Customer Reviews

Miles in Berlin

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded in mono, on September 25th, 1964, Miles's Quintet graces the stage of the Berlin Philharmonie, only a year after its opening. The previous CD incarnation of this date was virtually unlistenable, so the 2005 remaster is a revelation - the glare and fuzz is gone, and (despite the mono) each instrument is discretely defined and palpable; there is a minimum of background hiss - the sound is great, as it is on all the recent Sony/Columbia Miles remasters, and allows the performance to shine through - there is no question that if you own the late 80's/early 90's CDs you should acquire these new versions, not least for their generous extra tracks - here it's thirteen minutes of the unreleased "Stella by Starlight".
*
Every band member is in top form. Miles himself displays a range of moods, even within a single number - the twelve plus minute rendition of "Autumn Leaves" moving from plaintive to playful, from experimental to contemplative; "So What" scorches along, melting into sinuous byways from time to time; on "Stella..." the tone reaches towards sheer beauty, only to become complicated by yearning, sadness, expectation - this really is Miles at his best. Throughout, the propulsion of Ron Carter and Tony Williams is exemplary, and exciting - they make the title of "Walkin" very ironic - more like "Hurtlin", until Tony's solo, that is, when things crack into splinters. Herbie Hancock is a standout, his work being particularly adventurous - this in contrast with the much-lauded Plugged Nickel recordings, where he is curiously out-of-step with the energy of the sessions (this also being the opinion of the professional critics); here, he is magic - listen to his skipping solo on "So What" as it merges into a percussive cascade, his piano conversing first as a horn and then as a drum kit; on "Stella by Starlight" his liquid accompaniment to Miles' horn is sublime; or his sexy, bluesy musings on "Walkin" - surprising and superb (listen to Tony and Ron respond) - talk about telepathic understanding. The Berlin date was one of Wayne Shorter's first with the band, and his distinctive voice complements the conception of the others to perfection - his sense of melody and phrasing is quite abstract and lifts the music further away from its bop & blues roots, yet he is immersed in jazz history, and plies references, obliquely or with humour, when appropriate (check his soaring solo on "Stella...", or his stuttering dissection of "Walkin") - the wide praise for his contribution is beyond dispute.
*
I really think that jazz doesn't get any better than this. The fact that Miles' went on to record many sessions the equal of this Berlin date should not detract from its status - it's fantastic.

Finally this classic set by the Second Quintet is widely available in the US. This recording (Sept. 1964) predates those captured of the quintet at the Plugged Nickel (Dec. 1965) by a little over a year, and is the very first recording consisting of the Shorter/Hancock/Carter/Williams line-up. With the addition of Wayne, this group coalesced into what many consider to be the finest jazz band ever, and this recording testifies to that. The sound quality of this disc is excellent- it truly does the music justice. The playing is of the stellar calibre one expects from this group, which is essentially just to say that Ron is Ron, Tony is Tony, Wayne is Wayne, Miles is Miles, and Herbie, well, Herbie is uber-Herbie. Seriously, this album contains some of the best piano work I've ever heard with this group. Now that Miles In Berlin is so widely available and affordable, no music lover should be without it. This group occupies a seminal place in this history of jazz, and this recording occupies a seminal position in their creative oeuvre.

Ok, so this was the first recorded document by the Quintet Mk II with Wayne Shorter. I have no idea how many months Wayne had been in the band when this was recorded. Coleman was present for the Lincoln Center performances back in Feb 64 and this was recorded in Sep 64. It certainly wasn't very long. About 5 minutes or so into Milestones, Shorter is soloing and the "intuition" (more like telepathy) between these guys is extraordinary. Listen to the way Williams, Carter, and Hancock throw in accents during Wayne's solo. They are right there with him, on the beat, it's breathtaking.

I like listening to a track from this CD and then listening to the same piece recorded at the Plugged Nickel a little more than a year later. It's amazing how much more open and loose the band is in the Plugged Nickel performances. I'm not saying it's better... In fact, I prefer Miles In Berlin, Funny Valentine, and Four and More to The Plugged Nickel. It's just very interesting to compare those two performances.

Berlin isn't quite as clean as Funny Valentine and Four and More, the trumpet is clearly overloading the input level here and there, you can hear the distortion. But don't let that put you off. this is another incredible performance by The Mile Davis Quintet. If you are a Miles collector, you must have Miles in Berlin.

THIS IS AN AMAZING ROLLICKING AVALANCHE OF BEAUTIOUS MUSIC !!!----THESE GUYS SOUND LIKE THEY ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE LANDED HERE W MILES LEADING THE CHARGE-- THE MUSIC BRISTLES WITH LIFE ENERGY AND INSPIRATION ! GREAT SOUND-- U CAN HEAR THE AUDIENCE EATING IT UP--- GREAT RECORDING !!!!!! EACH PLAYER IN SUCH PERFECT SYNCH W EACH OTHER-- AND THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OF EACH SONG TAKES YER BREATH AWAY--4 AND 1/2 MINUTES INTO AUTUMN LEAVES THESE BLESSED MESSENGERS BUST THE TUNE OUT----LEAVES OF EVERY COLOR AND DESCRIPTION ARE GOING EVERYWHERE----UNTIL IT ALL SETTLES DOWN---BUT NEVER STOPS GROOVIN ITS NEW TRAILS ---NO BAND CAN TOUCH THESE GUYS AS FAR AS I`M CONCERNED---RICH GLISTENING IT STILL HOLDS ITS SWAY AND CASTS ITS RAGING SPELL TODAY----MILES AND HIS CO HORTS - ETERNALLY ALIVE !!!!!

I own Miles in Europe, Miles in Tokyo, Miles at the Philharmonic, Miles at Carnegie Hall, Miles at Newport -- this CD, Miles in Berlin, is my favorite. Except for Miles, none of the band members knew the concert was being taped. That might have something to do with what was a magical evening of first class musicians playing first class music. The interplay among band members is superb, joyful listening.

More accessible than the Newport live with Coltrane, this is a must-have for Miles fans, and those who like pretty straight-ahead jazz. With favourites like Milestones, So What, Stella By Starlight, Autumn Leaves and Walkin, played by a fab band in top form and having a great time you can't go wrong. It's all very tight but everyone gets a good go. Recording quality is not outstanding but still very good, as is the balance between the instruments.

Curiously overlooked, "Miles in Berlin" is critical as the first available performance of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet", consisting of the leader on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums. While the rest of the band had been with Davis over a year by this point, this was the beginning of Shorter's long relationship with Davis, and if nothing else, the album is intriguing for this reason.

Things were not as cohesive in Berlin in September of 1964 as they would be the following winter when the band first entered the studio, nor is the music as adventerous as it would develop by the time Davis took his band on the road again, but it is certainly intriguing. Davis tackles several pieces he'd been playing for quite some time, but it's clear things are cooking with this group-- opener "Milestones" pretty much sums it up, filled with a frantic energy and excitement while Davis rails away and the band keeps with him. The whole set never sees a drop in intensity.

So why three stars? Quite simply, this is a shadow of what was to come for this group, and invariably I think of this in comparison to the other recordings. "Miles in Berlin" gets few spins in my player because it is not nearly as exciting as the Plugged Nickel shows ("Live at the Plugged Nickel"). Still, for historical significance, this is a worthwhile find.