Miles Davis
Amandla
Album · Jazz · 1989
Miles Davis was deep into his electronic-flavoured, hip-hop-influenced period when he and bassist/producer Marcus Miller cut the percolating, kaleidoscopic Amandla. Miles' increasingly angular, minimalist trumpet lines engage in a dizzying dance with his electro-acoustic band. He unspools serpentine licks atop Miller's popping bass on the boom-bap "Jilli", adds outside harmonic sensibilities to a go-go groove on "Big Time", and spars with syncopated synth and heavy-riffing guitar on the hard-grooving "Jo-Jo". Nearing his life's end, he sounded like a man just getting started.