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Decoy (album)

Summary

Decoy is a 1984 album by jazz musician Miles Davis, recorded in 1983. Keyboardist Robert Irving III and guitarist John Scofield wrote or co-wrote most of the new compositions. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis appears with the group on “Decoy”, “Code M.D.” and “That’s Right” playing soprano.

Decoy
Studio album by
Miles Davis
ReleasedJune 1984
RecordedJune 30, 1983 at A&R Studio, New York City; July 7, 1983 at Théâtre St. Denis, Montreal; and September 5, 10 and 11, 1983; and Record Plant, New York City.
GenreJazz fusion
Length39:12
LabelColumbia
ProducerMiles Davis
Miles Davis chronology
Star People
(1983) 		Decoy
(1984) 		You're Under Arrest
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Tom HullB−[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings [3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[2]
The Village VoiceB+[5]

Background edit

Decoy is the first album Davis recorded without the help of longtime producer Teo Macero. Macero still had plans, including recording Davis with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, but Davis insisted on producing the album himself. Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" was a hit, and Davis figured he could get airplay with his own new album as well, if he added more synthesizers, as well as beefed-up bass lines and overdubs, and so "we put clothes on the melodies", he said later. Gil Evans advised him as well, and suggested, on "That's Right", that Davis put chords behind the trumpet lines as a contrast. The idea of layering sounds was put to practice on "Code M.D.", where Davis plays a muted solo behind his own solo.[6]

The main theme of "That's What Happened" was lifted directly from Scofield's improvised solo on "Speak", a live performance included on the previous album Star People.[7] Full (live) versions of "That's What Happened" and "What It Is" were released in 2022 on That’s What Happened 1982-1985: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 7.

Track listing edit

  1. "Decoy" (Robert Irving III) - 8:33
  2. "Robot 415" (Miles Davis, Robert Irving III) - 0:59
  3. "Code M.D." (Robert Irving III) - 5:56
  4. "Freaky Deaky" (Miles Davis) - 4:30
  5. "What It Is" (Miles Davis, John Scofield) recorded live at the Festival International de Jazz, Montreal, 1983 - 4:32
  6. "That's Right" (Miles Davis, John Scofield) - 11:11
  7. "That's What Happened" (Miles Davis, John Scofield) recorded live at the Festival International de Jazz, Montreal, 1983 - 3:31

Personnel edit

Production edit

  • George Butler – executive producer
  • Miles Davis – producer
  • Robert Irving III – co-producer
  • Vincent Wilburn, Jr. – associate co-producer
  • Ron Lorman – engineer, remixing
  • Tom Swift – assistant engineer, editing
  • Guy Charbonneau – recording (5, 7)
  • Mark "The King" Allison – technical assistant
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
  • Genevieve Stewart – administrative assistant
  • John Berg – package design
  • Gilles Larrain – cover photography
  • Blank & Blank – management

References edit

  1. ^ Yanow, Scott (2011). "Decoy - Miles Davis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  2. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 57. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  3. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 351. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
  4. ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Jazz (1940s-50s)". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 25, 1985). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 1, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ Szwed, John (2004). So What: The Life of Miles Davis. Simon and Schuster. p. 362. ISBN 978-0-684-85983-5.
  7. ^ Cole, George (2005). The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis 1980–1991. Equinox. p. 142.