Search - Miles Davis :: Miles in Berlin

As good as it gets

Robert Bezimienny | Sydney, NSW Australia | 02/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded in mono, on September 25th, 1964, Miles's Quintet graces the stage of the Berlin Philharmonie, only a year after its opening. The previous CD incarnation of this date was virtually unlistenable, so the 2005 remaster is a revelation - the glare and fuzz is gone, and (despite the mono) each instrument is discretely defined and palpable; there is a minimum of background hiss - the sound is great, as it is on all the recent Sony/Columbia Miles remasters, and allows the performance to shine through - there is no question that if you own the late 80's/early 90's CDs you should acquire these new versions, not least for their generous extra tracks - here it's thirteen minutes of the unreleased "Stella by Starlight".

*

Every band member is in top form. Miles himself displays a range of moods, even within a single number - the twelve plus minute rendition of "Autumn Leaves" moving from plaintive to playful, from experimental to contemplative; "So What" scorches along, melting into sinuous byways from time to time; on "Stella..." the tone reaches towards sheer beauty, only to become complicated by yearning, sadness, expectation - this really is Miles at his best. Throughout, the propulsion of Ron Carter and Tony Williams is exemplary, and exciting - they make the title of "Walkin" very ironic - more like "Hurtlin", until Tony's solo, that is, when things crack into splinters. Herbie Hancock is a standout, his work being particularly adventurous - this in contrast with the much-lauded Plugged Nickel recordings, where he is curiously out-of-step with the energy of the sessions (this also being the opinion of the professional critics); here, he is magic - listen to his skipping solo on "So What" as it merges into a percussive cascade, his piano conversing first as a horn and then as a drum kit; on "Stella by Starlight" his liquid accompaniment to Miles' horn is sublime; or his sexy, bluesy musings on "Walkin" - surprising and superb (listen to Tony and Ron respond) - talk about telepathic understanding. The Berlin date was one of Wayne Shorter's first with the band, and his distinctive voice complements the conception of the others to perfection - his sense of melody and phrasing is quite abstract and lifts the music further away from its bop & blues roots, yet he is immersed in jazz history, and plies references, obliquely or with humour, when appropriate (check his soaring solo on "Stella...", or his stuttering dissection of "Walkin") - the wide praise for his contribution is beyond dispute.

*

I really think that jazz doesn't get any better than this. The fact that Miles' went on to record many sessions the equal of this Berlin date should not detract from its status - it's fantastic."

It's masochistic not to own this

Eric Barstad | Ann Arbor, MI USA | 03/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally this classic set by the Second Quintet is widely available in the US. This recording (Sept. 1964) predates those captured of the quintet at the Plugged Nickel (Dec. 1965) by a little over a year, and is the very first recording consisting of the Shorter/Hancock/Carter/Williams line-up. With the addition of Wayne, this group coalesced into what many consider to be the finest jazz band ever, and this recording testifies to that. The sound quality of this disc is excellent- it truly does the music justice. The playing is of the stellar calibre one expects from this group, which is essentially just to say that Ron is Ron, Tony is Tony, Wayne is Wayne, Miles is Miles, and Herbie, well, Herbie is uber-Herbie. Seriously, this album contains some of the best piano work I've ever heard with this group. Now that Miles In Berlin is so widely available and affordable, no music lover should be without it. This group occupies a seminal place in this history of jazz, and this recording occupies a seminal position in their creative oeuvre."

A Magical Evening of Joyful Musicianship

Scott K. Fish | USA | 07/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own Miles in Europe, Miles in Tokyo, Miles at the Philharmonic, Miles at Carnegie Hall, Miles at Newport -- this CD, Miles in Berlin, is my favorite. Except for Miles, none of the band members knew the concert was being taped. That might have something to do with what was a magical evening of first class musicians playing first class music. The interplay among band members is superb, joyful listening."