Miles Live at the Plugged Nickel

Miles Davis' Plugged Nickel recording might represent his most profound statement on the avant garde idea.  I wouldn't call the recording avant garde, but that is precisely the point.  Miles explored the avant garde idea while remaining just barely within the hard bop tradition.  

Miles' second great quintet included Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and the brilliant Tony Williams on drums.  They play a series of standards, many of them from the earlier quintet, but what a difference!  They cut up and dissect each part of a melody, squeezing out all the juice and laying out all the veins and organs.  

I am playing two consecutive numbers: 'Round Midnight' and 'Milestones.'  Both are brilliant club jazz documents.  This is a superb box set, a monumental statement at the center of modern jazz. 

Miles Davis Around Midnight in Stockholm

Tonight, courtesy of Netflix, I watched Miles Davis: Around Midnight.  The DVD includes several numbers from a 1967 concert in Stockholm, and one last number from a concert in Germany.  The band was the Second Quintet: Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums.  Williams looked so young!  I think he was twenty two.  

It is a great pleasure to actually see Miles and his men do their stuff.  The music reminded me most of the great Live at the Plugged Nickel recordings.  Melodies were briefly stated, and then each player zeroed in on a simple musical idea and concentrated on it with remarkable discipline.  One number they did was Shorter's exquisite 'Footprints'.  Hancock's work was fascinating, but I think the most amazing thing was the synergy between Tony Williams and whoever else was playing.  Miles knew a genius when he saw one.  

Do yourself a favor, and put this on your Netflix list.  Meanwhile, here is a sample from the aforementioned document.  

Miles Davis/Stella By Starlight/Live at the Plugged Nickel