Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: German
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Bros / Wea
• VHS Release Date: October 5, 1993
• Run Time: 77 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302859786
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,916 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Trumpeter-bandleader Miles Davis (1926-91) helped create the cool, modal, avant-garde, and fusion jazz styles of the modern era, and rarely looked back. But on one fateful night at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 8, 1991, Davis did look back and performed the legendary music he made in the '40s and '50s with his collaborator Gil Evans, who died in 1988. Backed by the combined Gil Evans and George Gruntz orchestras, and conducted by Grammy-winning producer Quincy Jones, Davis shares the spotlight with alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett and trumpeter Wallace Roney, who backs up Davis on the tricky melodic passages. Playing with a sound made heartbreaking by the chronic ailments that would soon end his life, Davis breathes new life into "Boplicity," from the bop/classical-tinged Birth of the Cool album, the flamenco-flavored "Maids of Cadiz," "The Pan Piper," and "Solea" from Sketches of Spain, the haunting "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess, and the elegiac "Blues for Pablo" from Miles Ahead. Davis's patented "walking-on-eggshells" muted melodiousness gracefully floats above the mega-orchestra's sympathetic sonorities. Davis died a few months after this historic concert, and this poignant, sonic self-portrait is a lasting testament to his undeniable genius. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Miles' tribute to Gil: music that speaks louder than words!, July 5, 2000

By 

J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Live at Montreux [VHS] (VHS Tape)

For this concert, Quincy Jones somehow prodded a reluctant Miles Davis to revisit a selection of classic Gil Evans arrangements that Davis and Evans originally recorded in the 1950s (the classic albums MILES AHEAD, PORGY & BESS, and SKETCHES SPAIN), but hadn't touched at all since (or in some instances were last played at his May 19, 1961 Carnegie Hall concert).

Let's shatter several myths that have surrounded this event that occured on July 8, 1991. The speculation that Miles knew he was at death's door and decided to play some "real" music one last time seems unfounded. Yes, he did die within three months of this concert. However, on the video Miles looks to me to be as healthy as any 65-year old. Furthermore, Davis' trumpet playing with his current electric ensemble in the summer of 1991 showed him to be more energetic and inspired than he'd consistently been in years (example #1: his incredible, lengthy solo on HUMAN NATURE--recorded two days after this concert--seen/heard on the MILES DAVIS & FRIENDS cable-television program).

By comparison, Miles' energy level seems a tad low here, yet he does have some outstanding moments (BOPLICITY, BLUES FOR PABLO, MAIDS OF CADIZ, and he arguably improves upon the original MY SHIP). The point is that Miles plays quite well, but he actually played with more consistent vitality on the surrounding tour dates with his current ensemble (HARDLY the case of of a dying man saying goodbye via a trip down memory lane). At Montreux, trumpeter Wallace Roney and reedman Kenny Garrett get some solo space, but Miles logs significant minutes on most of the tunes. Probably he relented to play this classic material as an unspoken tribute to Evans, his great friend who had died three years earlier. Furthermore, unlike most "jazz standards" repetoire, the tunes played here rarely or never got recycled by every subsequent jazz musician on the planet--thus they were/are still relatively "fresh."

The video has some rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage preceding the entire concert performance. I would recommend it to fans of the classic Davis/Evans albums, but ignore all of the hype and just listen to the music!! This fine but not flawless performance stands on its own, inside or outside of the timeless shadow of the original classic performances.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A night of magic from two music masters, July 20, 2001

By 

Clarissa Bolding "clbzone" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Live at Montreux [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I've said it before and will say it again. There will never be anyone like Miles Davis. His sound. His style. His incredible trumpet playing. His enormous body of work spanning decades. And lets not forget his look. What an intense presence.

This is a great video for any jazz enthusiast. I recommend getting it for its historical value alone. There aren't many Miles Davis videos available for purchase. This video has behind the scenes footage and commentary by Quincy Jones sprinkled throughout its 74 minutes. You can hear the excitement, love and awe in his voice when he speaks on Miles. I couldn't help but smile at Wallace Roney's reactions to Miles. Like watching a kid in a candy store. Kenny Garrett is the other featured soloist in the orchestra. Both are incredible.

I especially enjoyed "Here Come De Honey Man" with its lingering melody and the classic "Summertime". Miles also does two songs from Sketches of Spain, "The Pan Piper" and "Solea".

This is the kind of music you can let play without watching it yet you will definitely want to watch it more than once. A definite must have.

Peace. CLB.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must have video, January 9, 2000

By 

A customer "mistermaxxx" (usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Live at Montreux [VHS] (VHS Tape)

this is the kind of event that is a must.two musically pioneers together.and what's so great about it is that quincy jones is conducting older material that miles vowed not to do anymore.it was also a triumph.hearing the genius of miles is always a treat.i miss his genius but his work will live on to the end of all time.