''The Man with the Horn'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

released by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

in 1981. This was Davis's first new studio album since 1972’s ''

On the Corner ''On the Corner'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and July 1972 and released on October 11 of the same year by Columbia Records. The album continued Davis's exploration o ...

'', his first recordings of any kind since 1975 and his first activity following a six-year retirement. The album title references his 1952 10-inch LP '' Young Man with a Horn''. Largely pop influenced, the album fuses 1980s

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, pop and

R & B Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

with improvisational funk and

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

styles. The album marked Davis's return to more traditional acoustic

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

playing after having utilized electronics in the mid-1970s, although the title song "The Man with the Horn" does feature a

wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...

on Davis's improvisation (along with a lead vocal by keyboardist

Randy Hall Randy Hall is an American singer, guitarist, and record producer who collaborated with Miles Davis during the 1980s. Hall helped Davis arrange '' The Man with the Horn'', and its title track featured lead vocals by Hall, who also played guitar, ...

Track listing

All tracks composed by Miles Davis; except where indicated # "Fat Time" – 9:53 # "Back Seat Betty" – 11:15 # "Shout" (Glenn Burris,

, Robert Irving III) – 5:52 # "Aïda" – 8:10 # "The Man with the Horn" (Hall, Irving) – 6:32 # "Ursula" – 10:50

Personnel

* Miles Davis – trumpet, arrangements (1, 2, 4, 6),

Wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...

(5) * Bill Evans – soprano saxophone (1, 2, 4, 5, 6) * Robert Irving III – Yamaha CS30 synthesizer (3, 5), acoustic piano (5), arrangements *

– Minimoog (3, 5), arrangements (3, 5), celeste (5), electric guitar (5), lead and backing vocals (5) *

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, ...

– electric guitar (1) *

Barry Finnerty Michael Barry Finnerty (born December 3, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, keyboardist, singer, songwriter, and arranger, known for his work as a touring and recording session musician for Miles Davis, The Crusaders, the Brecker Brothers, H ...

– electric guitar (2, 3, 4, 6) * Marcus Miller – electric bass (1, 2, 4, 6) * Felton Crews – electric bass (3, 5) *

Al Foster Aloysius Tyrone Foster (born January 18, 1943) is an American jazz drummer. Foster's professional career began in the mid-60s, when he played and recorded with hard bop and swing musicians including Blue Mitchell and Illinois Jacquet. Foster ...

– drums (1, 2, 4, 6) * Vince Wilburn, Jr. – drums (3, 5) * Sammy Figueroa – percussion (1-4, 6) Production * George Butler – executive producer *

Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' '' Bitches Brew'', and ...

– producer * Don Puluse – engineer (1), remix engineer * Stan Tonkel – engineer (2-6) * Harold Tarowsky – technical adviser * Ted Brosnan – second engineer * Nancy Byers – second engineer *

Joe Gastwirt Joe Gastwirt is an American audio engineer, known for digitally remastering hundreds of CDs and LPs for famous artists, including the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, Helen Reddy, Electric Light Orchestra, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, The B ...

– mastering * Recorded, mixed and mastered at CBS Recording Studios (New York, NY) * John Berg – design * Cindy Brown – design *

Bob Cato Robert G. Cato (September 5, 1923 – March 19, 1999) was an American photographer and graphic designer whose work in record album cover design contributed to the development of music and popular culture for five decades. He was vice president o ...

– photography

References

Miles Davis albums 1981 albums Albums produced by Teo Macero Columbia Records albums {{1980s-jazz-album-stub