In Person: Saturday Night at the Blackhawk, Vol. 2

Artist: Miles Davis Label: Sony Category: Music Average customer rating: Format: Live Media: Audio CD Number Of Discs: 1 UPC: 074644442526 EAN: 0074644442526 ASIN: B0000026MV Release Date: 1990-10-25

Listmania:

1. "Miles Ahead" of Other Lists

Tracks:

1. Well You Needn't
2. Fran-Dance
3. So What
4. Oleo
5. If I Were A Bell
6. Neo

Similar Items:

1. Friday Night at the Blackhawk (Vol. 1)

Customer Reviews:

My Most Favorite Miles CD.......2005-11-01

great set.......2001-05-05

After a period of transition which included the sometimes uneven results of the "Someday My Prince Will Come" lp, Miles' working band of Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers, bass, and drummer Jimmy Cobb, were coming together as a tight unit. Both dates of the Blackhawk shows are prime examples of the greatness of this working group.

While the Friday night show contained mainly ballads, Saturday night finds the band taking on more up-tempo numbers, and with it the band relaxes into a wonderful groove. Even the slower numbers, like "So What," are sped up during this particular evening. The band was definitely up for the change of pace.

Hank Mobley is the major recipient of the up-tempo nature of the show. His time spent with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers proved that he had the chops needed to play quickly and confidently. Mobley at his best within Miles' group comes with his solo on Sonny Rollins' "Oleo." While the solo lasts a mere minute or so, Mobley took the tension created by Miles' calculated, reserved, mute solo, and blows it out of the water with his frenzied attack, which is certainly akin to what both Rollins and Coltrane were playing at the time. Mobley's attack is what the rhythm section of Kelly, Chambers, and Cobb needed. It allowed them to pick up the pace, and led to Kelly's tasty solo after Mobley's. Kelly's solo is a bit more refined, but no less impressive. The piece showed off prime solo chops by 2 of jazz's legends.

The rest of the lp is no less impressive. The pieces are up-tempo, with all parties involved bringing their "A" games to the table. Miles' playing is wonderful, and dominated by his harmon mute. As always, his solos are short, conpact, very to the point. Mobley's playing throughout is inspired. One can sense that Mobley was on that night, and that he KNEW it, as well. Kelly's solos are always a delight to hear. His playing moves a lot, taking on octaves, arpeggios, and more of a lead character even when he's playing accompanying block chords. Chambers and Cobb were as tight a low end rhythm section as jazz had, and the lp allows them to dominate the proceedings in an up-tempo way.

In my view, this cd is much better than the Friday night set. The looseness of the band is what made the difference here, as did the up-tempo nature of the show. Both cds are recommended to hear the full scale of what this short-lived working band could accomplish, but for me, this set is prime stuff.

Very Live Miles.......1999-06-05

Underrated Miles........1999-03-28

Music CD:

1. Mr. B & Friends ~ Rayse Biggs
2. Face to Face ~ Baby Face Willette
3. Big Band Instrumentals: 16 Most Requested Songs ~ Various Artists
4. Gold ~ Billie Holiday
5. 10th Avenue ~ Patrick Williams New York Band
6. Tribute to a Generation: A Salute to the Big Bands ~ Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra
7. illy B Eats, Vol. 2 ~ Billy Martin
8. Dreams Untold ~ Colin Stranahan
9. Cool Jazz ~ Various Artists
10. You and Me ~ Phat Phunktion

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

Worldwide Underground ~ Mystik Journeymen

Totally Bass ~ Bass Master Ace

One from the Vault ~ The Grateful Dead

Moi J'fais Mon Rond

Paul Mccartney

Swedish Radio Sessions ~ The Nice

The Very Best of Marvin Gaye ~ Marvin Gaye

Let's Go through the Motions ~ Jodeci

Heaven Or Hell

Flawless ~ One Thang