Miles Davis - Star People [Orange & White Holland Import]

Star People is Miles Davis grinning through the blues on his comeback run, here on limited 180-gram orange and white vinyl from Holland.

Released in 1983, it was the second studio record he issued after a six-year hiatus and the last produced by longtime collaborator Teo Macero. It also introduced guitarist John Scofield, recommended by saxophonist Bill Evans, alongside guitarist Mike Stern, bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Al Foster and percussionist Mino Cinelu. The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, and Gil Evans helped shape the arrangements without taking a credit.

The sound is lean electric funk with roots deep in the blues. "Come Get It" kicks the door in with hard-charging guitars, "It Gets Better" settles into a slow, smoky groove, and the title track stretches past eighteen minutes of simmering blues, with Davis moving between trumpet and Oberheim synthesizer. "Speak" brings a punchier, riff-driven bite, Scofield and Stern trading sharp, angular lines while Foster keeps everything locked down.

It is playful and far more accessible than its reputation suggests, the sound of a master enjoying himself again.

For anyone exploring eighties Miles beyond Tutu, this is the warmest place to start, and a handsome pressing to own.