Jump to content

Most interesting/favorite Miles Davis (1964-68)


Rooster_Ties

Specifically, the question is "Which phase of this bands output most interests you"...  

74 members have voted

You do not have permission to vote in this poll, or see the poll results. Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.

Recommended Posts

Please, try NOT to focus on the size/length of the Plugged Nickel material, in terms of voting. This isn't a "Desert Island" poll (I'm not asking you to pick only one release to take with you to that "Desert Island" that we all get asked about all the time :rolleyes: ).

What I'm getting at is that there are subtle changes in this band, from album to album. And the live versions of this band were quite a bit different than what they recorded in the studio. Very different vibe, different energy.

Which version of this band most interests you???

Or, perhaps another way of asking: If you could snap your fingers, and suddenly discover and release one or two hours of 'new', high-quality material from Miles/Wayne/Herbie/Ron/Tony... Which version of this band would you like to have that new "undiscovered" material come from???

Hopefully this is a slightly more interesting twist on this topic, rather than just "which one is your favorite" - although that kind of is the question too, in a way.

Here's a couple links to a good Miles Davis sessionography/discography, to further the discussion...

link: Miles Ahead Sessions: 1945-1991

link: Miles Ahead Discography: 1945-1991

( And damn, it just turned out that there were 10 phases/flavors of this band, and the 'poll' function only allows 10 items - what luck!! )

Edited by Rooster_Ties
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The two that I actually like the best from this list are NEFERTITI and MILES SMILES...although it must be said that these are all good records. I like the PLUGGED NICKEL stuff a lot too. I like standards and I like the way these guys play them - even tho' Miles chops are "down" on these (Plugged Nickel) dates - his musicality is undiminished.

Edited by Harold_Z
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted for the Live 1967 material, which I've heard about 3-4 hours of. Much as I also like the Plugged Nickel material, I *love* the '67 Live material, for two reasons. 1) They started doing more of the new material, although some standards still too. And, 2) there's a refinement - without any loss in energy - that just isn't quite there in the '65 material. Maybe that wasn't their aim in '65, and in talking with Herbie (briefly) after a show of his about 5 years ago - he said that they were at a creative impass when the Plugged Nickel material was recorded. At the time, they thought "why the hell are they recording us, now?? - of all times!!". Then, years later, in retrospect, he said that the material really was far more interesting than any of them could have predicted. Somehow they found a new kind of creativity, within their stuggle.

In many ways, I think the Plugged Nickel recordings are just as 'free' as anything Miles did in the 70's.

That said, there's a subtleness, a more integrated feel to everything this group did in 1967, both in the studio and on stage. And the live material from 1967 combines what I love about the 1967 studio material, with the energy and punch of the live 1969 band.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Well, probably my favorite material of all is the Plugged Nickel box. However, in the "would love to have heard more" catagory, the staggering MILES SMILES session would be the winner. Man, do I wish this was one of those dates where they simply recorded way more material than could have been issued at the time. Then again, what would the odds be that they could have sustained that degree of perfection for much longer?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was sitting in the coffee shop in Rays Jazz in London on Saturday and they were playing ESP and it was bliss! You know what its like when you hear something you know out of the blue in a place you don't expect it.

It made me get on with the process of CD-Ring the box into the original LP sequences...I like to hear them like that rather than in recording order.

What jumped out there was how good a record Sorcerer was. One that gets overlooked because of its more famous neighbours.

And then Filles de Kilimanjaro. I agree with Guy when he says "it's so unique and opened a bunch of interesting doors that very few musicians have entered since." I'd go further and suggest it opened possibilities that have yet to be explored.

A simply astonishing sequence of recordings all round.

Edited by Bev Stapleton
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me it's Miles Smiles, with The Sorcerer, ESP and the Berlin concert close behind.

Though I do not know any broadcasts of the second quintet - I would certainly love to hear some of it!

The mood on the Berlin tracks is great if you ask me.

Plugged Nickel is beyond category, for me. And I have to admit that I don't know the music on those 8 CDs very well. I could hardly tell the different sets... gotta listen again!

ubu

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'Miles Smiles' for me.

Its one of my top 5 Miles albums (which is an unusual top 5 - it has about 15 titles in it!) .

Gary: your new avatar is....

.....SACRILEGE????? :P:D;)

i thought its was quite a funny halloween one at the time , but now when i see it next to my name I think ive gone a bit too far . Roll on 12 o'clock tonight so i can change it back to Trane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about Jazzbo's new Avatar? Makes me sick just looking at it  :excited:

This is supposed to be a jazz forum!

My next avatar will be a freak composed of Kenny G, Britney Spears and Norah Jones!

BTW: brownie, I DO LIKE yours! It´s so.... transparent! :P;)

Edited by EKE BBB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sure wish Miles had played live more in 1968. THAT'S the band I would have REALLY wanted to hear live (based on the studio recordings).

I mean, we've got tons of live Miles material from '64, '65, '66 (a little bit from '66, anyway), '67, and '69 (and so on, through '75). But damn near nothin' from 1968.

Well, there's only one tape (and I've never heard it) from December of 1968 - but none of the tunes are contemporaneous (expect "Directions").

Man, what I wouldn't give to hear some of the "Miles in the Sky" and/or "Filles de Kilimanjaro" material performed live.

(Granted - he did play the tune "Paraphernalia" live several times in 1969, and even a couple times in 1970.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...