Miles Davis — Big Fun
Sonic acid-drenched droning shining golden mysterious electric shambling sounds disintegrating trumpet morphing Ravelian space between cosmic impulses overzealous searching for shadows in the dark matter. So many adjectives come to mind but no shapes. This album is like staring into a star-filled sky waiting for infinity to happen. It is abstract and colorful. Sysiphusian in its drone-like repetition, slightly changing but falling to pieces then starting over again. Metaphorically perfect for my pandemic mood today. Day 100+ of waking going to teach and coming home. Slight variations sometimes beautiful and sublime and sometimes anxious and tense. A sonically searching loop culminating in chaos screaming silence until sense is nonsense speaking in silver tongues spraying cascading cadences coagulate in pools of unexpected serenity. Sitar tabla tambourine and double bass collide with fender Rhodes bass and drum kit snare snap cymbal wash.
I’ve always loved this album. Thinking back some 20+ years to myself laying on a hardwood floor in East Austin no AC in the height of summer heat listening to this audio hallucinogen.
Someone took a jazz Allstar team and dosed them in 1974 then turned on the tape machine. A who’s who of innovators and prodigies
Miles, Herbie, chick, Ron Carter, Airto, McLaughlin, Dave Holland, Cobham, Zawinul, shorter, Badal Roy, many others…. often with multiple basses, keys and drummers, and plenty of Brazilian/Indian texture.
Not for the feint of heart.
