For Fanatics Only: Miles Davis: The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel, 1965

On 26 May, the centennial of the birth of the great Miles Davis was commemorated with people around the world remembering and celebrating the artist of this musical master.  Though this blogger, born the same year and in the Windy City, has long had a recording of highlights from the classic 1965 concerts of the second classic, acquiring the box set of eight discs documenting two nights of shows at Chicago's Plugged Nickel was a continuing intention until realized just a little more than a week after the 100th birthday.

Not unlike repeated listening of the box of this group's albums from 1965 to 1968, hearing these performances several times is another reminder of how subtle the revolutionary effects that Miles, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and drummer Tony Williams, really were.  In an era when the ferment and sonic shockwaves of free jazz roiled so many, including Davis (though his own dramatic shift later was pretty stunning, as well), what this quartet did was truly remarkable.

Much of what was experimented with concerned rhythm, most obviously with what Williams, who'd just turned 20 years old, was doing with the beat, his amazing cymbal work and more, while Carter took harmony to a new level for bassists.  Hancock was masterful with space and economical accompaniments, such as through comping, while his solos flowed beautifully and melodically.  Being upfront with the leader, as well as an excellent composer, Shorter drew more attention, both for his melodic gifts and his careful placement of notes that well complemented what Davis always prized.

In his thoughtful notes, Bob Blumenthal observed that, with this young, innovative trio melding so brilliantly with the leader, whose undeniable talent for picking great musicians was never clearer than with this lineup, "ballads might turn into flagwavers, flagwavers into head-shaking groovers," even as Davis relied heavily in his repertoire on such chestnuts as "Stella by Starlight," "My Funny Valentine," "All of You," and "On Green Dolphin Street," while "Agitation" was the only recent original and others, such as "So What," "All Blues," "Walkin'," and "Milestones" hearkened back to Davis' storied career.

It has long been felt that for a few years prior to this period, Davis was in a rut, though the Seven Steps to Heaven box set, to be featured here in the future, shows that there was plenty of great playing then and the Sam Rivers experiment with Miles in Tokyo is, to this listener, a fascinating one.  It is definitely the case, however, as this set amply demonstrates, that this quartet was truly something special and one for the ages.