Electric Miles Davis and amplified Saxophones

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by workhorse, Jun 3, 2019.

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  1. workhorse

    workhorse Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, BC
    One of my favourite live albums by Miles is "In Concert", where Carlos Garnett plays some mean saxophone. I've noticed that Garnett is utilizing wah-wah pedal into which he plugged his sax. I love that effect, and I think Garnett is killing on the wah-wah.

    That made me think -- was Miles using amplified sax on any other of his recordings? I can't be sure. I think on "Agharta" and "Pangaea" Sonny Fortune was playing plain saxes. Liebman may have played some wah-wah on "Dark Magus", but not so in-your-face like Carlos did on "In Concert".

    I don't think Shorter, Grossman, Bartz or Azar played amplified saxes with Miles. Any other recordings where Miles asked his sax men to plug in?
     
  2. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I can't think of any others. Definitely not Shorter, Grossman or Bartz.
     
  3. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    Shorter was recorded through an amplifier on one or two of the later Quintet albums, but not with effects such as wah-wah.
     
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  4. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    What is an "amplified" sax? All his sax players were miked up in the fusion era, otherwise they would not have been heard.
    But Garnett is the only one who used wah wah. Dave Liebman used some other effects.
     
  5. penguinzzz

    penguinzzz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Charlton, London
    I love the way everyone (except the percussionists) is using a wah on ‘In Concert’. Trumpet, sax, guitar, sitar, keyboard - one big wah stew. Certainly a unique moment in the MD catalogue.

    I think Sam Morrison might also have used a wah live in 75?
     
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  6. penguinzzz

    penguinzzz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Charlton, London
    So yes if you're still interested, Morrison played with a wah in his brief tenure in '75. Rather more restrained than Garnett.

    This is probably the best sounding show available.
     
  7. workhorse

    workhorse Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, BC
    "In Concert" is my all time favourite Miles live recording. The mélange is incredible, they never played like that before (nor since). Right on the heels of "On the Corner", the band managed to avoid playing any clichés, and it all sounds like some music that came to us from a distant future. Even "Dark Magus" sounds 'conventional' compared to what they played on September 30th, 1972. And of course, "Agharta" and "Pangaea" sound even more conventi0nal than "Dark Magus" (part of the February 1st, 1975 Japanese performances sometimes veers off dangerously into the soft jazz, elevator muzak territory; but none of that is audible on "In Concert").
     
  8. hyntsonsvmse

    hyntsonsvmse Nick Beal

    Location:
    northumberland
    we first saw miles in 89 at Manchester Apollo . By todays standards, its a small theatre, but back then it was large. It always had a very large stage, much bigger than many arenas of today.
    The band was try amped up much to everyones surprise. These were the days of proper amplification and not todays satellite wimp-outs. There were two stacks going high into the hall. Tha band played heavy heavy rock jazz. Then came Kennys finest hour. Human Nature.
    This is a classic miles live piece with its legendary KG solo at the end.
    OMG i can still see it hear it now. The drums were pounding, the band the absolutely banging away and KG stepped in front of the right sided stack. he was dwarfed by its size and he let rip. The audience went crazy. Like a true artist, he fed off them and we fed off him. The pounding was incredible. KG went crazy. Bouncing stomping up and down as he went on and on. The piece was extended beyond because KG was in the zone and miles never stopped his band from showing their craft(apart from george benson!!!)
    And then it ended. And I am still astounded.
     
  9. penguinzzz

    penguinzzz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Charlton, London
    Funny this thread has popped up again, I was listening to one of the Boston 74 shows the other day and realized that Sonny Fortune (in one of his first dates with Miles ) was using a wah on the sax (go to 10.40 in the link below). He stopped using it fairly quickly though. I think he used a harmonizer effect on some of the Japan 75 shows (not the released ones though).

     
  10. Mrsharko

    Mrsharko Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ottawa
    Interestingly, the wah-wah was invented to make a guitar sound more like a brass instrument.
     
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  11. acetboy

    acetboy Forum Resident

    I don't agree with all of that but I dig your love for "In Concert".
     
    Vote For Miles likes this.
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