Tutu cover
Released

After 30 years, Miles Davis left Columbia Records for Warner Bros., and his opening statement was as stark as its black-and-white, sphinxlike cover photo. His piercing, muted horn floated through moody, post-Prince funk soundscapes assembled by bassist Marcus Miller, including a version of Scritti Politti’s minor hit “Perfect Way.” In some ways this album couldn’t be more 1986, but it’s also got an eerie quality on tracks like “Portia” and “Backyard Ritual” that gives it a timeless feel. And the tenderness in his playing is like probing at a bruise.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Ancestral Recall cover

Ancestral Recall

Christian Scott
Gwotet cover

Gwotet

David Murray, The Gwo-Ka Masters, Pharoah Sanders
Indaba Is cover

Indaba Is

Various Artists
Jaco Pastorius cover

Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius
The Traveller cover

The Traveller

Tineke Postma
Turning Point cover

Turning Point

Lonnie Smith
Expectations cover

Expectations

Keith Jarrett
To the One cover

To the One

John McLaughlin
Montreux Jazz Festival cover

Montreux Jazz Festival

Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society
Largo cover

Largo

Brad Mehldau