Jazz Artists That Appeared on ABC's "In Concert"

[Hot Ptah]

ABC had a late night weekend show called "In Concert" which ran from about 1972 to 1973, perhaps a little longer. It featured live performances by rock bands of the time. I remember seeing Mott the Hoople, T Rex, Emerson Lake & Palmer, J.Geils Band, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, and many others.

I also remember that the show presented the Mahavishnu Orchestra (the McLaughlin/Goodman/Hammer/Laird/Cobham lineup) and Miles Davis. (I remember that the Miles performance featured a soprano sax solo by David Liebman, two percussionists playing an extended duet, and otherwise sounded weird to my inexperienced ears).

My question, does anyone remember any other jazz or jazz/fusion artists on that show, other than Mahavishnu and Miles?

[JSngry]

Return To Forever was on there (although the show's name might have changed to "Rock Concert" by then). I taped it off the tv onto cassette & might still have it.

Funny thing about the Miles performance. I actually came home from my senior prom to check it out. The poor cameraman/director/whoever kept hearing this electronic wah-wah sound and kept the camera on Pete Cosey. Except that the sound they thought was Cosey's was actually Miles. OOPS!

I also remembedr seeing a totally goofy performance by Roy Wood's Wizzard that opened with someting from The Nutcracker Suite played life w/Wood on bass clarinet.

[Hot Ptah]

Return To Forever was on there (although the show's name might have changed to "Rock Concert" by then). I taped it off the tv onto cassette & might still have it.

Funny thing about the Miles performance. I actually came home from my senior prom to check it out. The poor cameraman/director/whoever kept hearing this electronic wah-wah sound and kept the camera on Pete Cosey. Except that the sound they thought was Cosey's was actually Miles. OOPS!

I also remembedr seeing a totally goofy performance by Roy Wood's Wizzard that opened with someting from The Nutcracker Suite played life w/Wood on bass clarinet.

Do you remember the percussion duet that went on for a fairly long time during the Miles song? I have since read that it was Mtume and Badal Roy. I seem to recall that one of the percussionists was not wearing a shirt. I don't know why I remember that.

The Miles performance was on the show right before the floodgates opened in my mind to let jazz in, and I was fairly befuddled by the performance. I remember thinking that David Liebman's solo was at least something I could latch onto, although it seemed quite frenzied to me, and was played on an instrument I was not aware of (it was a soprano saxophone).

[JSngry]

Vaguely rememeber the percussion duet, but definitely remember Badal Roy/tablas.

The whole thing might have been less "disorienting" if they'd actually have kept the camera on Miles while he was soloing instead of on Cosey, who was playing rhythm guitar while Miles soloed. That was a real

[Hot Ptah]

Vaguely rememeber the percussion duet, but definitely remember Badal Roy/tablas.

The whole thing might have been less "disorienting" if they'd actually have kept the camera on Miles while he was soloing instead of on Cosey, who was playing rhythm guitar while Miles soloed. That was a real

As I remember the performance, the opening and closing statement of the song consisted of Miles playing a few short, stabbing notes in a rather simple scale, synchopated and not especially melodic, as the band played something funky behind him. That really addled my rock and roll brain. "This is a.....SONG? Huh?" I kept thinking. "It seems too....SIMPLE to be a song." I would probably recognize it now by title.

My friend in the high school jazz stage band, who sat next to me in the trumpet section and was a Doc Severinsen fanatic, said the next day, "what the heck was that Miles Davis stuff on TV? It was awful! What was he doing?" But I had an idea that there was more to it than that, and that there was merit to it, although I couldn't quite take it all in.

[kh1958]

I saw the Miles Davis appearance also. I liked it and was inspired to buy my first jazz record--Miles Davis In Concert. Unfortunately, I greatly preferred the TV performance to this record, which completely befuddled me. A year or so later I tried again and bought the much more satisfying Basic Miles.

[JSngry]

That tune is what's come to be known as "Turnaroundphrase".

[Hot Ptah]

The Mahavishnu Orchestra's performance on In Concert now, that was something else. I had never heard of them before. I remember McLaughlin's short hair was a visual shock, as virtually every white rock musician had unruly shoulder length hair then. He had a double neck electric guitar, which I had never seen before. They played at breakneck speed, intense, wild. A rock and roller could follow it--to me it was faster than anything played by the rock guitar gods of the time, and weirder and more dissonant. However, it was close enough to something like a rollicking Allman Brothers instrumental jam that I could follow it. I could tell that they were all really good. Billy Cobham's drumming seemed incredible. The sheer intensity and speed of their playing created a big positive impact on me. I got Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire as soon after that as I could. I think that Birds of Fire had not been out for very long at the time.

[Hot Ptah]

That tune is what's come to be known as "Turnaroundphrase".

Do you really remember it that well? That's amazing. Does it appear on any Miles album? I would love to dig out my collection and find it.

[JSngry]

Details: http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/Sessions.aspx?s=730501

But yes, I remember that tune well. How could you not? So distinctive!

I searched in vain for it on Miles' albums of the time. "Prelude" comes close, and appears to be eithr a variant or even predecessor of it, but it's not exactly the same. First time I heard it for real was on Dark Magus, and then on a few live shows. But it was quite a while after hearing it on TV that I actually heard it on a record.

[Hot Ptah]

Details: http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/Sessions.aspx?s=730501

But yes, I remember that tune well. How could you not? So distinctive!

I searched in vain for it on Miles' albums of the time. "Prelude" comes close, and appears to be eithr a variant or even predecessor of it, but it's not exactly the same. First time I heard it for real was on Dark Magus, and then on a few live shows. But it was quite a while after hearing it on TV that I actually heard it on a record.

Thanks! So it's on Dark Magus. I will have to play that tonight.

The link contains the information that the performance was taped for Midnight Special, but I do not think so. I distinctly recall it being on In Concert, which was a much better show as I remember it.

[JSngry]

It's also on Pangea.

Yeah, Midnight Special was on NBC, a "live-in-the-studio" show. It had its moments, but the Kirschner show was an infinitely better deal, at least in its early days.

[Guy Berger]

Details: http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/Sessions.aspx?s=730501

But yes, I remember that tune well. How could you not? So distinctive!

I searched in vain for it on Miles' albums of the time. "Prelude" comes close, and appears to be eithr a variant or even predecessor of it, but it's not exactly the same. First time I heard it for real was on Dark Magus, and then on a few live shows. But it was quite a while after hearing it on TV that I actually heard it on a record.

Thanks! So it's on Dark Magus. I will have to play that tonight.

Also on Pangaea.

Guy

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

screw miles, what did ELP do?

[Free For All]

screw miles

Bill Evans' audition itinerary.

[Hot Ptah]

screw miles, what did ELP do?

Actually, the Emerson Lake and Palmer show was noteworthy in that as Keith Emerson played his keyboard, the instrument was lifted into the air and spun him head over heels in the air, over and over again, as he continued playing.

True story--one of the guys in the room with us at the time had passed out from drinking too much beer. He awoke, bleary eyed and half out of it, and saw Emerson spinning around in the air, playing keyboards. He let out a yell and said something about being even drunker than he thought he was.

[7/4]

screw miles, what did ELP do?

Actually, the Emerson Lake and Palmer show was noteworthy in that as Keith Emerson played his keyboard, the instrument was lifted into the air and spun him head over heels in the air, over and over again, as he continued playing.

True story--one of the guys in the room with us at the time had passed out from drinking too much beer. He awoke, bleary eyed and half out of it, and saw Emerson spinning around in the air, playing keyboards. He let out a yell and said something about being even drunker than he thought he was.

California Jam.

[Hot Ptah]

Yes! I remember that Miles performance.

Don Kirschner's Rock Concert?

Wasn't the lengthy percussion jam

mostly between slit drums and tabla?

Slit drum:

I don't know, but as I remember it, one of the percussionists was standing and pounding on something. Whether it was with mallets or his hands, I can't remember. I assume that he was Mtume, based on what I now know about the band.