Miles Davis étaient comme des laboratoires au sein desquels se sont révélés les talents de nouvelles générations et les nouveaux horizons de la musique moderne ; on peut notamment citer Sonny Rollins, Julian « Cannonball » Adderley, Bill Evans et John Coltrane durant les années 1950. De 1960 aux années 1980 ses sidemen se nomment Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, Tony Williams, Joe Zawinul, Dave Liebman et Kenny Garrett ; c'est avec eux qu'il s'oriente vers la « fusion » du rock et du jazz, dont il reste l'un des pionniers. La découverte de la musique de Jimi Hendrix sera déterminante dans cette évolution mais surtout le choc du festival de Newport en 1969, où l'on assistait exclusivement à des concerts de jazz à l'origine, mais qui a programmé du rock cette année-là. Nombre de musiciens qui passeront par ses formations de 1963 à 1969 formeront ensuite les groupes emblématiques du jazz-rock fusion, notamment Weather Report, animé par Wayne Shorter et Joe Zawinul, Mahavishnu Orchestra de John McLaughlin, Return to Forever de Chick Corea, ainsi que les différents groupes de Herbie Hancock.

Miles Davis est un des rares jazzmen et l'un des premiers noirs à s'être fait connaître et accepter par l'Amérique moyenne, remportant même le trophée de l'homme le mieux habillé de l'année du mensuel GQ pendant les années 1960. Comme Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis est ce phénomène curieux, une superstar du jazz. À la différence de son glorieux aîné qui avait recherché l'intégration à la culture grand public dominée par la population blanche, le parcours musical de Miles Davis s'accompagna d'une prise de position politique en faveur de la cause noire et de sa lutte contre le racisme, menée avec la colère permanente d'un homme au caractère réputé ombrageux. En 1985, il participe à l'album Sun City contre l'Apartheid à l'initiative de Steven van Zandt.

En France, c'est l'enregistrement de la musique du film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1957) de Louis Malle qui l'a rendu célèbre. Son dernier album, Doo-bop, paru à titre posthume en 1992, laisse éclater des influences rap.