Miles Davis-Nefertiti (1968)

Just as he had done nine years earlier with the acclaimed "Kind of Blue", in 1968 Miles Davis once again gave us another seminal work of jazz, this time featuring, as before, a stellar lineup of musicians in his Quintet. On this occasion, the American trumpeter was joined by the keyboard wizard of fusion and jazz-rock, Herbie Hancock, drummer Tony Williams, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and bassist Ron Carter. Comprised of extraordinary musical creativity, this was Miles' last great "classic" jazz album before he gradually shifted towards rock and more avant-garde and experimental sounds. However, many remnants of the hard bop of the previous decade can still be heard here, but in more acoustic tones and harmonic melodies ("Nefertiti" and "Fall"), dynamic free jazz ("Hand Jive" and "Madness"), or compositions with clear accents to standard hard bop ("Riot" and "Pinocchio"). From here, Miles Davis would choose the electronic side of jazz with psychedelic elements, wisely fusing rock and jazz, starting with the next "Miles in The Sky" (1968) and continuing with two of the masterpieces in the history of the genre, "In A Silent Way" (1969) and "Bitches Brew" (1970).