more love for '71 miles...

[Guest akanalog]

i would probably be doing this for '72 miles if i could get my hands on more, but i need to give more love to miles late '71 band. i really like the live music that came after this band and before it (cellar door era stuff), though i DO NOT like the corea/holland/dejohnette/moriera axis stuff. but i just got my hands on some more of this european tour stuff from fall and winter of 1971 and it is so good. it is a shame there is nothing around studio-wise. this is the band with gary bartz on saxaphone, miles, keith jarrett on electric piano, mike henderson on bass, ndugu chancler on drums and both don alias and mtume on percussion. i think bartz was perfect for this type of music and he has many soulful breakdowns. chancler is a little light sometimes, but he is augmented with two percussionists. and i really like what mike henderson is doing here. but the main focus, besides miles, to me, is keith jarrett, who is a funky funky funky electric piano player. i like his work so much better than chick corea with miles. he adds so many soulful punctuations. and i say this not generally thinking of jarrett as a very soulful player. bartz too, really does some soulful stuff. i love the way this band would just slow down the tempo and both percussionists would start wailing away and henderson would throw on that sort of fuzzy distortion effect and bartz would just sing and then of course miles would come in the wa pedal and tear it up too. anway, to me, this is the LOST miles sextet.

[Guest akanalog]

i guess i am not a fan of guitars so that could be a reason i like this band so much...

i would much rather hear an electric piano fill the guitar role...

[WD45]

I love the band after the guitar army came on board, but I do have a soft spot for Ndugu's drumming. It is a different beat than the wide open stomp of Al Foster or the tight mathematics of DeJohnette.

I wish Bartz would have stayed on board longer with the band.

[jazzbo]

I like all the bands for their different aspects (and I'm a fan of tasty or slightly wild electric guitar so I like Lucas and Cosey for those respective reasons).

I'm amazed at what stuff has turned up in the last few years of these bands; I once thought I had cornered everything that I knew about which was true for a while but now I have things to hunt for again and that's a good thing!

[Guy Berger]

The '71 dates are great, no disagreement, but I'd trade Ndugu for Jack D in a second, no question. Kind of surprised that you suggest KJ isn't a soulful pianist.

Guy

[Guy Berger]

wow... I've been listening to the May 1971 Fillmore West gig that was just seeded on DAD -- it's one of THE BEST gigs I've heard by this band (I'll admit I've only heard 10 or so, though). Up there with the Cellar Door 12/1970 stuff, the groove is tighter and funkier though. And totally confirms my prejudice on the Ndugu/Jack question.

Guy

[Rosco]

I'm a total sucker for Miles and this is such a cool period... the music changes weekly and it's pity Columbia didn't record more live sessions by the Jarrett edition of the band.

Jarrett back then could be very soulful. Having just come out of Charles Lloyd's band (by way of the Messengers), how could you not be? During this period he seemed totally steeped in blues and gospel, a trait that has waned in the more recent 'cerebral' years. It's a pity KJ turned his nose up at electric instruments. As fine as his acoustic playing is, his playing with Miles suggests this was an avenue with much for him to explore.

I've always loved the Fillmore East album with Jarrett and Corea, spitting and snarling at each other the whole way through. Hopefully Columbia will see fit to issue these concerts unedited someday.

In the meantime, can't wait for the Cellar Door boxed set.

[jazzbo]

One critic that posts on Jazz Corner has indicated that he received last week advance copies of the Cellar Door box set. . . . Which makes the September 20 release date look. . . probable.

[Rosco]

One critic that posts on Jazz Corner has indicated that he received last week advance copies of the Cellar Door box set. . . . Which makes the September 20 release date look. . . probable.

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[jazzbo]

Yes, I share your joy.

One correction: my error: the critic (Ken Dryden) posted this on All About Jazz. . . he may post at Jazz Corner too, I don't know, I don't go there at all often.

[jazzbo]

Yup, my hunch proved correct: someone already has it on ebay!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW

Edited June 14, 2005 by jazzbo

[Guy Berger]

One critic that posts on Jazz Corner has indicated that he received last week advance copies of the Cellar Door box set. . . . Which makes the September 20 release date look. . . probable.

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Haven't these been circulating for a while? Or were the earlier copies "rough drafts"?

Guy

[Rooster_Ties]

Haven't these been circulating for a while?  Or were the earlier copies "rough drafts"?

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I was always under the inpression that those earlier copies probably weren't legit promos from Columbia. Didn't someone have one (or a copy of a copy of one), and the sound quality was pretty much bootleg quality??

Also, the packaging for the set on eBay now looks MUCH more legit that the earlier ones.

[jazzbo]

I saw a digital pic of what purported to be the earlier cds circulating; had a little sticker on it identifying it (legitimately or not I don't know, not being able to firsthand analyze or familiar with the label's work product) as a "work tape" version for the label's use.

I have burns of these six earlier discs and they sure do NOT sound "bootleg quality." They sound VERY GOOD.

The ebay item is I believe a different animal from the earlier cds circulated.

[Guy Berger]

I have burns of these six earlier discs and they sure do NOT sound "bootleg quality."  They sound VERY GOOD.

I've only heard one of the CDs -- december 16 -- and it sounds great. I can't wait for this to come out.

guy

[clifford_thornton]

I'm starting to wish I hadn't sold my smattering of electric Miles records (save Bitches Brew)...

[Kari S]

I listened a bit to the 6 CD 'Cellar Door' set a while back, and I gotta say - it's a must buy. I think I've mentioned it in a similar thread (maybe a KJ one?) before, but Jarrett's playing on this is incredible! Melodically innovative; beautiful 'comping... I've never heard him play like this. Even when he's 'comping he has such a different approach to it compared to Corea ('s playing on the Filmore gigs for example) who has a very angular, dissonant and almost aggressive approach. Also, I couldn't stand "Live-Evil" because of McLaughlin so him not being on this is another 'plus'...

[king ubu]

Just listened to 50 minutes of the Dietikon October 22, 1971 set of Miles' (partially on dime now in that "unknown" seed, it seems) - look out for a future seed of a longer version of the shorter of the two sets soon... (I most probably have the two concerts mixed up, my shorter set runs 80 minutes, the longer 92 minutes - obviously more than Losin lists, but so far I haven't been able to match my sets with Losin's - the second/longer set, though, should be matching...)

This stuff is great, I really like it! I downloaded tons of seventies Miles, but as far as listening goes I still got it ahead of me, mostly. I only heard a set here and a set there, but still have to continue thorough listening where I left off (L5 Tree). Looking forward to it a lot, and I have amassed quite a few 71 shows by now, thanks to those mega-seeds on Dime!

[Guest akanalog]

that one guy alienman's mega miles seeds are annoying.

not to sound like an ungrateful cur, but the quality of his shows is often subpar as far as what is generally found for 70s miles stuff and he documents the discs confusingly making it hard to figure out which disc is what show and the tracks are divided poorly. like one show is one 92 minute track and i have no idea what to do with it.

[jazzbo]

Get a 99 minute cdr!

Kari, John DOES play on one of the three nights in the six cd set. . . . I actually like his contributions here (I like John so much more with Miles than without Miles).

[Guy Berger]

Get a 99 minute cdr! 

Kari, John DOES play on one of the three nights in the six cd set. . . . I actually like his contributions here (I like John so much more with Miles than without Miles).

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I like his contributions too. (On the other hand Keith would agree with Kari.) And unlike Lon, I like a fair amount of John M elsewhere, though not everything. Lon, do you like Infinite Search?

Guy

[jazzbo]

Haven't heard it. I gave up listening to John after about "Electric Guitarist." I hear bits and pieces after that and yeah some cool stuff, but I know I wouldn't really listen much and I've never sought copies for myself.

It's me, after years of playing in bands with guitarists, I'm finicky about guitarists and don't spend a lot of time listening to guitar-led dates. . . .

[jazzbo]

Though "Infinite Search" (is it really from 1969?) looks interesting. I'll put on my "hmmm" list.

[Guy Berger]

Though "Infinite Search" (is it really from 1969?) looks interesting.  I'll put on my "hmmm" list.

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Yeah, I think it's from October. Unusual lineup to say the least; the only minus is that Joe H, who absolutely kills on this, only appears on two tracks.

Guy

[jazzbo]

Cool. Definitely looks good!