(Eagle Eye Media)

www.eaglerockent.com

BY DAVID GREENBERGER

When Miles Davis returned to recording and performing in the early eighties after a six-year hiatus, it marked a new and final phase for his music. (Davis would die in 1991.) Setting aside the robustly rhythmic, dense and dark explorations of the seventies, his focus moved to brighter colors and compositions which showcased melodicism. Davis had also left Columbia, his longtime label, signing with Warner Brothers and, in 1986, releasing Tutu. He got behind its promotion with touring and even landed a video of the title track on MTV. The seven musicians in his band were young and tightly rehearsed.

For the concert documented on That's What Happened, Davis' two keyboardists and their racks of synthesizers created undulating beds over which Davis, saxophonist Kenny Garrett and guitarist Joseph McCreary soloed; Davis' solos further underscored how he'd re-embraced melody. Drums and percussion were no longer the monstrous tribal wallop of the previous decade, but backbeat-steady anchoring with attractive filigrees. A well recorded performance, this is an important reminder that Davis continued to create strong, even stunning music in the last years of his life.

Special Features: Miles Davis interview for German television, short feature on his visual art.