Miles in Tokyo

Artist: Miles Davis
Label: Sony
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 827969359624
EAN: 0827969359624
ASIN: B0007OP2CK

Release Date: 2005-03-15

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Listmania:

Albums that changed my perspective on drumming (in no order)
current favorites (in no order)
Reissued, Remastered, Remarkable - 2005
ESSENTIAL MILES DAVIS (In order)
Best Jazz/Improv of 2005

Tracks:

Introduction By Teruo Isono
If I Were A Bell
My Funny Valentine
So What
Walkin'
All Of You
Go-Go (Theme And Announcement)

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Miles Davis in Europe
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Customer Reviews:

finally!.......2006-01-21

this album once available only as an import is finally here.
upon, first listening to "if i were a bell" the tune seemed to be at a faster tempo than the studio version. miles was surprising quick with his muted riffs followed by sam rivers whose solo sounded a bit out of place but was full of possibilites.
loved "my funny valentine". this version has stuck in my mind for some time after listening. miles blowing on this track is vintage with herbie hancock and ron carter are superb thru out and tony williams keeps the pace. "so what" is powerfully done with miles and sam on top of their game. great vamping by herbie with tony playing all over his drumkit. ditto on"walking". on "all of you" ron carter accompanies miles muted trumpet superbly.at this point, sam rivers takes over this piece. outstanding! this is an album that grows on you with each listening and of course the importance of sam rivers on this date is historical indeed. a "must keep" for miles fans.

Miles Davis starts to change his sound.......2006-01-02

Before buying this, you must be sure where you stand on the Miles Davis spectrum. If you're a fan of his earlier work with his first Quintet and are looking for that steady, consistent pulse, be forwarned, you won't find it here. At this point, Miles was starting to make progressive changes from his first group and, although it is much more mainstream compared to where he would soon be, the pulse is often times inconsistent and broken. In other words, the pulse is not consistent, the "feel" changes at least a few times over during the course of a piece. I'm only giving it 3 stars because, although this group is extremely tight, I'm a fan of the work he did with his first Quintet. Those that are fans of his second Quintet, would probably mark it higher. The only number where you'll find that steady, consistent pulse that reminisces his earlier playing is on the last track. Every other number, although old hat for him, goes through constant change to a point where it sometimes becomes unrecognizable and you can't follow it anymore. Fortunately, his group doesn't go too far out and, when they, do, it's usually only for a few bars before they go back in. The saxaphone player does most of the playing outside the form. The pianist, however, is phenomenal and he mostly stays inside the form. But, like I said, you have to know where you stand on the Miles Davis spectrum. If you like the work his second Quintet did, you'll be fine. If you're a fan of his first Quintet because of that steady, consistent pulse he establishes with that group, you'll only enjoy parts of the pieces, but not every part of the piece from beginning to end. This is the best warning I could give you.

An unusual recording........2005-11-03

One of the more bizarre recordings in the catalog of Miles Davis, "Miles in Tokyo" finds the trumpeter with only one missing piece in his "Second Great Quintet"-- the rhythm section of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams was in place, but while Wayne Shorter was promised to join Davis on tenor sax, he was not yet available, and on the recommendation of Tony Williams, Sam Rivers was brought in for replacement.

Now, I love Rivers' work, but clearly this was not a match that Davis was ready for, and Rivers sounds out of place. The set in the summer of 1964 was largely unadventerous, Davis had not recorded regularly with his small group in several years (1963's "Seven Steps to Heaven" being the only date during between March 1961 and January 1965), and there was a lack of new material (attributed by Davis to having "nothing left" after recording "Sketches of Spain"). As a result, the music Davis was playing was rather tame compared to what the Ornette Colemans and the Cecil Taylors (and for that matter the Charles Minguses and John Coltranes) were doing by this point. While his young band was far more schooled in free jazz, Davis was not ready.

So what we have is Davis playing a bunch of tired pieces with a rhythm section that pushes the level of energy up-- Davis plays well enough, railing away agressively pretty much throughout, but he's nothing compared to Rivers. Rivers' soloing is explosive, fierce, energetic, and unpredictable, often eschewing standard time and rhythmic ideas ("So What"), and yet sometimes surprisingly lyrical ("If I Were a Bell"), so far beyond what the rest of the band was doing that he sometimes loses them. And certainly Davis was unhappy with him, not allowing him to state the themes.

It's really an interesting record, and certainly everyone plays well enough, but Rivers was a square peg and it shows.

A modern construction of Jazz........2005-09-21

Against to my expectations, Sam Rivers plays more traditionally his solo, especially in "My Funny Valentine" than John Coltrane at 1960 in Europe with Miles Davis. It is a bit disappointment to me, but highly recommended.

miles shines.......2005-08-19

There are many fine Miles Davis live recordings. What is unique about this one is Sam Rivers. Essential listening!

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