1972 · Album
On the Corner
Recorded June-August 1972 · Columbia Records · Produced by Miles Davis and Teo Macero
Electric Grooves in the City Streets
On the Corner sounds like nothing else Miles made, and that's exactly the point.
On the Corner arrived in 1972 as Miles Davis doing something genuinely strange. He wasn't abandoning jazz so much as burying it beneath relentless funk grooves, wah-wah pedals, and layers of electric rhythm, then seeing what survived. Working with a large, shifting ensemble (Michael Henderson on bass, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea on electric piano, Jack DeJohnette on drums, John McLaughlin on guitar, among others), Miles built dense, hypnotic soundscapes that feel less like traditional compositions than fragments of city life stitched together. The title track never seems interested in resolution. Instead, it locks into a groove that circles endlessly, becoming more absorbing the longer you stay with it. Miles isn't simply soloing over a band here—his trumpet becomes another texture inside a constantly moving rhythmic machine.
By 1972, Miles had already reinvented himself several times, moving through bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz, and electric fusion. On the Corner was another radical turn, inspired as much by the pulse of early-seventies New York as by the music of Sly Stone and James Brown. Miles wanted jazz to reconnect with a younger Black audience, and the result was an album that ignored almost every convention of mainstream jazz. Much of its distinctive character also came from producer Teo Macero, whose extensive editing transformed long improvisations into tightly constructed, looping pieces that blur the line between performance and studio creation. Many listeners found the album abrasive when it first appeared, while others eventually came to see it as one of the boldest statements of Miles' career.
This is absolutely not where to start with Miles. Kind of Blue (1959) offers a far more accessible introduction. Bitches Brew (1970) is another challenging but essential step into his electric period. But once you've lived with those records, On the Corner begins to reveal itself.
Who's playing
Bennie Maupinbass clarinet
Chick CoreaRhodes piano
Herbie HancockRhodes piano, synthesizer
David Creamerguitar
Carlos Garnettsoprano saxophone
Miles Davistrumpet
Harold "Ivory" Williamsorgan, synthesizer
Jack DeJohnettedrums
Al Fosterdrums
Billy Hartdrums
Khalil Balakrishnaelectric sitar
Badal Roytabla
Collin Walcottelectric sitar
Where next?
More by Miles Davis
All 59 albums →
The musicians on this record
Crystal Silence 1973
Chick Corea
plays Rhodes piano here
plays Rhodes piano here
Head Hunters 1973
Herbie Hancock
plays Rhodes piano here
plays Rhodes piano here
Sorcery 1974
Jack DeJohnette
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
Wide Receiver 1980
Michael Henderson
plays bass here
plays bass here
