Customer Reviews

Jazz at the Plaza

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an extremely good set by what is probably the greatest group of talented individuals ever assembled to play "jazz". I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the 2 and 3 star ratings. Let me remind you that in 1958, live recordings were very rare. In fact, I have some live recordings from earlier dates by Charlie Parker and they are FAR worse than Jazz at the Plaza. The record companies did not have the methodology down nor did they have the technology to record live events and make 'em sound spectacular.
Why do you listen to music like this anyway? Do you wet yourself over the fidelity? No, you wet yourself over the incredible licks laid down by Miles, Trane, Cannonball, and Evans. Good Lord, two stars. Obviously those reviewers do not understand the significance of that little bit of plastic spinning 'round in the CD player.

Ok, enough of that. I own over 80 Miles Davis CDs. I am well read on the man's life and his music. I won't say I'm an expert but I probably know far more about this music than most of the reviewers out here. So trust me, this is a great great great session. These guys blew the roof off The Plaza on the evening of September 9, 1958. In fact, when this recording was made, it was not meant to be a commercial release. It was recorded as a kind of keepsake by Irving Townsend. Music by this Miles' sextet is exceedingly rare if you think about it. We have just a few sessions available for our enjoyment. Thank God Columbia decided to release this date. Thank you Columbia (Sony)!

So, is the recording quality great? No. Is it terrible to the point of distraction and painful listening? Heck no! Yes, Miles is a bit off mic here and there. One reviewer claims the background players are louder than Miles. I sure don't hear it that way, but if you do find this to be true, that's what equalizers are for. Two stars indeed. If one is so concerned about fidelity, one should pick up some of those stereo demonstration recordings used in stereo shops and listen to those all day.

Here is the sextet that recorded much of KIND OF BLUE, heard in performance not long before that legendary album was cut. Two classic bop-era tunes (STRAIGHT, NO CHASER, OLEO) and two standard pop ballads (MY FUNNY VALENTINE, IF I WERE A BELL) comprise the short set. The uptempo tunes have a more aggressive demeanor than KIND OF BLUE, but I would say if you like the music on that album you'll be happy with the performances here, too. However...

...if you are not a Miles Davis collector but wish to sample more of his music from the KIND OF BLUE era, I recommend picking up the studio albums ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT and MILESTONES next, rather than this CD. Furthermore, if you are looking for a live album from this period, I recommend AT NEWPORT 1958 first. FYI, all of the studio and live recordings I have mentioned in this review are on the Miles Davis & John Coltrane COMPLETE RECORDINGS boxed set.

On JAZZ AT THE PLAZA, the sound quality is a bit rough (Miles' trumpet is too-often off-mike), which is probably why this 1958 set wasn't released until the early-1970s. Clearly it wasn't taped with the thought of releasing the results to the public in mind (recording conditions were far from optimal, with the hum of audience chatter present throughout the entire set). This tape was probably dug up and issued in the 1970s to appease those acoustic jazz fans who weren't too happy with Davis' then-current electric directions in music.

Jazz at the Plaza was recorded at a press party at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, but not released until 1973 (it was never available before on CD). The group only played four songs, but the recording is far from flawless. Miles was playing off-mike at the beginning of "If I Were a Bell," and in some spots the crowd noise (talking, glasses clinking together, etc) is almost louder than the music. But to these ears, this just adds to the ambience of the recording, effectively creating the sense of 'being there.' And although the sextet was not playing at their best, the interaction between Miles, Coltrane, and Cannonball remained creative and inspired. Coltrane, in particular, takes this material to new heights. As I mentioned earlier, the sound quality is definitely not great; but it's better than any previous version and it conveys the feeling and excitement of a live performance.

After it's original LP release by Columbia Records in the late 70s with the tracks out of order, the room where it was recorded incorrectly listed not to mention the recording date altogether wrong, Sony finally got it right. Tweaked the sound a bit as well. This is the raw power of the Evans/Coltrane/Cannonball Miles Quintet. Not for the audiophile, but for those who love the music.

Through enjoying various great works of Bill Evans, sessions made with Miles Davis came to my attention so I picked up this set learning that this was a preview of things to come in "Kind of Blue" which is a widely acclaimed masterpiece that is more subdued in tone than this versatile jam session! So glad am I that I read the suprisingly negative reviews after obtaining this wonderful session as I may have passed over this gem with wonderful masters in peak form. Rhythmic and flowing are these once-in-a-lifetime musicans and this wonderful recording takes the listener back to this intimate gig where legends were cooking away and creating a hell of a ride by playing with breathtaking brilliance!!! This is one of the greatest live jams that I have experienced and I have seen a vast number of great legends over the past forty years including Ella with the Duke, Sarah Vaughan w/Michel Legrand w/80pc orchestra...this peerless set is a top magical musical experience with Miles Davis & guests hauntingly brilliant...hot cooking rhythm and marvelous mood music as its sublime best in an intimate club setting~WOW!!!

I'm raising my rating of this album from 3 to 4 stars after a few additional hearings. The audio separation is so extreme and the ensemble sound so remote that the individual solos are brought into bolder relief than ever before. It's like having a frequency equalizer and being able to extract just one soloist from the mix. As a result, you can hear the melodic/rhythmic language of each soloist in ways that could be instructive for some musicians or listeners with an analytic bent.

During the past year Columbia has reissued 2 rare Miles' sessions: "Newport 1958" (5/3/58) and "Jazz at the Plaza" (8/23/58). Both feature the sextet Miles used for all but one of the tracks on 1959's "Kind of Blue," for which Bill Evans was asked to rejoin the band. Bill had left the group after a short, unsatisfying period, and the two 1958 reissues are a valuable record of his contributions as a regular member of the touring unit. Of the two, "Miles Davis at Newport 1958" is easily superior, both musically and sonically. Even though Bill's contributions are laconic and often tentative, the sextet on this earlier occasion is far more cohesive and evenly reproduced than is the case on the "Plaza" session, which has many of the qualities of an amateurishly recorded jam session. To the credit of the sound technicians at Columbia (which generally offers the best digital remasters and reissues of any label), they don't attempt to disguise the audio problems that were part of the original date. Still, it's hard to justify purchase of the Plaza disc when there's so much "essential" jazz material in studio vaults just begging to be reissued.

Some jazz fans seem to expect live recordings to be of impeccable digital quality, as if recorded in a studio.
This is somewhat puzzling to me - "Jazz at the Plaza" shows all the vigour and excitement of a live concert that can rarely be found in studio recordings by the same artists.
Constantly fascinated by this disc, I really didn't mind that Miles at one point turns his back to the mike (presumably to the audience as well) or that a contemporary sound engineer would have placed mikes in better positions and adjust all the levels...
Listen and decide for your self.

Miles Davis first septet is so legendary that folks will do just about anything to catch of glimpse of them. That's the story behind this album. These performances were never meant to be released in any form and it is easy to see why. Columbia, Miles long time record label, threw a celebration at the Plaza in New York City in July, 1958. On the bill along with the sextet were Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Jimmy Rushing. It would have been quite an occasion and a substantial record except the Persian Room was not a good recording location. Columbia never intended to record the occasion-it just so happened that someone had a tape machine going. And this is where the trouble comes in.

You almost have to use your imagination full time to get some sense of what it would have sounded like if professional recording engineers were there. The trouble is Davis, Coltrane and Adderley are continuously "off mic". They constantly sound as if their were in the background. The same must be said of pianist Bill Evans except he is so far back that much of the time he might as well not be there.

(...)
Still, for many diehard fans, a shadow is better than not seeing at all. If you love Miles Davis-especially during this period-by all means pick this one up. Just don't have high expectations.

First, contrary to popular belief, "Oleo" is not a blues. Second, if you don't like hearing this band play live (and fast), you might want to consider listening to music which is not jazz. Never mind the sound quality, this is the hippest band ever, stretching out as only they could. No spiritualism, no endless vamps, just plenty of chord changes and the best bebop around.

This record is special for a number of reasons:
1) It captures arguably the most talented jazz band ever assembled at its peak.
2) It is a live recording and the musicians weren't even aware that they were being recorded at the time, therefore they took more risks and were less self-conscious about their playing, which gives an effect that simply cannot be enjoyed on a studio recording
3) I think the record is worth it just for track #3, "My Funny Valentine". It is a preview of what was to come on "Kind of Blue" 8 months later. Bill Evans was onto something special during his time in Miles' band, playing block chords that sounded like crystalline tidal waves. On track #3, Evans shows how much of a force he really could be, stealing the show with some of the greatest piano playing I've ever heard.

It should be noted that some believe that Philly Joe Jones sat in on the drums for at least part of the set, most likely track #3 as it sounds like a Bill Evans tune and Evans preferred Philly Joe.