In the late 60's, Jazz giant Miles Davis became a huge fan of Jimi Hendrix. There have been numerous accounts of the two of them getting together and jamming and it was probably this series of encounters that turned Davis' head around and put him in the direction of that period that gave us Bitches Brew, arguably one of the finest albums of the early 1970's.
But just prior to that landmark album there was a series of recordings (since issued as a massive box set in 2003) that became the soundtrack for the film Jack Johnson. It was these sessions that formed the basis for that change in direction, and in doing so wound up being hugely influential for a whole Progressive Rock movement that swept over Europe and parts of the U.S. in the early 1970's.
Tonight's track is the first side of the original album. Right Off features John McLaughlin (who would soon launch a major career with The Mahavishu Orchestra) along with Billy Cobham on drums and a host of other up-and-comers including Chick Corea. An important album for a lot of reasons.
Since we finished up Jazz last week and are sort of in limbo for next week - I thought this would make a nice transition for whatever we land on come Monday.
