Miles Davis and the "Lost Quintet"

Miles Davis' late 1969/early 1970 performances with the "Lost Quintet" (Miles Davis (tpt); Wayne Shorter (ss, ts); Chick Corea (el-p); Dave Holland (b, el-b); Jack DeJohnette (d)) are unquestionably some of the most exciting of this long career. Named for the fact that they never recorded as a five-man lineup in the studio, and up until the 2001 release of Live At Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time, had never been featured on an official release, the "Lost Quintet" played an overwhelmingly important role in bridging Miles' older, more familiar material with his new electric direction. This meant that sets saw the unlikely pairing of standards like "'Round Midnight" or "I Fall In Love Too Easily" with "Bitches Brew" and "Miles Run The Voodoo Down," often segueing into one another to create a singular suite, and all overflowing with incredible intensity. A monumental task that produced amazing results. Jack DeJohnette and Chick Corea are absolutely ferocious on both of these recordings.

July 25, 1969
La Pinède, Juan-les-Pins
1. Directions
2. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
3. Milestones
4. Footprints
5. 'Round Midnight
6. It's About That Time
7. Sanctuary/The Theme

November 3, 1969
Salle Pleyel, Paris
(First Set)
1. Directions
2. Bitches Brew
3. Paraphanalia
4. Riot
5. I Fall In Love Too Easily
5. Sanctuary
6. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down/The Theme

(Second Set)
1. Introduction
2. Bitches Brew
3. Agitation
4. I Fall In Love Too Easily
5. Sanctuary
6. Masqualero
7. It's About That Time

Stan Getz

Captain Marvel - 1972
Having famously paired with Joao Gilberto for 1963's massive Getz/Gilberto bossa nova summit, it's no surprise that another equally successful collaboration was in the cards for Stan Getz. At the time he was forming his Return to Forever band, Chick Corea got wind that Getz was on the hunt for a band with which to tour and record new material. Putting his own project on temporary hiatus, Corea plucked Airto Moriera and Stanley Clarke from his fledgling group and enlisted fellow Miles alum, Tony Williams on drums. The resulting album is almost exactly what you'd expect this collection of greats to turn out, and every bit as incredible as Getz better known Gilberto collaboration. With Corea originals making up five of the album's six tunes and Airto's Brazillian percussion filling out the mix, Captain Marvel has a heavy Latin bend throughout, but the percussive plunk of Rhodes piano and controlled chaos of Williams behind the kit pulls it all so slightly into fusion territory. Unquestionably one of Getz' finest moments of the decade, and a fascinating glimpse as to how straight these Davis graduates could play it when they wanted to.

Miles Davis

At Fillmore - 1971

The result of a four-night stand at the Fillmore East running from June 17-20, 1970, At Fillmore is among the finest, and undoubtedly the most controversial live album in Miles' official catalogue. In order to fit Miles' Wednesday-Saturday residency into a double LP package, producer Teo Macero pulled some of the finer moments from each night and stitched them together to form a medley that took up a single side of vinyl. Initially, some listeners derided Macero's efforts on the basis that several tunes were repeated throughout the album, while others bellyached that editing the songs in such a fashion removed the groove that propelled each night's set. More savvy listeners however, heard the album as a brilliant distillation of Miles' live performance and a compelling record of the band's ability to so drastically reinterpret the same material night after night. Aside from the addition of Keith Jarrett on a wah-wah'd combo organ, At Fillmore features the same personnel that produced the live Black Beauty LP only two months previous - yet the two albums are so different that they could have been recorded years apart. Whereas Black Beauty was loose, mean document, ferocious to the point of frightening, At Fillmore is ambient, funky, tightly wound and extremely focused. On Black Beauty, the music was in complete control. Here, the ensemble holds the reins. Listen close. The results are absolutely incredible.

Miles Davis

Deep Brew (Bitches Brew Recording Sessions) - 1969
Volume 1, Volume 2
Aside from being among the most powerful statements in the history of recorded music, Miles Davis' 1969 Bitches Brew LP also stands as a testament to the incredible editing work of the album's producer, Teo Macero. Throughout three studio sessions on August 19-21, 1969, Miles led ensembles of up to 13 musicians through numerous song sketches, bizarre atonal experiments and dense polyrhythmic vamps that forced them to listen closely to one another and allow the music to take on a life of its own. In some of the quieter moments you can actually hear Miles giving instructions by snapping his fingers to set the tempo, telling individuals where to solo, or, in his distinctive whisper, saying, "Keep it tight"; indicating that all the while he and Macero maintained a clear picture of how they would fuse these sections into cohesive compositions. Considering this method of recording, the resulting LP is nothing short of astonishing.

Going well beyond the expansive Complete Bitches Brew Sessions box set, Deep Brew, Volumes 1 & 2 collects nearly all of the material recorded during those August sessions. Amazing stuff.

*Many, many thanks to Heat Warps' visitor Hansame for sharing this incredible set!

Miles Davis

Directions - 1980

To satiate his fans during his "retirement" in the late 70s, Columbia issued two fine rarities collections that focused on the rarely-heard (at that time) transitional periods of Miles Davis' career, Circle in the Round, which chronicled the years 1955-1970, and Directions, which covered 1960-1970. While Circle in the Round is notable for containing an all-acoustic version of Sanctuary, a tune that was later re-recorded in full electric glory for Bitches Brew, as well as a hauntingly majestic rendition of David Crosby's Guennevere, Directions simply overflows with gems from Miles' late 60s fusion peak - the rare period before everyone else fell in line and the road belonged to Miles alone. The Complete In A Silent Way and Jack Johnson session box sets have since collected most of the tunes on Directions, however this double LP places them in a context that illustrates Miles' transformation like neither of the sessions sets could, simply because it speeds up the process. Highlights include the tightly-wound funk morsel "Duran" featuring a smokin' John McLaughlin and "Willie Nelson" in all its wah-wah glory. Dig it now.

*Another fine Slidewell contribution. Thanks again to him for sharing the wealth with The Heat Warps.

Miles Davis

Black Beauty: Live at the Fillmore West - 1970

Considering the flood of Miles Davis live LPs hitting the market in the early 70s, it's easy to understand why Black Beauty has remained somewhat under the radar. Shortly after the release of Bitches Brew, Miles stripped his live band down to electric bass (Dave Holland), drums (Jack DeJohnette), soprano sax (Steve Grossman), Fender Rhodes (Chick Corea) and percussion (Airto Moreira) and began making music with an intense focus on grooves and textures, while melody basically went out the window. Miles' horn playing is brutally intense, but his tone still retained the warmth and richness of the Bitches Brew sessions -- not yet replaced by the shrill, electric-guitar like tone he would soon adopt on records like Live Evil and On the Corner. But what really stands out on this live album is Corea's incredible Rhodes work, gone completely over the top with wah, ring modulators and tape echo effects, and in several places managing to sound like two pianists at once. One of the wildest albums in the Miles Davis canon and a personal favorite.

Black Beauty: Miles Davis At F...