In A Silent Way, side B: "In A Silent Way/It's About That Time"

Music in this episode:

Miles Davis - “In a Silent Way/It’s About That Time” (1969)

Joe Zawinul - “In A Silent Way” (1971)

Miles Davis - “Directions I” (1968)

Frankie HI-NRG MC - “Faccio La Mia Cosa” (1993)

Les Sages Poètes de la Rue - “Ne Cours Pas” (1995)

Neffa e I Messaggeri Della Dopa - “Dopamina” (1996)

Akotcha - “Sound Burger” (1997)

Miles Davis - “It’s About That Time” (1970)

Miles Davis - “Sivad” (1971)

Miles Davis - “Blow” (1992)

Jazz Transcript Authority has a chart that Miles wrote for “Shhh/Peaceful,” which have been intended as a sketch of the entire album. Few of the ideas on this chart made the final cut, but check out measures 28, 29 and 30: they show a simplified version of groove 2 from “It’s About That Time.”

I quote a passage from Daniel Grimley’s chapter on form in The Oxford Handbook of Critical Concepts in Music Theory.

A commenter on the last episode pointed me to this review by Martin Booth of every recording Miles Davis made in his first electric period, it’s an excellent guide to this music.

See also the previous episode on the album’s side A:

Learn more about fourths chords.

Get full access to Ethan teaches you music at ethanhein.substack.com/subscribe