Miles Davis: Manchester Concert

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Miles Davis
Wynton Kelly (p)
Tony Williams (d)
Jimmy Cobb (d)
Herbie Hancock (p)
Miles Davis (t)
Paul Chambers (b)
George Coleman (ts)
Miles Davis
Sonny Stitt (as)
Ron Carter (b)

Label:

‘In’ Crowd

June/2014

Catalogue Number:

996692 – 2 CDs

RecordDate:

27 Sep 1960

1951-1957 Studio Recordings

Musicians:

Miles Davis
Percy Heath (b)
Max Roach (d)
Jimmy Cobb (d)
Miles Davis (t)
Bill Evans
Roy Haynes (d)
Kenny Clarke (d)
Paul Chambers (b)
Pierre Michelot (b)
Charles Mingus (b)
Miles Davis
John Lewis (p)
Oscar Pettiford (b)
Horace Silver (p)
Philly Joe Jones (d)
Art Blakey (d)
Red Garland (p)

Label:

American Jazz Classics

June/2014

Media Format:

2 CDs

Catalogue Number:

99092

RecordDate:

17 January 1951-9 September 1958

Most reissues on American Jazz Classics are of a famous album, with or without bonus tracks, whereas 1951-57 Studio Recordings is an original compilation of the Miles Davis Quartet. This mostly means tracks from larger groups where the other horns drop out for a number or two, including items from Cookin'/Relaxin'/etc, plus the important single-horn sessions with Horace Silver (both Blue Note and Prestige) and Red Garland (The Musings Of Miles). Versions of two pieces from Lift To The Scaffold – modal jazz starts here! – plus the ‘Funny Valentine’ with Bill Evans end up making this into a Jazz Classic after all. The Manchester Concert, incorrectly subtitled Complete, just means all that was actually recorded on that night. It covers part of a first house and all of a second from Miles' initial tour of this country, and is efficiently recorded (seemingly from the house PA). Everyone plays well, but the slightly anachronistic Stitt undermines the consistency of the rest, whereas the three bonus tracks from St. Louis represent the earliest live recording of an entirely new quintet. Clearly of interest, but rather lacking in focus as an album.

Follow us

Jazzwise Print

  • Latest print issues

From £5.83 / month

Subscribe

Jazzwise Digital Club

  • Latest digital issues
  • Digital archive since 1997
  • Download tracks from bonus compilation albums during the year
  • Reviews Database access

From £7.42 / month

Subscribe

Subscribe from only £5.83

Never miss an issue of the UK's biggest selling jazz magazine.

Subscribe

View the Current
Issue

Take a peek inside the latest issue of Jazzwise magazine.

Find out more