Trumpet: Miles Davis Saxophone: Wayne Shorter Piano: Herbie Hancock Bass: Ron Carter Drums: Tony Williams Sunday, October 11, 1964 Teatro dell'Arte Milan, Italy
I think the hardest pill to swallow about this era is how incredibly sophisticated and open minded the music was, and how medieval society was. These folks were just now at the point where they could eat at the same restaurants as the white race. Something doesn't make sense about that. Music evolved quicker than social interaction.
This music always touches the transcendent - yes this wonderful stuff grew in the middle of a crude, brutal, and fearful period in our history. We should be so lucky to find something as fine as this now
They aren’t playing loud-they are all listening to, A. The collective; B. Themselves; C. The soloist in a given moment. Listening while playing, active doing, yet completely silent and still on the inside-the highest plateau of greatness in music, in humanity. Oh if only we could have this level of communication amongst one another in every day life .... we would advance, we would evolve, we would Know.
Around 14:00 there is some sound miles seems to be reacting to, or the tape is somehow playing his parts a bit early faintly before he does, what's going on there? Was this a festival and he plays off another band in a different room? More likely tape sync error but would be cool
@@austinconroy1230 I can answer that exactly, Austin. Before there was Digital most-everything, there was Analog everything. This performance was recorded with analog tape. With analog tape, reel to reel, cassette, etc., the imprinted sounds that got recorded onto the magnetic tapes would bleed through a bit, down into the very next wrap, or layer, that was coming along. With that bleed-through, the magnetic impressions (recorded sounds) would show up a little bit early, as a bit of a hint, on the part of the tape that is "just before" the actual recorded sound, as it had "bled through". So, you were, literally, hearing a hint of Mile's notes just before you heard Mile's notes, which made it sound like he was playing the exact notes that he had just heard being played somewhere by someone else. A remedy for that type of problem, that all professional engineers and musicians knew about, was to never rewind a tape, until the next time that you were ready to play it. You would write "tails out" somewhere to remind yourself or others. The magnetic imprints (sound) would still bleed through. But if the tape had been stored "tails out" the bled-through sounds would occur after the fact, instead of before it, so you would not notice it as much. You would hear Miles play his actual notes, and maybe a little bit of the same notes right after that, but not as much, as other sounds from the whole band are happening which drowns out the bled-through sounds. But if a tape is not left tails-out, any bleed-through is going to occur "in the silence" that is normally present right before someone plays. Listen to old Charlie Parker tapes where someone was hand-holding a recorder under a table, and other recordings that were similarly made, and you will hear the same type of thing. With reel to reel tapes, if you didn't write "tails out" and put the tape onto the machine, everything that you heard would be played backwards. Some of the interesting Beatles, etc. "psychedelic" sounds were simply recordings that were then reversed on the reel and played backwards. You can't do that with cassette, but you definitely can with reel to reel.
Such historical significance to having these videos preserved. Thanks to whoever made this great contribution to our cultural enhancement. You have done a great deed along with these magnificent musicians.
He's fantastic! Always 💯 "in the pocket" , playing exactly what sounds good to fit the vibe and essence and groove; he's always been a favorte player of mine !
Its a real treasure to find this 55 year old uptaking! I was 19 then, and RU-vid was not even a word, it came 40 years after this music . So this is magic for me. And now I can sit her and choose whatever I want to listen to. I prefer both new and old music, but as you understand, I have a special place for jazz! Thanks, RU-vid, and all inventions that has made this planet worth living on!
Tony Williams, the brilliant drummer who left the planet way too young, was, what...19 years old here? I’m still trying to get just to the level he was at here in this great performance now in my 50th year of playing drums...life isn’t fair
First, placing Einstein 130 years ago means a clear misplace of dates Second,the moon with a face is A Trip to the Moon by George Melies, one of the first actual artistic films. But the first moving picture was (I think) the one about a train arriving at a station.
Don't they call this his Great Quintet? Eric Dolphy is my favorite jazz musician, and this is my favorite jazz band, by far. My 5 favorite jazz albums: 1. Timeless/John Abercrombie 2. Miles Smiles/Miles 3. Kind Of Blue/Miles 4. Bitches Brew/Miles 5. Out To Lunch/Eric Dolphy
for those of you who are ragging on Wayne Shorter's playing, here's 2 thoughts: 1). By the time this concert had taken place, he had been in Miles' band for a few months at most, while Herbie, Ron, and Tony had been with Miles for well over a year. Remember that Shorter was the sax player Miles was coveting as far back as 1959, when he more or less knew Coltrane was on the way out the door for good. Shorter rebuffed any number of offers from Miles and stayed with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, then recorded some sensational lps for Blue Note. Miles knew and loved what he was getting from Shorter when he finally agreed to join the group in autumn 1964. Yes, there are moments where Wayne sounds like he's trying to find his place in the band (he almost sounds nervous on "Autumn Leaves"), but his playing is top notch.... if missed notes are considered "sloppy", then Miles himself was a sloppy player, as well. Missing notes is part of what makes improv improv. 2). It's Wayne Shorter playing with Miles, and not you, so feel free to shut up.
I like the moment in All Blues where WS quotes from his own piece Juju as though telling Miles 'how about doing some of MY material?' Which of course happened shortly afterwards, to all our delight.
5.4 billion years from now, when the Earth is a burned out, uninhabitable cinder, devoid of life, the music this band made will remain as human beings' pinnacle of achievement, reverberating throughout the cosmos forever.
I think it's interesting to think about the ages of musicians in recordings. Here are the ages of the four musicians when this concert took place. Miles Davis: 38 Wayne Shorter: 31 Ron Carter: 27 Herbie Hancock: 24 Tony Williams: 18
I don't really know anymore, I've been losing my mind for some time. This peaceful music helps me fall asleep peacefully and that's fortunate because my invasive neuroses do not obscure the fact that the sound art of Miles and his cohorts is another universe that helps me "hold the rail" in the maddening disorder of my reason!
Tony Williams is amazing in this quintet. It is hard to imagine how such a relatively young guy surrounded by master musicians could have such a profound effect on the music. Incredible!
I dunno. Art Blakey's quintet when he had Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, and Horace Silver was quite good. Depends on what you like. I'm definitely more of a Bebop guy
Movie Fanatic Nah. Either Art Blakey-Clifford Brown-Lou Donaldson-Horace Silver-Curly Russell or Miles Davis-John Coltrane-Red Garland-Philly Joe Jones-Paul Chambers- and eventually Cannonball Adderley
Even with the incredible soloing of each player, I find the unforeseen and mysterious rhythm shifts between drums, bass and piano to be the most magical of all...that and Miles' tonality.
Interesting. I was on the scene when Miles went electric. I've seldom heard such venom from musicians. This band was missed at the time by musicians who didn't or couldn't understand a true artist's uncontrollable urge to move on. When Miles was asked about his move to electric, he said, "If I had to go back and play that music again, I'd die." I don't miss Miles. His music is inside of me and I can play his music anytime I want.
Tony Sweet, my question is: What is "that" music again that Miles was speaking of? The bebop of the middle fifties? What? Because, to me a dyed-in-the-wool bebop aficionado, if it was bebop, I wish he'd stayed there instead of going into the rather shapeless- in terms of meter and rhythm-and hidden "melodies". That so-called electric music is just BS tto me.
He is King. I don't think it's a matter of note he's choosing or music genre. When King shows up everybody just have to shut up and serve the King... I don't listen to notes anymore when Miles davis shows up.. He could just talk on the stage or do some kind of little hand motion That's same Miles davis to me.. Maybe disrespectful to his musical desire but that's just Miles.. I feel King from him
@@sickowhale6861 he never was a real king he was not allowed to play on a funeral from a real king he was not worthy for the great jimi hendrix davis was a selfinlove showoff
I listen to this band quite a bit--this period of Miles. Between great things. It is my favorite over time, to sift through the false starts, disheartening falls and obvious clinkers of true architects and pioneers searching for a minted, original music every damn time. This set starts cold. Miles is dry, stiff. Shorter, more liquid in tone at first is doubting his own bravado by the end. But they have a secret weapon for searching the spheres for music: Ron Carter. And Williams at this period is as sensitive as any drummer I know. And that piano player...the bridge between rhythm and breath, brass, reed. Listen to how Miles finishes "All For You" --after Hancock weaves pure magic. Listen to how he starts "Joshua" off of it all...listen and hear the greatest horn of our soul--those of us that came after the boomers and their impecable bona-fides. And how they mint an original, one of a kind art again--not despite being cold at the start--but because they were willing to risk the fall all the way to begin with.
Few bandleaders get to enjoy the notoriety of having led one of the greatest jazz ensembles ever recorded in music history. Miles had two. How do you replace a legendary lineup like 'Trane, The Cannonball, Mr. P.C., Philly Joe, and Bill? With Herbie, Wayne, Ron, and Tony...and never miss a beat!
Another great live film of this wonderful group. How lucky we are - and the bonus with this one is that the camera work is good, with multi angles that let you see what the players are doing. Most of the other available films of the group use a static camera face on to the stage.
The albums were great but hearing this wonderful band live is always a revelation-especially the contributions by Wayne Shorter-even more free and incredibly creative.
No actually that's how Miles was. He always did that when he wasn't soloing. He would either turn his back to the crowd or he would jus completely walk off the stage. Some people say it's arrogance. I feel it's to give others their time to shine
I did catch these guys playing the same Miles standards still a couple years later (66) at the Village Vanguard. What a treat to go back via this video.
Listening to Ron Carter play is wonderful...watching him play is a lesson in etiquette, style, class, and understatement. This is how you anchor a band. Damn.
love the beginning, especially. scrambling back to seats. milan is soo cool. back in '99 when italy south was celebrating carnival, milan was celebrating the Duke centennial. Sure miss Tony Williams......
Oh My God, I have been listening to these guys for years. Fourty- five to be exact. It does not get any better than this. I am 66 years old.I wish Tony was still with us
@@JogohDLC Not actually that’s a joke referencing Miles telling Herbie not to play butter notes. Miles wasn’t done finishing his phrase before Herbie took over that’s why he’s upset here
Such a class act, blows my mind how young some of these guys were. Miles has such poise on stage, a real pro! I could watch these guys for hours. Thx for posting!!
Great to see my namesake doing what he does best, he was still a teenager then like myself, the band was on great form, all the right people in the right place at the right time. Thanks for this lovely upload, history being made as you witnessed it. We all knew that this was a magic era for creative music, never to be the same ever again.
Real deal. Italy again; bravissimi ! How hip be that group ? Intense-Ki. Best spaces in music. Big Ron works hard. Wayne's mind is so clear; you hear even his most sideways lines just before he crystallises them for you; his pocket approach helps, whereas Miles' lines are a constant surprise and ahead of the time (lol, literally and metaphorically). How they've already started zoning in on the tone-centres for solos educates zero-level musicians like me... Miles' 'less-is-more'-attitude as applied to Herbie is reasonable; it kept so many putative M3s out of unwanted, unhip V7 sounds, AND; Herbie got to develop his oblique and lyrical approach. I love how as arranger, Miles partitions out the pairings and ensembles so perfectly with the moods he wants. Sounds free but intensely arranged. It's like magic. For lesser players/bands (like everybody), 'All Blues' is a cool and reflective, but for this lot, its a keg-party /shout chorus. Tony gets the 4/4 (12/8) going at 28.08 ! - (he-d been hearing it since 28.01). Upside down-context from Miles' over-arching mood control. Note Wayne at 32.33 gets the idea for 'footprints', the band hear it and go G7alt/C, then in his Tony-driven 4/4 he rules. His bluesbop is so honkingly good he pushes his lines (steps into his boyhood self), and comes again to reject that style in front of us. This gig may have changed music. When did Miles start going over to other players and hipping with them? It so effective. I think there're two quiet mics, and two loud ones. Amazing. Through this music the universe speaks clearly; a message of acknowledgement, hope, bravery and love. Peace and thanks for posting
Thanks for the great commentary. Its a tipoff to listen more deeply, everyone. The music deserves deep listening, so go further - past the usual these guys are the greatest blah blah..
In 1964, America did not see Jazz as an American Treasure since at that time America did not see African American contributions as worthy. So glad The World knew of its uniqueness and grandeur. This Footage is amazing and the audience was mesmerized....
