Miles Davis

In a Silent Way

First released1969

In a Silent Way was recorded in two sessions at Columbia Records' Studio A in New York in February 1969, with producer Teo Macero overseeing the sessions. Miles Davis led a quintet featuring Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Chick Corea on electric piano, Joe Zawinul on electric organ, John McLaughlin on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The album marked a significant shift toward electric jazz fusion, with Davis and Macero employing extensive studio editing and overdubbing to construct the final compositions from extended jam sessions, a pioneering approach to jazz recording at the time. The sessions were characterized by minimal written arrangements, allowing musicians to explore open-ended modal and electronic soundscapes that reflected the experimental spirit of late 1960s jazz and popular music.