Decoy (album)

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For the Good Riddance album, see Decoy (EP).
Decoy
Decoy Miles Davis.jpg
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 Studio, New York City
GenreJazz fusion
Length39:36 (CD, LP)
LabelColumbia
ProducerMiles Davis
Miles Davis chronology
Star People
(1983) 		Decoy
(1984) 		You're Under Arrest
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic2/5 stars[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide4/5 stars[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings2.5/4 stars [3]
Tom HullB–[4]
The Village VoiceB+[5]

Decoy is a 1984 album by jazz musician Miles Davis, recorded in 1983. It features keyboardist Robert Irving III and guitarist John Scofield contributing most of the compositions and the other solos. The theme of "That's What Happened" comes from Scofield's improvised solo from the track "Speak" included on the previous album Star People. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis guested with the group on the September 1983 studio sessions.

Background[]

Decoy is the last album Davis recorded with 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]

Track listing[]

  1. "Decoy" (Robert Irving III) 8:33
  2. "Robot 415" (Miles Davis, Robert Irving III) 1:09
  3. "Code M.D." (Robert Irving III) 5:58
  4. "Freaky Deaky" (Miles Davis) 4:34
  5. "What It Is" (Miles Davis, John Scofield) recorded live at the Festival International de Jazz, Montreal, 1983 4:31
  6. "That's Right" (Miles Davis, John Scofield) 11:12
  7. "That's What Happened" (Miles Davis, John Scofield) recorded live at the Festival International de Jazz, Montreal, 1983 3:30

Personnel[]

Production[]

Producer: Miles Davis
Co-producer: Robert Irving III
Associate Co-producer: Vincent Wilburn, Jr.
Executive Producer: Dr. George Butler
Engineer, Remix: Ronald F. Lorman
Assistant Engineer, Edited: Tom Swift
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk
Package Design: John Berg
Cover Photography: Gilles Larrain

References[]

  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.



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