In Stockholm, 1960 Complete

Artist: Miles Davis
Label: Dragon
Category: Music

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Format: Box set
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 4
EAN: 7391953002283
ASIN: B00000AW2R

Release Date: 1994-07-01

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Listmania:

Miles Davis 101
Miles plays it Cool..., '64 & before...a good place to start

Tracks:

So What
On Green Dolphin Street
All Blues/The Theme
Coltrane Interview
So What
Fran-Dance

Tracks:

Walkin'/The Theme
Walkin'
Autumn Leaves
So What
'Round Midnight/The Theme

Tracks:

June Night
Stardust
On Green Dolphin Street
All Blues/The Theme
All of You

Tracks:

Walkin'
Autumn Leaves/The Theme
Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
Makin' Whoopee
Lover Man
If I Were a Bell
No Blues/The Theme

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Manchester Concert: Complete 1960 Live at the Free Trade Hall
European Tour '56
Olympia Oct 11 1960

Customer Reviews:

History in the making.......2002-08-05

Sonny Stitt had a brief tenure (6 months) with Miles, and the questions were: 1. How could a "classic" bebop artist possibly follow Coltrane?; 2. What did he sound like in the context of Miles' group? Thanks to this album and two other recent European releases ("Olympia 11 October 1960 Parts 1 and 2"), both questions can be answered.

This is a ferocious, colossal struggle between two gladiators. Sonny exhausts but does not surpass the melodic/rhythmic bebop language of Charlie Parker on alto, and on tenor he summons up the best musical soul food of the school of Chicago Southside tenors. Always the quintessentially "vertical" player, Sonny locks into the time and repeatedly returns to the tonic note before each new foray. Compared to his other recordings, Miles overplays, demonstrating a fiery virtuosity and fervor uncharacteristic of him. As he mentions in his autobiography, he frequently complained about Sonny's playing during this period, and on these recordings it's apparent he's trying to take Sonny to the cleaners, purging him of his bebop attachments. But Sonny will have none of it. He fights back with his total harmonic/melodic/rhythmic arsenal, always bringing the listener back to a recognition of the original tune that Miles' atonality had momentarily erased from memory.

The recordings with Coltrane are not as essential because this period has been so amply documented elsewhere. But for listeners not in possession of the recordings by Miles and Coltrane on Prestige and Columbia, the Coltrane/Stitt contrast is brought into a sharp focus by this album, which is a stunning display of opposing styles, concepts, traditions as well as a demonstration of why a questing Miles would eventually find the Shorter-Hancock quintet a new grail of sorts.

"OLDER IS STILL BETTER".......2001-05-07

I had been waiting a long time for the release of this complete recorded version of two Miles Davis Quintet concerts recorded seven months apart in Stockholm, Sweden in 1960. (The CD with John Coltrane as a member of the quintet had been released seven years ago under the title, MILES DAVIS WITH JOHN COLTRANE:THE LEGENDARY STOCKHOLM CONCERT) Finally after purchasing and repeatedly listening to the newly released 4CD complete concert, I have realized that "OLDER IS STILL BETTER". There is a reason why Miles and Coltrane have been such an influence on players of their respective instruments the past forty years. That reason is that the playing of Miles and 'Trane is still better listening than that of any player who has subsequently followed. This is not a put-down of the many wonderful players the past forty years; however, the recording proves that "OLDER IS STILL BETTER." Now to the specifics of the music found in the wonderful treasures of this set. As previously stated, there are two quintets on this CD set. The March 1960 concert had Coltrane on tenor. The October 1960 concert had Sonny Stitt on both tenor and alto. There are three major observations that one can make about this recording. First, as Jon Lohmann points out in his excellent liner booklet, the playing of Miles Davis is completely different in the two concerts. In the March concert, Coltrane provides the contrast in the group with his musical outbursts and his "sheets of sound" that he became famous for later in his career. This allowed Miles's play to be lighter and airy with his typical single note - pause affect. However, in the October concert, Miles himself has to be the musical contrast to Sonny Stitt. Stitt's playing at times is bland when he is on tenor. Thus, you hear the Miles Davis that is more assertive, stratospheric, and much busier in his use of notes. (Check out CD2 "Walkin" - with Coltrane, followed on CD2 "Walkin" with Sonny Stitt) The contrast is startling. This is also repeated on other cuts where there are examples of the two different quintets. This is probably why, after Coltrane left Miles to form his own group, Miles's play changed. Perhaps he was always looking for "Coltrane" to provide that contrast, and he never found "him" in the succession of tenor players that he used in the years to follow (Wayne Shorter probably came the closest). His play changed because he had to provide the musical contrast in his groups. The second observation about this recording has to do with the play of Sonny Stitt. As mentioned above, Stitt's play on tenor seems at times very bland; however, his play on alto is like Charlie Parker reincarnated. (Check out the difference in his play on CD2 "So What" on tenor and CD3 "All Blues" on alto - also on alto on any of "The Theme" where he sounds so "Bird-like". On "The Theme" you almost get the affect of the Charlie Parker Quintet of the late 1940's with Miles) The third observation has to do with the trio. Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Jimmy Cobb (drums) never sounded better. (Here again we could talk about older musicians who have influenced recent musicians, but that is another story.) As for Wynton Kelly, he never sounded more Red Garland'ish (Check out CD3 "June Night"), and to this listener that is the ultimate compliment. Buy this 4CD set and check it out. Find out what other musical observations you can "HEAR". I'm sure that whatever you find, you will agree with me, that like a fine wine that improves with age, this recorded set proves that "OLDER IS STILL BETTER". ENJOY!

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