Miles Davis – Filles de Kilimanjaro [Stereo] (Mobile Fidelity GAIN 2 Series 45 RPM Edition)

(ADA) — Lacquers cut by Krieg Wunderlich at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab from a DSD 256 (digital) transfer by Shawn Britton of the original analog master tapes.

Miles Davis' Self-Proclaimed 'Directions in Music' March Begins with Filles de Kilimanjaro: Landmark 1968 Effort Recognized as His Prelude Into Full-On Fusion

Mobile Fidelity's Numbered-Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP Features Luscious Tones and Wide Dynamics

1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

Miles Davis' move into full-on fusion starts here. Abandoning his bebop roots and chasing electric dreams, rock-based rhythms, and ostinato pulses, the icon gives life to new music forms on Filles de Kilimanjaro, a release prized for its historical significance and lasting beauty. Grounded and focused, the five compositions unfold like a unified suite. Such peak lyricism, flourishes, and phrases are experienced in the highest fidelity on Mobile Fidelity's 180g 45RPM 2LP set.

Indeed, the exotic sound, touch, and feel of the songs on Filles de Kilimanjaro are as crucial as the melodies. To that extent, listeners can now enjoy the expressive tonalities and lush colors from each instrument in full-range glory. Voicings, harmonics, and pitches are rendered with exquisite detail. The manners in which the textures and phrases rotate what seems like a unified tonal center places you at the original recording sessions, executed in July and September 1968.

The final appearance of Davis' classic second quintet bears fruit on three of the record's cuts, including the title track and R&B-tinted "Frelon Brun." Sparked with restrained funk, driving grooves, and bluesy accents, Filles de Kilimanjaro maintains an instinctive flow and controlled freedom that permit Davis to oversee an innovative blending of alterations, improvisation, and cycles. Comprised of multiple sections, "Petits Machins" is a lesson in perfectly played melodic complexity, with chromatic riffs, dominant chords, syncopated progressions, and switching meters forming a singular mosaic.

Filles de Kilimanjaro also represents a jumping-off point for Davis' lineup. For the September sessions, Chick Corea replaced Herbie Hancock while Dave Holland relieved Ron Carter. The new additions speak a different albeit common language, fitting in with Davis' desire to draw from rock and weave funk into open-minded excursions filled with exoticism, soulfulness, and wonder.

More than 40 years ago, this record epitomized the future of jazz. Davis even announced such aspirations with the tagline "Directions in Music." With the jazz world still trying to wrap its collective mind around its genius, it still does.

"There was an unpleasant dryness and starkness to the sound of these originals accompanied by unpleasant grain. That is why it is easy to write that these three reissues [of Sorcerer, Nefertiti, and Filles de Kilimanjaro] from Mobile Fidelity sound far superior to the originals. They are far more transparent, detailed and texturally more supple as well as being harmonically more fully fleshed out."
– Michael Fremer, Analog Planet

(Above description from MusicDirect.com)