WONDERFULLY HISTORIC LIVE SESSIONS: 2 DAVIS (with COLTRANE)
RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 03/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Five Big Stars!! This splendid CD captures Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Mr PC (Paul Chambers) in two enjoyable live frameworks: the 1955 Quintet, with "Red" Garland on piano and "Philly Joe" Jones on drums, recorded at two separate venues in the US, and the 1960 Quintet with Wynton Kelly on piano and Jimmy Cobb on drums captured in performance in The Haag, The Netherlands and CBS' "Studio 61" TV show. This is a great way to compare the two groups performing some of the best songs from their repertoire without switching CD discs. "Walking" is performed by each quintet, so one can make a direct comparison, song to song. Literally, two legendary Miles Davis Quintets, with John Coltrance on tenor sax, on one CD, side by side.
The performances are uniformly excellent thoughout. Coltrane, in particular, is absolutely smoking both in Europe and in the US sessions. Davis was content to let him run with it: on "So What", he uncorks a steaming 9 minute solo full of his entire bag of tricks at the time: dramatic convoluted phrases, overblowing his reed, false fingering, "Sheets of sound", and "the Coltrane wail". Davis' solo is a terse but soaringly inventive 3 minutes. 'Trane would soon leave this quintet (and the known musical universe to explore his tenor and soprano saxes and his own celestial music), but he was declaratively leaving his mark yet again on post-bop neo-modal jazz history with these seldom heard sessions. 'Trane's solo on the "Studio 61" CBS TV show version of "So What" in 1959 is shorter but may be even better than track 1. Mile's solo is definitely better: a case of 'relaxed intensity', plus he takes two solo bites out of this shining apple.
Of the earlier quintet, it's great hearing Red Garland's block chords and fleeting runs, and Philly Joe's rimshots. The Tonight Show was a shocker in that Steve Allen let them play 2 entire songs with no shortcuts, but then the appreciative Allen was practically a jazz pianist himself. "Max is Making Wax" and "It Never Entered My Mind" are excellent. The Blue Note Club cut (track 10) "Tune Up" takes the cake: Miles is on fire, the early 'Trane is wonderful, and Red Garland is excellent. Highly Recommended early and Mid-Period Miles and 'Trane.
(Note: Tracks 6-10 are bonus tracks appended to the Den Haag tracks. Don't let the shortness of the disc fool you, this is an important slice of late 50's to early 60's jazz history.)"
....actually better than I had expected
S. Sigel | Rochester, NY USA | 05/26/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I took a chance and ordered this CD and I was plesently surprised. As a whole, the sound quality for the time period is quite good. The performances on all the tunes are energetic. I loved the bonus material, especially the broadcast take of "So What" from 1959 just as much as the Den Haag recordings. One thing remains clear when you listen to this music: Miles and Trane were a great combination that complemented each other magnificantly!"
Well Done!!!
John P. Gillespie | 09/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A very good album. I would reccomend this to longtime Miles fans and newcomers alike. There is a good overall selection of the different styles of music the group was making in this era (It so happens to be my favorite era of Miles '55 through'65). It's nice to hear a grouping of music from "58 sessions (Green Dolphin Street) and Kind of Blue. I was really entertained by the inclusion of a couple of cuts performed on "The Tonight Show" from '55. It's nice to hear what Miles was willing to expose mainstream America to."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1