Miles Davis Quintet

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If one only follows the evolution of Miles Davis from his studio albums, then during 1968-69 he jumps from the last recordings of his quintet with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams into his early fusion records (In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew) which utilized much larger groups.

However in his live performances of 1969, Davis was joined by Shorter and a new rhythm section comprised of electric keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

While the new songs of Bitches Brew would gradually enter their repertoire, this “lost quintet” (which never recorded a studio album) was still playing some of the standards from Miles Davis’ earlier years, stretching them out and coming up with new variations.

This fascinating 34 minute excerpt from the Antibes Jazz Festival of July 25, 1969 has the quintet exploring “Milestones” (first recorded by Davis in 1958), Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” and an utterly fascinating rendition of “’Round Midnight” that is taken at a rapid pace during Shorter’s solo.

While it is a pity that this particular group did not last long, the film is filled with brilliant performances from Miles Davis’ final standards period, showing what the band could do.

Personnel:

Miles Davis, trumpet
Wayne Shorter, tenor
Chick Corea, electric piano
Dave Holland, bass
Jack DeJohnette, drums

– Scott Yanow

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