Comments for Davis, Miles, Miles Davis In Concert

It's looser and sloppier than the albums containing this material ("Jack Johnson", "On the Corner", "Big Fun"). Also, it has an echo-ey "big hall" sound to it - some degree of subtlety is lost, especially in drumming, when playing loud music in a big concert hall. There's nothing much new on here, but it's a good document of Miles circa 1972 and has a real charm to it - worth hearing (but probably not worth a huge import price).

To be honest, I have never really gotten into this one. I like Miles' other live electric stuff (At Fillmore, Live-Evil, Pangaea, Agharta) but this one I've never been able to make a connection w/ at all. As someone has already pointed out, the sound quality is near abyssmal. Sitarist Khalil Balakrishna cannot be heard on any of the four discs and the versions of material from "On the Corner", "Big Fun", and "Jack Johnson" cover absolutely no new ground. 4 out of 10.

I reviewed this above as mcfarsc@springfield.grumman.com. Since then I've listened to & enjoyed my old LP copy of this. It's a real transitional period - Miles' band was not populated with jazz players who indulged in bop-like chatter, but rather with funky cats who could dwell on the groove. This is a damn good effort. It's like "On The Corner" come to life, but with more themes in it. (Most of the themes were done in studio recordings at some point). The second half of this drags ("Ife" always goes on past the point of pain) but a lot of the music on here is amazing. One of Miles' better live albums, up there with "Pangaea" and "We Want Miles".

I never got into my old import copy of this - sound quality just wasn''t there, as has been commented. However, the new domestic remasters have made me rethink my assessment and now I have to say that it''s...well...pretty good. Still not a classic in my book, but once things get boiling (about 9 or 10 minutes in) the ensemble really cooks and moves like a living thing. I''d liken it to some of those vines you see in old sci-fi films that move together as though they have a mind of their own and seek out fresh victims to feed the mother plant''s thirst for blood. The players aren''t "expressive" so much in the jazz sense, but they play with a sense of purpose, style and panache. And they''re probably out for blood.

This album is a far cry from Miles` earlier works, bordering more on funk than traditional jazz. But an amazing album nonetheless. For those interested in this stage of Miles` work, also check out "On The Corner", a album released around the same time that is similar in style.