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Miles in Japan with Sam Rivers


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Opinions on this record? I have had the vinyl for many years and I like it. Perhaps it isn't considered "essential" (whatever the hell that means), but it kind of fills in the gap in the tenor lineage of the quintet, having Sam just before Wayne.

I have heard anecdotes regarding how Miles, Ron, Tony and Herbie felt about Sam's playing etc. I wonder how many are true.

Edit: I will say that I love Sam's playing and especially his writing. I wish I'd had the opportunity to hear him in person on one of my trips to Florida over the years.

I did however get to work in a quintet on occasion with his bass player for many years up to the end (Doug Matthews)

He told me many great stories about working with Sam.

Edited by slide_advantage_redoux
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Well as much as I know it was Tony Williams who persuaded Miles to get Sam Rivers into the band. Tony was a big fan of Rivers and loved the more fare out players.

I like the record. I think on the first tune there is a mike problem on the start, but nevertheless the band grooves and I enjoy Rivers´ playing very much.

But it is possible, that Rivers wouldn´t have stayed longer in the band even if Miles would have asked him, since Rivers was more advanced, wanted to do his own music which he did so well.

I admire Sam Rivers very much.

I was lucky to hear him with his trio in 1980. Such a great musician !!!!

Later in the 80´s he teamed up very often with Dizzy Gillespie. Well Rivers could play all styles, he was one of the most flexible musicians. But his main thing was his own stuff. I was quite astonished that he stayed so much with Dizzy.....

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Well as much as I know it was Tony Williams who persuaded Miles to get Sam Rivers into the band. Tony was a big fan of Rivers and loved the more fare out players.

I like the record. I think on the first tune there is a mike problem on the start, but nevertheless the band grooves and I enjoy Rivers´ playing very much.

But it is possible, that Rivers wouldn´t have stayed longer in the band even if Miles would have asked him, since Rivers was more advanced, wanted to do his own music which he did so well.

I admire Sam Rivers very much.

I was lucky to hear him with his trio in 1980. Such a great musician !!!!

Later in the 80´s he teamed up very often with Dizzy Gillespie. Well Rivers could play all styles, he was one of the most flexible musicians. But his main thing was his own stuff. I was quite astonished that he stayed so much with Dizzy.....

Agreed on all points! He was a terrific writer.

I did get to see him in person one time. Your mention of his tenure with Dizzy reminded me. They came down in the late 80s to play at the now defunct Caravan of Dreams. That night a very young ROy Hargrove dropped in and sat in on a couple of tunes. I remember how nervous he was!

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I love that record, along with the other dates from that Japanese tour that have circulated over the years.

I only know Osaka. Are there others?

I don't know about Osaka, but there is another concert from Tokyo and one from Kyoto. They were recently released on CD by Domino is this package

891212.jpg

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I love that record, along with the other dates from that Japanese tour that have circulated over the years.

I only know Osaka. Are there others?

I don't know about Osaka, but there is another concert from Tokyo and one from Kyoto. They were recently released on CD by Domino is this package

891212.jpg

Same here - I've got the second Tokyo concert and the Kyoto show; didn't know about Osaka.

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I love that record, along with the other dates from that Japanese tour that have circulated over the years.

I only know Osaka. Are there others?

I don't know about Osaka, but there is another concert from Tokyo and one from Kyoto. They were recently released on CD by Domino is this package

891212.jpg

Same here - I've got the second Tokyo concert and the Kyoto show; didn't know about Osaka.

Is the sound quality good and if so where can I get this?

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Sound is okay, not really great, but acceptable. It's from the tapes that float around among collectors. I can't specifically remember where i got mine, at first Worlds Records listed it and I ordered, but they couldn't fulfill it. I think I then ordered it from amazon.fr

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I've told this story before I think, but it was so many years ago, I'll chance a repeat for those who didn't read it initially. I was fortunate to know Sam back in the mid '70s when I frequented his Studio Rivbea loft many times. One night in '74 I mentioned to Sam that I had just received an open reel tape of him playing with Miles in Japan. He replied that he knew all about the Tokyo date as it had been released on Japanese CBS vinyl. I said that the tape I received had the group in Kyoto the next evening, i.e., July 15, 1964. He said that he would love to hear it. I then invited him to come up to my 4th floor walk-up apartment in Brooklyn Heights where I would play it for him while spinning off an open reel copy (being a mad private tape collector at that time I had two reel to reel machines). He asked if he could bring Beatrice (his wife). Of course I said yes. They came one Saturday afternoon, I believe it was November '74. During the course of the afternoon, I asked why he had been in the group for such a short time, especially because we were all digging how good he sounded with the group. He did not reveal anything of the nature of his musical relationship with Miles. All he said was that he had the opportunity to hook up with Andrew Hill and that he wanted to do so. A diplomatic response at the very least, to be sure.

Anyway, that afternoon was a highlight among my many personal jazz memories.

BTWFWIW, I think the Tokyo date is essential. Sam's work on "All of You" is worth the price of admission alone and the version of "So What" is fantastic, tremendously exciting stuff.

Edited by MartyJazz
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Coincidentally, at the time this thread was posted, I was listening to Sam Rivers' brilliant Live disc and was wondering about the Tokyo album mentioned in the liner notes.

Wild, I happened to be listening to the boot when up popped this thread. Sound varies between discs: Disc 1, not so bad, Disc 2 rather muffled at times.

Fun music throughout.

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It's well known that MIles was after Wayne for several years...and he was right. Wayne was the perfect sax player (and composer) for Miles' quintet.

Given that, I think River's was probably the most interesting and best suited of the pre-Wayne players in the quintet. Not to knock the other guys...

there were some formidable players, but Rivers combined the mastery, the writing skills, and the modern cutting edge sensibilities that the others didn't, and

Wayne would use to make the quintet one of the greatest bands ever....

bigtiny

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