Live Miles Davis - where to start?

Weren't a lot of them originally Japan-only releases and we had to wait until well into the CD era to get them stateside?

 

Get two boxes: Miles @ Fillmore and Miles @ Newport, then the Bootleg Series with the Hancock, Carter et. al Quintet in concert

 

warewolf95,

If you have exhausted your search for 70s era electric Miles, it might be time to check out Electric Masada:



Must love Fender Rhodes!

 

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I've really been enjoying a lot of late '80s shows and also 1964 and '67 of late

 

Agharta or Dark Magus runners up to Live Evil.

 

Kind of Blue is a good starting point in that it features imo one of the best pianist, trumpetist, saxophonist and bassist of all time, most right in their prime. The laidback feeling/ more slow themes of kind of blue is also more easy to follow and understand the solo's then for example faster jazz.

then first quartet and all of prestige work

 

Dark Magus is my favourite Miles album. The use of the drum machine on it is one of the most insanely ahead of its time things I've ever heard in music.

 

I prefer the '75 Japan live albums over Dark Magus. They band was a lot tighter by then.

 

Talk about synchronicity. Despite finding Miles a while ago, I finally actually got around to listening to Kind Of Blue for the first time today. Of course I knew of it and it's reputation, I just hadn't felt like hearing it until now.

Mind blown.

 

DARK MAGUS is one of my very favourite live albums.

it is the most "ferocious" sounding Miles Davis shows ever.

it sounds like a band possessed........
the closest he got to rock music.

even more dangerous than rock.

 

Try to find Live At the Plugged Nickel as well: ten CD's of the classic quintet including Hancock/Carter/Shorter &Williams...

 

There's less cds than ten, but that does not negate the recommendation!

 

I stand corrected and thank you for your gracious comment...shows ya how expansive the set is!

 

It's an amazing set. I now have both the US and the Japanese ("Teo Macero Edition") sets, and four individual Japanese cds of material from the set. Guess I love this stuff!

 

Hard not to savor this musicianship: the quintet achieved and maintained such a delicate balance of structure and improv, while the leader knew instinctively as they did, when to contribute and when to stay out of the way!...I regard this Quintet as one of the greatest bands this planet's ever known (not that I've heard 'em all til the beginning of time...)

 

I too am a big fan. I can't wait for Bootleg Series Vol. 5.

 

Live wise its The Plugged Nickel gigs from 1965 that do it for me.

 

I received my copy of Miles in Tokyo yesterday & all I can say is that's it's incredible, what a shame there is only one recording of the group with Sam Rivers.

 

Only one recording available OFFICIALLY. There's another.

 

Great, can you enlighten me please as a quick Google isn't helping?

 

Session details: Hibaya Yagai Ongaku-do Hall (July 12, 1964)

 

"Haunting", "dark", "dangerous"- those adjectives are all applicable IMO to the trifecta of Dark Magus/Agharta/Pangaea, but especially Dark Magus. Hence the name, probably. Hearing these albums are the aural equivalent to getting whapped upside the head by Maxwell's silver hammer, but in the best possible way. I can't believe my four year old loves this music as much as he does...

Live Evil doesn't have the intensity of the later live albums, per se, but it has some incredible playing on it just the same. "What I Say" is one of the craziest jams I've ever heard- the whole band smokes on that one, especially that Henderson/DeJohnette rhythm section...my god!

Other than that I'll give a shout out to the June 19 1973 Tokyo soundboard recording...not as intense as Dark Magus but a damn fine performance just the same:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0733DSHST/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Cellar Door, Miles At The Filmore, Live Evil are all favourites of mine, but I think Isle Of Wight is actually top of my list for electric Miles live

 

From what I can make out the second disc on this bootleg has appalling sound, is it worth buying for the first disc though? I'm absolutely in love with Miles in Tokyo at the moment...

 

I haven't heard that bootleg. . . can't help you there.