Rare Miles Davis Live Recordings Capture the Jazz Musician at the Height of His Powers

Very early in his career as a bandleader, Miles Davis developed a reputation for a too-cool persona on stage. Whether turning his back on the crowd or walking offstage while his sidemen soloed, his refusal to cater to audience expectations only enhanced his mystique. Whatever fans and critics made of Miles’ seeming contempt—political statement, eccentricity, or dazzling egotism—his live playing transfixed those who had the privilege to see him and consistently drew the best players in history into his orbit.
The sixties saw him at the peak of his powers as a live performer. He hit the pop charts in the early part of the decade with the 1962 two-LP set In Person, recorded over two nights at the Blackhawk in San Francisco. The very next month he recorded the Grammy-nominated Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall with an orchestra led by Gil Evans. In 2007, a never-before released live gem from the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival thrilled fans (listen to “So What” from that recording above). All of these recordings capture Davis during his “transition period,” between his first and second “great quintets” (which featured John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter on sax, respectively).

Source: openculture