Don't miss this
Amato Evan | Corvallis, Or USA | 01/21/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you like old Miles Davis, buy this concert before it goes out of print (most do). It's expensive, but i'm so glad I own this show... Here it is: Line-up; Miles, Stitt, Chambers, Cobb, W. Kelly. Songs; Walkin', If I were a Bell, Fran Dance, 2 Bass Hit, All of You, So What, The Theme. These cd's are simply wonderful copies of the original concerts! No editing, no changing the song orders, it is as if you were there!"
Playing the wrong music
Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 07/03/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On page 249 of the autobiography, Miles recounts driving around Philly with Jimmy Heath, recalling that he "probably was complaining to him about Sonny Stitt playing the wrong [stuff] on 'So What,' because he would always [mess] up on that tune."The marvel is that Miles called on Sonny to replace Coltrane in the first place. But Wayne Shorter wanted to remain a bit longer with Art Blakey, so the most complete and polished bebop player of them all, a saxophonist embodying, but not extending beyond, the previous tradition took the coveted chair. Until these recordings came to light--of a 1960 Paris concert in October (there's an earlier Paris date the same year, only with Coltrane)--it was assumed the Stitt edition of Miles' group had never been recorded. So now we know what Miles was talking about. Sonny's musical style--about melodic "formulas" and rhythmic/harmonic "closure"--is clearly "wrong" for Miles, but not necessarily for Sonny. On all of the tunes, including the modal "So What," Sonny "locks" into the time, much like a Coleman Hawkins, and plays "within" the harmonies of the tune, coming back to the tonic note at every opportunity. Miles if anything overplays, as though he's determined to rub Sonny's nose in the new music until he gets it. Sonny will have none of it. He counter-punches with his very best shots, exhausting the melodic/harmonic vocabulary inherited from Bird and Diz. The result is a dazzling display of disparate pyrotechnics--perhaps the last time Miles would play this aggressively on record. For my money, this quintet is more exciting, perhaps even breath-taking, than the Shorter-Hancock-Carter-Williams unit that would soon succeed it.A few caveats: there's considerable audio distortion, especially of the trumpet, and on this second CD, the distortion occasionally extends to the saxophone. Also, I've always felt Sonny was a more creative player on alto than on tenor, which he favors more on the second of the two CDs. Finally, you should know that the liner notes are in French. And of course this is not an album for anyone who is just beginning a Miles collection. But for certain saxophonists I know and perhaps careful listeners who are knowledgeable about styles and traditions, both of these albums will be endlessly fascinating if not essential additions to a vital jazz collection."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1