Miles Davis: Jack Johnson (Columbia S30455)

MILES' NEW popularity is a puzzle to me. While his previous three records — the almost-perfect In a Silent Way, and the renowned (if, in a sense, less fulfilling) Bitches Brew and Live At Fillmore — as well as this one have all been titanic efforts, the fact that he, and he alone, of modern jazzmen, has become a popular figure with stellar credentials, seems a matter of some concern.