"Listening again to this album as I write the review I am struck by how fresh it all sounds. The tracks are well chosen, and it is great to have the two live tracks (So What and All Blues) on here as well. Herbie is beautifully understated, for the most part while Shorter and Roney do a fantastic job on the horns. If only they had come to Australia! This is a fantastic tribute to the genius that was Miles. These guys obviously loved him. As the liner notes say "He left us much too soon". However, it is also fantastic music in its own right, and well worth owning."
These guys are on another level...
milkman john | Oxford, England | 12/24/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is superb quality Jazz music. The two live tracks are the gems, and the live version of All Blues is the best I've ever heard... However, at a glance, it does sound more of a tribute to the Miles Davis Quintet than to Miles himself, but take some time to appreciate the genius displayed on this disc and you know that these guys all played with Miles. Almost as if they owe what they are to him.Tony is much less energetic than what he used to be, but there's still that chemistry between him and Ron Carter, who plays absolutely terrific. Herbie and Wayne sound like real Jazz monsters, and Wallace Roney fits in almost perfectly, though he is far from being the leader of a figure Miles was. It is quite evident he's a Wynton Marsalis student, another trumpet player who owes a lot to Miles."
Miles Smiles
James R. DeSalvio DO | Dunlap, Illinois USA | 09/08/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was surprised to see so little written about this fine recording. I listen to it often and consider it to be one of my best purchases. The sound is crisp and clear and some of the tracts are live [So What and All Blues]. Wallace Roney sounds just like Miles, maybe a bit cleaner. Wayne Shorter is always present to balance the trumpet with his tenor and soprano sax. Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams balance it all out. Give this a listen if you want to hear some fine musicians in peak form."
Forgotten Gem ......
James R. DeSalvio DO | 01/03/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album was recorded by four of Miles's enduring partners through his incredibly creative Quintet years, and a trumpeter who played alongside him. The chemistry is unbelievable; Ron Carter rises to the occassion for such classics as Pinocchio and Eighty One and the band plays one of the loveliest jazz tunes ever in 'Elegy'. A tour de force, underrated but very rewarding"
A brilliant album, regardless of who it's a tribute to
David Lerner | Columbia, MD USA | 02/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have owned this album since shortly after it was released, and it has been in steady rotation in my collection ever since I purchased it. I have always been amazed that it is not more widely recognized and celebrated. The 5 studio tracks are very good, but by far the highlights of the album are the live versions of All Blues and So What. All five of the musicians on this album are legendary, and hearing them all together again is a treat.
Tony Williams' brilliant performance on All Blues is worth the price of admission alone, and when you add Herbie Hancock and the other musicians on this terrific CD, you've got the makings of a classic release. There are not many things that I can recommend wholeheartedly, but I guarantee you will not be disappointed if you pick up this hidden gem."