This groundbreaking quintet, often referred to as the ‘Los t Quintet’ was one of the most enigmatic of Davis’ groups and reveals a world of astonishing musical revelations, with the trumpeter at his most imperious and agile, backed by a band that shadowed his every move. Stua rt N icholson jo ins the dots of this remarkable, but little known, period of Davis’ life with recollections from Jack DeJohnette and Chi ck Cor ea, and examins the critical mass the group gathered at this tipping point in modern music at the birth of electric jazz
For as long as anyone can remember, the music business has floated on a cushion of hyperbole which has rendered terms like ‘astonishing,’ ‘amazing’ or ‘brilliant’ meaningless. It’s a shame, because once in a while an album comes along such as Miles Davis Quintet: Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 that knocks you sideways. Then you have to reach for such superlatives. But does ‘astonishing’, ‘amazing’ and ‘brilliant’ really do justice to a major four-disc release like this? One of such significance the history of jazz in the 1960s will have to be re-written? Even in his autobiography Davis was in no doubt about the importance of his Class of 1969: “Man, I wish this band had been recorded live because it was a really bad motherfucker… Columbia missed out on the whole fucking thing.”
This is an extract from Jazzwise Issue #173 – to read the full article click here to subscribe and receive a FREE CD...