Miles Davis: 'The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions'

[DaveBeny]

I received this 3-CD box set for Christmas, and I just wanted to say how much I like it. This is a beautifully packaged set, and although I expect many serious jazz/Davis fans will have most of this material on other records, for me, this is a great look at Davis' move from the acoustic to the electric. A few of the highlights for me are the two takes of 'Directions', the first rehearsal of 'In A Silent Way', 'It's About That Time' and 'The Ghetto Walk'.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Yes - it's great! I bought it a few days ago and I love the presentation - I think it really helps to understand what went on. I had the original CD (although I have mislaid it!) but this definitely sounds better to me and I never realised how much other stuff there was around this time - it's getting to be my favourite Miles period. Really interesting to see how he moved over to these new influences - as the liner notes say - if he had done covers of James Brown or Sly Stone it would have been "selling out". But the way he and the other musicians created a new type of music is definitely worth checking out and this set is crucial in the development of this new "hybrid".

[JimK]

...I agree, *great* stuff!

If you notice on the set's spine, there is the # 5-
Miles & Coltrane Complete has the # 1
Quintet '65-'68 Complete has # 4
"Bitches Brew" Complete has # 6
I don't see any numer designation on the Complete Live @The Plugged Nickel.

Anyway-
There are a couple numbers missing, right?

There is talk about a Complete "On the Corner"/"Jack Johnson" set...that would have to be post-BB, though(maybe # 7?).
There is also rumor about all Miles' LIVE stuff from circa '64-thru ?...
This set would include-
Miles In Europe
Miles In Tokyo(w/ Sam Rivers on sax)
Miles Four & More (still available with My Funny Valentine...The '64 Concert)
...can't recall, maybe Miles & Coltrane Live In Stockholm...I'll have to verify that, though.

Check out www.miles-davis.com

[DaveBeny]

Originally posted by JimK

If you notice on the set's spine, there is the # 5-
Miles & Coltrane Complete has the # 1
Quintet '65-'68 Complete has # 4
"Bitches Brew" Complete has # 6
I don't see any numer designation on the Complete Live @The Plugged Nickel.

Anyway-
There are a couple numbers missing, right?

There is talk about a Complete "On the Corner"/"Jack Johnson" set...that would have to be post-BB, though(maybe # 7?).
There is also rumor about all Miles' LIVE stuff from circa '64-thru ?...
This set would include-
Miles In Europe
Miles In Tokyo(w/ Sam Rivers on sax)
Miles Four & More (still available with My Funny Valentine...The '64 Concert)
...can't recall, maybe Miles & Coltrane Live In Stockholm...I'll have to verify that, though.

Here's some information I found about the planned Miles Davis box-set series. It's out-of-date, but you can find the full info at http://www.wam.umd.edu/~losinp/music..._reissues.html


1) All concert and studio sessions by Miles' group with John Coltrane [released 2000]
2) The complete Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations [released 1997]
3) The 1963-64 studio and concert recordings during which his second great quintet evolved
4) The complete studio recordings of the second great quintet [released 1998]
5) All the studio sessions covering the In a Silent Way period [released 2001]
6) All the studio recordings covering the Bitches Brew period [released 1999]
7) All the studio sessions during the guitar-dominated Jack Johnson period

The two final boxes in this series will come in 1999 and 2000. Their release order has yet to be determined. The sets are: (1) the remainder of the 1970 studio sessions that produced Jack Johnson after which Miles left the studio for a year and a half; (2) all the sessions with the quintet and sextet that included John Coltrane; and (3) the 1963-64 recordings that began with Seven Steps to Heaven and ended with Miles in Berlin, chronicling the evolution and fine-tuning of what became the quintet that we are celebrating in the current boxed set [i.e. The Complete Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-June 1968 (MQ10-177)]. Along the way will be the 1961 Blackhawk sessions, probably issued by Columbia as two two-CD sets and by Mosaic as a six-LP set."

Also, The release of the six-CD Complete Cellar Door (December 17-19, 1970) has been pushed back into 2003. But Columbia plans to release a multi-CD set of studio material from March-June 1970 sometime in 2002.

[JimK]

Thanks, Dave...
I guess 2003 is right around the corner.

BTW, a heads up-
Later this month(1-29-02), Bobby Hutcherson's debut, Dialogue, finally gets re-issued(Blue Note).
The backing band?
Freddie Hubbard
Sam Rivers
Richard Davis
Joe Chambers
Andrew Hill

...some '60s Avant Gard-ish stuff.

[Bruce Lindfield]

On further listening to this, I'm surprised that the material isn't actually that different from what ended up on the final album - but the real suprise is how different the band sounded live on "Its about Time" - so in these studio sessions you get gently funky, reflective music. But with the live album, you get raucous, distorted, dischordant - almost opposite ends of the spectrum, but the same band, with the same material!

Going back to the boxed set - the most interesting thing for me was the explanation of how Joe Zawinul's tune "In a Silent Way" started off with lots more chords, but that in a moment of inspiration, Miles asked John McLaughlin to play it on his own, with just an open droning string as accompaniment - if anything, this brought home the genius of Miles - it instantly defines the "sound" of the album and is truly inspired. You get the "before" and "after" on this set and a sense of how Miles "directed" things obliquely and could make a huge difference without playing a note and with just a few words!

[Josh Ryan]

Cool, thanks Smash!

[JimK]

Ditto...thanks, SMASH.

BTW, BMG is now stocking this box set.

Later this year(early Fall?), The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions are due out...

Also, anyone read the article on Michael Henderson in Bass Player's March issue?
Mike's sayin' there some effort between him, Pete Cosey, Ndgu Chancler, Gary Bartz, Reggie Lucas, Mtume, & Badal Roy about forming The Children Of Agharta band. Hopefully, that'll happen soon!

[DaveBeny]

The Michael Henderson interview is online now. Check out the link. This 'Children of Agharta band is very exciting!

'Bass Player' interview with Michael Henderson

Also, some fairly recent Michael Henderson information that I found on the web:

Soul Patrol: Michael Henderson

[Coward Of Reali]

For someone whose never heard IASW but is a fan of Miles fusion stuff would you recommend the complete sessions or the single disc?