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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Wait, June 5, 2003
This is the first time I've pre-ordered a CD, but the announcement last January that this session would be reissued in a definitive, complete, authoritative edition was enough for me. Moreover, after the "Ellington at Newport" and "The Complete Lady Day" reissues, I've come to trust the Columbia/Sony people in doing these things right.If you're considering purchase, you probably know about the circumstances of the music already. For me, this "transitional" group between Miles' first great quintet with Coltrane and second with Shorter is the equal of the first ensemble and more satisfying than the second. Miles' chops were never better, and as if too make up for the absence of Coltrane, he plays with uncharacteristic fire and pyrotechnical flare. Jimmy Cobb has by now erased the memory of Philly Joe and fits in perfectly with Chambers and Kelly. No rhythm section ever achieved a greater sense of vitality and vibrancy within the conventional 4/4 walking-bass pattern of mainstream modern jazz. (Many drummers would do well to listen just to Cobb's ride cymbal, noting how little else is required to keep the music fresh and flowing.) But for me the most compelling reason for owning the set is Hank Mobley, whose innate lyricism blossoms to a degree not possible on his Blue Note/Van Gelder recordings. His sound is present but never "boosted"; it's close and personal but at the same time totally natural, in keeping with the spacious acoustics favored by the Columbia engineers. And his playing in this musical context is so heartfelt and inspired, not to mention melodically inventive, that I can't help but rethink Miles' later published criticisms of him: perhaps Miles considered him less a drag on the group than a personal threat. His solo on "Blackbird" is simply astonishing, a rare example of a musician willing to take every risk and hold nothing back in an unguarded, naked pursuit of all the beauty the moment is capable of yielding. Following two choruses by Miles, Mobley goes to work, through four inspired choruses, each phrase exceeding the previous in imagination and intensity until reaching a climax that is not so much arbitrary as the natural outcome of the musical journey itself. For me, it ranks with Coltrane's "I Want To Talk About You" and Dexter's "Body and Soul." Nothing seems the least bit contrived, formulaic, or played for effect (though I'm emotionally spent after each listening). On Saturday night Miles did not call tune.
The audio overall is superior, though not perfect. The separation of piano (left speaker) and bass (right) seems overdone. I found myself rolling back the bass a bit and boosting the treble. But the balance and sound are still more natural and believable than countless current studio recordings where the primary requirement for every musician is to wear headphones. And the previously unreleased material is of such a high order as to make you question some of the choices on the earlier editions. But best of all, at the end of Mobley's "Blackbird" solo you can hear someone in the audience shout "Bravo" three times. I'd like to meet that person, if only to express my thanks.
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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ReBirth of the Cool, June 3, 2003
Essentially what you have here is a much fuller, more satisfying and dynamic document of Miles in free fall, jumping without a parachute and finding the necessary wizardry to land on his feet. Historically, this session was booked as Miles' first great quartet had fallen apart, Evans and Coltrane having left to inaugurate their own careers. The European tour had seen Miles shift saxophonists twice, and if you have ever heard any of the bootlegs from this tour, particularly the set from from Birmingham, you know Miles knew that he had to virtually will this ensemble to scale the mountains before them. George Coleman did not survive the climb.
The tour moved to the states and Miles had brought on Hank Mobley, who had the unenviable burden of playing between Coltrane and Shorter. It is no wonder this ensemble was often dismissed or given short shrift. However, on a good night they were protean. On both of these nights, they were mighty. This set had been released on vinyl and on CD before and they have always been among my favourite live dates of Miles. His playing was absolutely driven by will and strength. Perhaps because of his concern for the sidemen, he assumes throughout these sessions a much stronger and more aggressive approach than he had with the Coltrane and Evans. In addition to Mobley, Kelly, Chambers and Cobb (who would also leave soon to join Coltrane for a brief stint), played their hearts out, and delivered the goods.
The great and wonderful thing about this re-issue is that the tapes are remarkable restored to nearly pristine quality and the sets are expanded to give you a much deeper appreciation for what this interim cool jazz ensemble could muster. So, in many ways, this was a bit of a re-birth of the cool, and while there is a bit of looking back, historically, Miles is also clearing the ground so that the Shorter-Hancock-Williams-Carter ensemble could be possible.
From "Oleo" through "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", Miles reviews what burst him away from Dizzy and Bird and what led him through the first great quintet recordings. The readings of "Green Dolphin Street" "Round Midnight" and "Someday My Prince" are not just run-throughs of great hits; the themes are reworked and reexamined from the perspective of this group's dynamic, and often the results are quite haunting and emotional. This is an examination of the path one has walked thus far, in order to reassesss and determine whether to wipe the slate clean, exorcise the past and deliver oneself anew to the future. It might justifiably be argued that through the crucible that this set represents, Miles solidified his determination to never look back. You can hear him thinking as the ground rises up below him. You can hear him summon everything he has to turn this free fall into a spectacular flight, and as the Saturday night set ends, you know he has landed on his feet and is about to ignite the next dialectical progression in a remarkable career.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Raiders of the Lost Art, September 20, 2003
It says something about the state of jazz today that this stuff sounds about a thousand percent better than recent live releases by the likes of Joe Lovano etc. You can speculate as to why it is that a gig by Miles Davis in 1961 sounds fantastic and a gig by Joe at the Village Vanguard in 2003 sounds appalling. Maybe record companies cannot be bothered trying to get decent sound set ups for jazz anymore.
Now to the music itself. This was one of the first live jazz albums I ever owned and to have it now complete on CD with terrific remastered sound is a revelation. It grooves like mad and the playing is exemplary. I suppose that Hank Mobley was not having his greatest night in a technical sense- reed squeaks all over the place, a couple of missed starts and so on. Perhaps that is why Miles was unhappy with him. But his playing is still very effective in this context and it provides a good contrast to the fire and brimstone of the leader.
If you love jazz buy this CD, it's that good. If you want to love jazz but you haven't been able to up to this date then buy this CD. It will win you to the music just by itself. So much of what gets put out these days is either unlistenable (e.g. virtually any thing by critics' darling Greg Osby) or just tired sounding retro (e.g. the recent effort by the usually excellent Branford Marsalis). Is jazz really a lost art? I hope not. But any jazz musician listening to this could learn that you CAN make thrilling and daring music without sending the audience rushing out of the theatre! Music spoken here.
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by Miles Davis 
