Miles Smiles

Miles Davis 1967 pioneering
post-bop
The Second Great Quintet at peak combustion: every rule bent but none broken, every note earned.
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Similar Albums

Grouped by the kind of closeness: sound first, then mood, era, and artistic phase.

Same Artist / Nearby Phase

Useful neighbors inside the same discography, where the artist is moving through adjacent periods.

1
E.S.P.Miles Davis(1965)same artist
sound94% mood23% era97% phase100%
Same artist periodShared mood: introspectionClose sound profile
75%
2
MilestonesMiles Davis(1958)same artist
sound77% mood23% era87% phase58%
Same artistShared mood: introspectionClose sound profile
52%
3
Kind of BlueMiles Davis(1959)same artist
sound72% mood23% era88% phase72%
Same artistShared mood: introspection
51%
4
Birth of the CoolMiles Davis(1957)same artist
sound74% mood23% era71% phase58%
Same artistShared mood: introspectionClose sound profile
48%
5
On the CornerMiles Davis(1972)same artist
sound59% mood23% era93% phase72%
Same artistShared mood: defiance
48%

Closest Sound

Albums with nearby density, space, production feel, vocals, and style.

1
Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1Thelonious Monk(1951)
sound79% mood70% era77% phase40%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
76%
2
Bird and DizCharlie Parker(1950)
sound79% mood47% era50% phase70%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
75%
3
Jazz at Massey HallCharlie Parker(1953)
sound79% mood23% era55% phase70%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
74%
4
The Birthday ConcertJaco Pastorius(1981)
sound79% mood23% era55% phase70%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
74%
5
Pithecanthropus ErectusCharles Mingus(1956)
sound79% mood0% era84% phase40%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
73%

Same Mood

Albums sharing the emotional palette and thematic atmosphere.

1
Midnight MaraudersA Tribe Called Quest(1993)
sound42% mood70% era37% phase70%
Shared mood: defiance, playfulness
60%
2
Empyrean IslesHerbie Hancock(1964)
sound73% mood47% era96% phase70%
Shared mood: playfulness, introspectionShared style: post-bopClose sound profile
53%
3
Money JungleDuke Ellington(1962)
sound70% mood47% era93% phase40%
Shared mood: defiance, playfulnessClose sound profile
51%
4
Brilliant CornersThelonious Monk(1957)
sound73% mood47% era86% phase70%
Shared mood: defiance, playfulnessClose sound profile
51%
5
GentlemanFela Kuti(1973)
sound61% mood47% era91% phase70%
Shared mood: defiance, playfulness
49%

Same Era Feel

Albums close in historical moment or in how they relate to their era.

1
Maiden VoyageHerbie Hancock(1965)
sound67% mood23% era97% phase70%
2 years apartSimilar era stanceShared style: post-bop
75%
2
Cold SweatJames Brown(1967)
sound56% mood23% era100% phase100%
Same yearSimilar era stance
74%
3
Far East SuiteDuke Ellington(1967)
sound67% mood23% era100% phase40%
Same yearSimilar era stance
74%
4
Speak Like a ChildHerbie Hancock(1968)
sound67% mood0% era99% phase70%
1 year apartSimilar era stanceShared style: post-bop
73%
5
Are You ExperiencedJimi Hendrix(1967)
sound43% mood47% era100% phase40%
Same yearSimilar era stance
73%

Same Career Phase

Similar artist-position moments: early statement, breakthrough, reinvention, mature work, or late period.

1
Sex MachineJames Brown(1970)
sound56% mood23% era96% phase100%
Same career phase3 years apartShared mood: defiance
81%
2
Mothership ConnectionParliament-Funkadelic(1975)
sound51% mood35% era88% phase100%
Same career phaseShared mood: defiance, playfulness
80%
3
The Heat Is OnThe Isley Brothers(1975)
sound47% mood18% era88% phase100%
Same career phaseShared mood: defiance
78%
4
Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm ProudJames Brown(1969)
sound55% mood23% era72% phase100%
Same career phase2 years apartShared mood: defiance
78%
5
3 + 3The Isley Brothers(1973)
sound48% mood0% era91% phase100%
Same career phase
77%

Acoustic Profile

Density 5 Spatiality 5 Distortion 1 Tempo 6 Rhythm 9 Harmony 9

Production

Method: live-dominant
Fidelity: raw
controlled freedomTony Williams polyrhythmic driveShorter's angular compositions

Vocal

Approach: instrumental
Lyrical Abstraction:
10/10

Mood & Theme

defiance playfulness introspection
Territory: freedom-within-structure, rhythmic-liberation
Emotional Arc: coiled-energy-releasing

Era & Context

1967: Summer of Love, psychedelia rising. The quintet was forging a parallel revolution in rhythmic and harmonic freedom.

Career Phase

Second Great Quintet 1965-1968

Post-bop abstraction with Shorter, Hancock, Carter, Williams. Pushing acoustic jazz to its structural limits.

Distant Connections (3)

A second layer for farther resonances: connections that may not sound closest at first, but still point somewhere useful.

Maiden Voyage Herbie Hancock (1965)
7/10
improvisational-freedom
Empyrean Isles Herbie Hancock (1964)
6/10
improvisational-freedom
Takin' Off Herbie Hancock (1962)
4/10
improvisational-freedomsonic-experimentation

Influences

Absorbed from

E.S.P. — second quintet language refinement

Influenced

Bitches Brew — rhythmic adventurousness