Disc 1 (Friday Night sets 1 and 3)
1. Oleo 2. No Blues 3. Bye Bye (Theme) 4.
If I Were a Bell 5. Fran Dance 6.On Green
Dolphin Street 7. The Theme
Disc 2 (Friday Night set 2)
1. All of You 2. Neo 3. I Thought About You
4. Bye Bye Blackbird 5. Walkin' 6. Love, I've
Found You
Disc 3 (Saturday Night sets 1 and 2)
1. If I Were a Bell 2. So What 3. No Blues
4. On Green Dolphin Street 5. Walkin' 6. Round
Midnight 7. Well You Needn't 8. The Theme
Disc 4 (Saturday Night sets 3 and 4)
1. Autumn Leaves 2. Neo 3. Two Bass Hit 4.
Bye Bye (Theme) 5. Love, I've Found You 6.
I Thought About You 7. Someday My Prince Will
Come 8. Softly as a Morning Sunrise
Miles Davis (Trumpet)
Hank Mobley (Tenor Saxophone)
Wynton Kelly (Piano)
Paul Chambers (Bass)
Jimmy Cobb (Drums)
San Francisco’s Blackhawk club was renowned
as much for its dinginess as for the calibre
of the acts it attracted. There was no air
conditioning beyond a fan; the carpets were
worn and ripped in places; the black drapes
that lined the walls were dirty, faded and
moth-eaten... But, owing to its great acoustics
and the responsive audiences that gathered
there, the venue quickly established for itself
a world-wide reputation as a centre for jazz.
As Guido, the club’s owner, expressed it:
"You gotta dig music, you come in here."
Miles, it seems, agreed with this summation,
considering the Blackhawk his favourite club
to play; and, with the release of In Person...,
we finally get a glimpse of the kind of magic
he created there. For the first time ever,
all of the music from these two nights in
1961 (April 21st and 22nd) is gathered together
without any edits. And, due to the wonders
of digital remastering, the sound quality
on this four-disc set is infinitely superior
to any prior releases; every note, in fact,
is rendered with such astounding clarity that
it seems impossible to imagine that these
concerts took place over forty years ago.
Miles’ accompanying band on the album forms,
perhaps, his least-known ensemble, bridging
the gap between the Coltrane / Davis era of
1950-60 and the Shorter / Hancock period beginning
in 1964. This, however, is no average support,
but a powerful collection of musicians, whose
skills shine under Miles’ leadership. Jimmy
Cobb’s drumming is absorbing throughout, taking
central roles in ‘Oleo’ and ‘Walkin’, but
showing great restraint whilst the others
solo. Paul Chambers, likewise, is impressive
on bass and, despite Miles’ concerns of excessive
drinking slowing his quick reactions, manages
to provide some frantic runs that must have
left the audience marvelling. For Miles, though,
the key component to this rhythm section was
undoubtedly Wynton Kelly. Miles once described
performing without Kelly as being ‘like coffee
without creme’, and its easy to see what he
meant; Kelly’s playing is as astonishingly
responsive, yet totally unintrusive, as it
was on Kind of Blue, providing the
perfect complement to the famous Miles Davis
sound.
The only weak link among the group, perhaps,
is Hank Mobley on tenor sax. As numerous critics
have pointed out, Mobley lacks the depth of
emotion required to play alongside Miles -
a deficiency that’s particularly clear here
on standards like ‘Autumn Leaves’. And whilst
he proves himself a competent soloist, he
fails to achieve Coltrane’s ability for combining
mood with pace...
And, on these recordings, this ability is
key, as it’s pace that gives In Person
its highly distinctive feel. Urgency dominates
the sound of the album, with even Miles’ playing
more showy and elaborate than on other recordings
of the period. Generally, this hard-swinging
sound works well, with classics like ‘Softly
as a Morning Sunrise’ gaining new depth with
the upbeat tempo and acting as the perfect
showcase for the musicians. One notable exception,
though, is ‘So What’, which sacrifices its
plaintive mood and tension for dramatically
increased speed. Even the band seem distracted
by the change, Miles sounding ill-at-ease
in his soloing, particularly at the beginning.
Whilst some listeners may find this an interesting
experiment, most will, no doubt, cringe at
the desecration of those opening notes.
These, however, are small concerns, and relatively
undamaging to the collection as a whole. Overall,
In Person... is an fascinating recording
that offers the listener a totally unique
glimpse of Miles Davis the performer; and
with such a vast mixture of Davis classics
and standards there’s enough here to satisfy
every taste. Friday and Saturday night’s recordings
can each be purchased separately and, given
the repetition, one of these may be enough
for the general jazz fan. With fourteen previously-unreleased
tracks, however, the four-disc set would make
an excellent addition to the collection of
any Miles connoisseur.
Robert Gibson
CD Reviews
Sony Music 0871062000
