The Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965 [Box set] [Live]

Amazon.com
This eight-CD set captures Miles Davis's second great quintet at its fiercest, loose with both the blossoming of familiarity between the players and the broadness of its attacks on the mostly well known tunes the group called during two nights at Chicago's Plugged Nickel in 1965. And you can hear it all, from "The Theme" that closed the quintet's sets to multiple, radically different takes of several tunes. Davis formed this band with just its heated potential in mind, opting for youth in Wayne Shorter's tenor sax, Herbie Hancock's piano, Ron Carter's bass, and, especially, Tony Williams's unlocked rhythmic energy. It does the mind good when listening to these takes on "If I Were a Bell," "Stella by Starlight," and the polarizing "All Blues" and "No Blues" that Williams was under 20 when punching this group's forward motion. These live shows make clear that Davis was a savvy cat, sticking to the tried 'n' true when playing live and then indulging new tunes that eschewed formulaic jazz structures on the string of his new quintet's explosive studio recordings that began months earlier with E.S.P. (all of them found on the Grammy-winning Complete Columbia Studio Sessions, 1965-'68 box set). But the Plugged Nickel tunes show that familiar or not, these tunes are platforms for scrappy creative apexes when played live. Davis's trumpet is typically midrange, except when he deconstructs even his own range limitations with squawks and artful miscues. Shorter braves convolutions that tear into his tone, taking his solos far afield from the harmony and melodies at hand only to reshape the tunes. As live jazz, this collection is possibly some of the best in recorded history, adventurous without leaving the ears boxed and powerfully enlightening about where Miles Davis would go in the 1960s. --Andrew Bartlett

Tracks:

If I Were A Bell
Stella By Starlight
Walkin'
Milestones
The Theme

Tracks:

My Funny Valentine
Four
When I Fall In Love

Tracks:

Agitation
'Round About Midnight
Milestones
The Theme

Tracks:

All Of You
Oleo
I Fall In Love To Easily
No Blues
I Thought About You
The Theme

Tracks:

If I Were A Bell
Stella By Starlight
Walkin'
I Fall In Love To Easily
The Theme

Tracks:

All Of You
Agitation
My Funny Valentine
On Green Dolphin Street
So What
The Theme

Tracks:

When I Fall In Love
Milestones
Autumn Leaves
I Fall In Love Too Easily
No Blues
The Theme

Tracks:

Stella By Starlight
All Blues
Yesterdays
The Theme

Amazon.com

This eight-CD set captures Miles Davis's second great quintet at its fiercest, loose with both the blossoming of familiarity between the players and the broadness of its attacks on the mostly well known tunes the group called during two nights at Chicago's Plugged Nickel in 1965. And you can hear it all, from "The Theme" that closed the quintet's sets to multiple, radically different takes of several tunes. Davis formed this band with just its heated potential in mind, opting for youth in Wayne Shorter's tenor sax, Herbie Hancock's piano, Ron Carter's bass, and, especially, Tony Williams's unlocked rhythmic energy. It does the mind good when listening to these takes on "If I Were a Bell," "Stella by Starlight," and the polarizing "All Blues" and "No Blues" that Williams was under 20 when punching this group's forward motion. These live shows make clear that Davis was a savvy cat, sticking to the tried 'n' true when playing live and then indulging new tunes that eschewed formulaic jazz structures on the string of his new quintet's explosive studio recordings that began months earlier with E.S.P. (all of them found on the Grammy-winning Complete Columbia Studio Sessions, 1965-'68 box set). But the Plugged Nickel tunes show that familiar or not, these tunes are platforms for scrappy creative apexes when played live. Davis's trumpet is typically midrange, except when he deconstructs even his own range limitations with squawks and artful miscues. Shorter braves convolutions that tear into his tone, taking his solos far afield from the harmony and melodies at hand only to reshape the tunes. As live jazz, this collection is possibly some of the best in recorded history, adventurous without leaving the ears boxed and powerfully enlightening about where Miles Davis would go in the 1960s. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

The Holy Grail, The Rosetta Stone.......2007-02-10

This is indeed the crux of Miles live recordings. Enough words have been said about it, and there aren't enough stars in the sky for me to properly rate this set, it is the Bees Knees!
In regards to how long it may or may not be out-of-print...it was only ever issued once in 1995 and only recently has it become so outragously expensive. It's even closing in on, price wise, the Thelonious Monk Complete Riverside box set. I don't understand how Sony/Legacy/Columbia could benefit from NOT rereleasing this box set, they would make a ton, and so many people are looking for it. As far as I can tell, though, there are no plans for a reissue. So if you can afford the asking price some of these people are asking I say, email the seller and get exact specifics; the condition of the jewel cases, discs, and the box itself. If all is mint and the seller swears by it then it is worth it. It's just a shame that the record company has dropped the ball on this one. Dropped it and watched it roll away and then smoked more crack while they watched it roll away.
I love you Miles, Thanx for the awesome legacy.

*update*
I recently had a brainstorming session with a couple of audiophiles, one being the owner of the local used record shop, and we looked up this box set in some massive jazz catalog (I will not post how much it lists for to prevent vendors from price gouging). Apparently this set was manufactured by Mosaic for Sony/Legacy. Now, I can't find any info to verify this on the box or in the notes, only that it was "manufactured by Columbia Records". But if this set was actually outsourced to Mosaic then we can be sure of one thing: it will not be reissued.

Out of Print?? Why? For How Long???.......2007-02-07

The 1 star is for this 5 star CD box set being no longer available. Does anyone know why or if it will be reissued soon? I have the Highlights CD and the "Live at the Plugged Nickel" double LP - but not being able to buy this is disappointing and puzzling.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Scott K Fish

A liitle pricey.......2006-01-26

I simply believe these box sets that have been coming out lately are too pricey. However if money is no object to you this is an interesting look into Miles live performances during this wonderful searching period. In addition there is a wild version of "If I were a Bell" where I believe Miles actually gets lost for quite a few bars. Again - too expensive - but otherwise recommended.

As a listener , I couldn't 'crack the code' , could not connect.......2005-11-19

I have a number of Miles' albums and I took a chance buying this boxed set . I knew he took chances in a live situation , so I knew it wouldn't be mellow music . He sounds desperate on this and whilst that is valid , it doesn't make for repeated listening .

I knew many of the songs beforehand so I thought I'd be able to follow things through .

I should have known that these musicians were operating at such a high level that they were able to take things much further than mere mortals such as myself .

The solos ( apart from the drum solos ) went over my head as they went so far 'out' that I became lost as a listener .

I attempted to listen again and again to make a connection with this music , but it did not happen .

I have since traded in the box set , though I am left with a great respect for this group .

It is a shame that the record company did not release it while Miles was alive - maybe he wouldn't have been happy with that , trading on nostalgia for the past , but he would have profited from it .

Powerhouse live set..........2005-09-22

I think it's the complexity of this that blows me away. Sort of like a book containing deep thoughts, like DeTocqueville or C.S. Lewis, where you read a few sentences and have to pause to absorb the density of the material. I've listened to this entire set multiple times, and still learn something new whenever I put it on.

Williams is a monster... he is to beyond-bebop as Art Blakey is to bebop... like the music is powered by a Hemi. I find Hancock a little repetitive and derivative, but Shorter is SHARP... and Miles, though imperfect, is out there taking chances every time he plays. That they're doing this on STANDARDS is even more mind-blowing. Killer, killer jazz.

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