In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall [Limited Edition, Live]

Miles Davis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 29, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition, Live
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AH5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,404 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #24 in Music > R&B > Funk > Jazz Funk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The best (of this period) was yet to come!, July 10, 2000

By 

J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall (Audio CD)

Having heard a dozen or more Miles Davis concerts from this era, this 9/72 date is probably my least favorite. Miles seems to be attempting to take ON THE CORNER to the stage, but he hasn't found out how to do it yet (of course, just to hear him trying is sufficient to get this CD into my player at least every year or two--and uncovering fresh surprises with each rehearing).

Miles plays well on amped wah-wah trumpet, underrated bassist Michael Henderson provides a solid anchor, and Mtume's percussion crossfire is always superb. However, the brilliant rhythm guitarist Reggie Lucas hadn't yet honed in on his trademark sound, either as a sideman or as a soloist. Al Foster sounds better on later gigs, too--his beats often don't GROOVE here. The electric sitar adds color, but the inability to stop that droning sound on a dime tends to clash with the staccato syncopations and backbeats laid down by the rhythm section (you can hear it within the first ten seconds of disc two). Keyboardist Cedric Lawson doesn't seem to have much to offer to enlighten Davis' music (I greatly prefer Miles' own organ playing--also heard here).

For fans looking to analyze the entirety of Davis' career, IN CONCERT adds further context to this step of his musical journey--quite provocative despite the flaws. However, for an outstanding representation of this challenging period, I'd skip this one and look first to 1975's twin-towers PANGAEA and AGHARTA, recorded after Davis found and developed the best sidemen--four of whom are already on board here--to interpret his progressive jazz/funk/world musical vision.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Big Fun Live On the Corner, March 19, 2006

By 

Talking Wall "Never trust a man with manicure... (Queen Creek, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall (Audio CD)

After reading some of the reviews here, I didn't expect too much from this 2 disc concert set from September 29, 1972 (my 17th birthday). I got very lucky and picked this SBM remaster used (like new) for less than 1/2 price! I've heard much of the music that followed this period, especially Agharta and Dark Magus. Those discs really are something else - intense, blistering funk. But I really like this one too - Miles playing is far stronger and lively here than on those later releases. This band has some of the line up from On The Corner, indeed, Miles brings some of his On the Corner release to the stage and I think it's a stellar result. Ife (an "On the Corner" outake that eventually found its way onto 1974's "Big Fun") is superb played live. Both disks are fun listening ("Foot Fooler" and "The Slickaphonics") I dig the sitar with the wah-wah... can't say I've ever heard a sitar played through a wah-wah before. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the inset color pic shows Dave Liebman and Pete Cosey who are not present in this line up. So what? It's just a picture folks.

If you like Big Fun, On the Corner, Agharta and Dark Magus, I think you'll like this though it is much "lighter" and not nearly as up in your face as Agharta and Dark Magus - there's a lot of interesting stuff going on here including some background chatter and laughter between band members here and there. You get some interesting sitar behind a supercharged "Theme from Jack Johnson" (Funky Tonk) - an interesting take on this piece. "In Concert: Live at the Philharmonic" doesn't leave me drained like Dark Magus and Agharta (not a slam on those two releases, they are just so... VERY intense). This is a lot more fun and playful I think. I'll probably pop this into the player a little more often than Dark Magus and Agharta. I also think this is far better than the earlier electric stuff such as "Live at the Fillmore" which was drenched in distorted Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3 organ riffs. Unlike some of the other reviewers here, I believe that Miles is very much at the top of his electric game here so don't let the negative reviews put you off. It's such a shame critics trashed On the Corner and this follow-up concert release. What we really have here is another great night with Miles in concert! Come on now, how can that possibly be bad? I love this one. Buy it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another Voodoo spell from the Mystic Witch Doctor himself!!, November 4, 2006

By 

Joseph Simmons "Mystik Eye" (Cosmos) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall (Audio CD)

Having absorbed everything I can find on Master Miles Dewey Davis, the creative and transcendent musical Mystic, I have found this to be absolutely superb!! The funk is, to me(not a funkster by nature) so deep and dense its a phenomenal experiement of many depths and dimensions, perhaps STILL ahead of its time....cant imagine, like the other reviewers above, only putting this in once in awhile--this is gonna be forever at my fingertips...

its definitely an ALIVE version of ON THE CORNER, and even the Jack Johnson takes are heavily influenced by the ON THE CORNER feeling and vibe...the music, thankfully, doesnt go as far out as perhaps the FILMORE sets, and thus is not hard on the ears at anytime what so ever--it keeps a steady groove, sometimes much more repetitive than any other musician(s) would dare to go--I do wish though that the Bass was a bit more upfront, but there's so much else going on that night, that it makes up for the lack of "heavy bottom" we have gotten used to from this period and shortly prior...

the congos and tablas and sitar make this thing truly a world music gumbo, another brew that Miles masterfully stirs with his trumpet--which is nothing more than the fetish, the tool of invocation itself, if you dig it...

a must have, so buy it,pull the shades and enjoy....