Miles Davis: The Complete Live at The Plugged Nickel

[tommyhawk]

This awesome box set is out of print. I heard it at a friend's place last weekend and it's a must have for fans of Miles' bop. If the status of this box changes, say a re-release or if anyone gets their hands on a copy they'd like to sell, give me a PM.

Until then, enjoy this review from All About Jazz. By all means, please share your thoughts and comments about this release and anything Miles.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=18628

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002B01.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

The Miles Davis Quintet
The Complete Live at The Plugged Nickel
Columbia Legacy 66595
1965


Temperamental, passionate, standoffish, reticent... all of these adjectives describe the Miles Davis of the mid-1950s on. Like Beethoven, Davis considered himself an artist to be accepted on his own terms and a servant to no one. This did not endear Davis to his audiences, but that was no matter. Forget that Miles Davis was not the clown-showman Louis Armstrong or Dizzy Gillespie were, or the gracious musical host Edward Kennedy Ellington was. Forget that he was not like Bill Basie. Miles Davis was cool, icily so.


When Miles brought his second great quintet to the Plugged Nickel in Chicago shortly before Christmas 1965 for a two night engagement, the quintet had already been recording together for a number of years. So, it is interesting, that with the exception of “Agitation,” Davis chose rather to concentrate on radical explorations of his old band book. “Walkin',” “My Funny Valentine,” “I Fall In Love Too Easily,” “If I Were a Bell, “Stella By Starlight,” and “So What” dominate the sets and are presented in multiple forms.


All of the performances have characteristics that were turning from transitional to Davis status quo. The tempi tended to be fast, different time signatures were employed in each piece, the arrangements were less about the head and more about the solo body of the songs. All of the pieces performed at the Plugged Nickel were a look at the old stuff through radically different glasses, glasses that Davis had been working on since the dissolution of the first great quintet and sextet in 1958.


There were many live Mile Davis recordings to consider for this number 3 space in this list. But, none of those other discs, and there were many fine ones, captured Davis at the absolute ground zero of his creativity. Prior to these recordings, Davis had already begun to move into the looser constraints of modal composition with “Mile Stones” and then Kind of Blue. He continued this tend with the early second quintet recordings, E.S.P., Miles Smiles, Nefertiti. Miles was moving in a freedom direction with compositional discipline and restraint. The Plugged Nickel recordings represent Davis' effort to return to the classics and recast them in the new mode he was creating. The results were--and are- fantastic.

[CybrKhatru]

Out of print?!? yikes...I had no idea.

We managed to find discs 3, 4, and 5 used. Still trying to find the rest of it. The music is unbelievable on the few discs we have heard.

I keep hoping that since this set relies so much on "older" tunes that another live set would come out that featured the material this great quintet actually wrote. There is great video footage of the MDQ playing things like 'Footprints' and 'Gingerbread Boy'....so the audio must be sitting in the Columbia vaults....

Tommyhawk, I'll keep my eyes open for this---for both of us!

--Matt

[tommyhawk]

Out of print?!? yikes...I had no idea.

We managed to find discs 3, 4, and 5 used. Still trying to find the rest of it. The music is unbelievable on the few discs we have heard.

I keep hoping that since this set relies so much on "older" tunes that another live set would come out that featured the material this great quintet actually wrote. There is great video footage of the MDQ playing things like 'Footprints' and 'Gingerbread Boy'....so the audio must be sitting in the Columbia vaults....

Tommyhawk, I'll keep my eyes open for this---for both of us!

--MattThanks

[JL]

I have Highlights Of The Plugged Nickel, but not the box.

[tommyhawk]

I have Highlights Of The Plugged Nickel, but not the box.That may have to do for me, JL.

[Doctor Flang]

Today i got some rare extra money and finally purchased a second hand copy of The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel!

Yes, it was pricey but as it's still unclear whether Sony/Legacy will be reissuing this set, and i had been drooling over this for years, i thought i'd better buy it now. Finally... :beerchugr:

[Jonah]

Marcus Miller is touring an all-Miles set in the autumn.

[Whitefish]

Did not know it was out of print. Check ebay. Tony Williams absolutely tore it up with Miles.

[Doctor Flang]

Did not know it was out of print. Check ebay. Tony Williams absolutely tore it up with Miles.

I haven't yet received the box set, but i've heard the Highlights of Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel and it seems that Tony Williams is THE guy on this gig. He's just incredible. Miles himself have lots of ideas in his playing, but for some reason he seems to have some troubles getting them out of his horn sometimes.

[tommyhawk]

I haven't yet received the box set, but i've heard the Highlights of Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel and it seems that Tony Williams is THE guy on this gig. He's just incredible. Miles himself have lots of ideas in his playing, but for some reason he seems to have some troubles getting them out of his horn sometimes.It's very interesting to listen to which instrument Miles plays off from in these live sets.

[CybrKhatru]

In what I have heard from the Plugged Nickel performances, it does seem like Miles plays off of Tony a great deal.

One of many reasons why he's my favorite drummer....what imagination and fire he had!

[Imperatrix]

Out of print?!? yikes...I had no idea.

We managed to find discs 3, 4, and 5 used. Still trying to find the rest of it. The music is unbelievable on the few discs we have heard.

I keep hoping that since this set relies so much on "older" tunes that another live set would come out that featured the material this great quintet actually wrote. There is great video footage of the MDQ playing things like 'Footprints' and 'Gingerbread Boy'....so the audio must be sitting in the Columbia vaults....

Tommyhawk, I'll keep my eyes open for this---for both of us!

--Matt

Let's go look this weekend...

...AFTER we see "New Moon".

Rawr.

:winknudge

[Doctor Flang]

In what I have heard from the Plugged Nickel performances, it does seem like Miles plays off of Tony a great deal.

One of many reasons why he's my favorite drummer....what imagination and fire he had!

Ron Carter wasn't too bad on bass either. I've been listening to Miles quite a lot last few weeks and boy, was that rhytmn section tight.

[tommyhawk]

Ron Carter wasn't too bad on bass either. I've been listening to Miles quite a lot last few weeks and boy, was that rhytmn section tight.Miles true genius was in his ability to put together a band. It was like he was able to hear completed works before the band played a single note.

If I'm not mistaken, this set (and band) was right near the time that Miles was considering incorporating multi-genre works that would become fusion.

[mageestout]

I have Highlights Of The Plugged Nickel, but not the box.

Me too.
Love Miles but the 61-67 period is not my fav
Earlier and electric Miles is my thing

[lazybrain]

Temperamental, passionate, standoffish, reticent... all of these adjectives describe the Miles Davis of the mid-1950s on. Like Beethoven, Davis considered himself an artist to be accepted on his own terms and a servant to no one. This did not endear Davis to his audiences, but that was no matter. Forget that Miles Davis was not the clown-showman Louis Armstrong or Dizzy Gillespie were, or the gracious musical host Edward Kennedy Ellington was. Forget that he was not like Bill Basie. Miles Davis was cool, icily so.


When Miles brought his second great quintet to the Plugged Nickel in Chicago shortly before Christmas 1965 for a two night engagement, the quintet had already been recording together for a number of years. So, it is interesting, that with the exception of “Agitation,” Davis chose rather to concentrate on radical explorations of his old band book. “Walkin',” “My Funny Valentine,” “I Fall In Love Too Easily,” “If I Were a Bell, “Stella By Starlight,” and “So What” dominate the sets and are presented in multiple forms.

All of the performances have characteristics that were turning from transitional to Davis status quo. The tempi tended to be fast, different time signatures were employed in each piece, the arrangements were less about the head and more about the solo body of the songs. All of the pieces performed at the Plugged Nickel were a look at the old stuff through radically different glasses, glasses that Davis had been working on since the dissolution of the first great quintet and sextet in 1958.

There were many live Mile Davis recordings to consider for this number 3 space in this list. But, none of those other discs, and there were many fine ones, captured Davis at the absolute ground zero of his creativity. Prior to these recordings, Davis had already begun to move into the looser constraints of modal composition with “Mile Stones” and then Kind of Blue. He continued this tend with the early second quintet recordings, E.S.P., Miles Smiles, Nefertiti. Miles was moving in a freedom direction with compositional discipline and restraint. The Plugged Nickel recordings represent Davis' effort to return to the classics and recast them in the new mode he was creating. The results were--and are- fantastic.

I love the Second Great Quintet...probably my overall favourite Jazz band...And, I'm glad to see this kind of appreciation in another YF...But, you seem to have gotten a few tidbits of information confused here, friend...The Plugged Nickel sessions were one of the first live gigs that this new collective indulged since finalizing their lineup and releasing that initial studio recording, ESP.

My local library happens to possess this complete collection...and I've taken it home I believe twice now...Have to admit, did not really care much for the band's approach here on the Plugged Nickel set...I remember reading a Davis biography years back that explained exactly why the trumpeteer choose to employ such an unorthodox musical approach to a mostly standard set of tunes on these dates.

I don't remember the story all these many years later, but I do know that it definitely had to do with being him being unsatisfied with his presence there at the PN to begin with...Miles did not want to perform these dates for some reason...and, because of his general dissatisfaction, Miles choose to make things very difficult for the promoters, as well as the audience.

The Plugged Nickel engagement was not a fun night out for the concert goers...The delivery was very dry and academic...All kinds of modal and harmonic experiments were conducted at the expense of the fee-paying crowd. Most people didn't know what to make out of what they were hearing...Most people didn't even know which particular selections they were hearing. Even the most routine and standard numbers were given a most brash and turgid recital on these dates...This was more akin to an overnight Free Jazz reinvention.

A good way to perceive and evaluate the entire collection is to examine the band's various takes on "The Theme", which, for the most part, closed the Quintet's individual sub-sets...The tune is so radically different on each of these takes that it's difficult to assert with any confidence that you're hearing the same core there at all...I dunno...I gave this collection a few tries...I think they deliberately delivered a stinker here.

[CybrKhatru]

There is live material from 1967 in the Columbia vaults... I want to see that stuff get officially released someday.

[Doctor Flang]

I don't remember the story all these many years later, but I do know that it definitely had to do with being him being unsatisfied with his presence there at the PN to begin with...Miles did not want to perform these dates for some reason...and, because of his general dissatisfaction, Miles choose to make things very difficult for the promoters, as well as the audience.

Miles wasn't very healthy at that point, and he was on medication too. He also hadn't played for awhile and while his playing is full of fresh ideas, he often fails to deliver them. In a way, he was the weakest link at those dates.

Miles (and the band) had also grown tired of playing the same repertoire, so they approached those same old tunes with a fresh and strange new way. IMO the set is flawed in places but contains several gems. What i do like about it is that you can actually hear a band moving on - on the spot. I also love the sound of waitresses taking orders, dropping money and glasses tinkling...

[Doctor Flang]

Great news! It's been re-released!

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Live-Plugged-Nickel-1965/dp/B000002B01/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278592942&sr=8-1

[yeswestabwh]

This set was plagued with problems, as I remember...I can't really think of something less worthy of investing recession money in...

Has anyone ever laid down the bills for that 'Cellar Door' sessions collection yet?...I was curious about that thing for a wee blip...

I've seen that orange box at one of the area libraries and pro'lly would just go that route if anything...

I think they've milked Miles' career for all that it's worth at this point. They've packaged and re-packaged pretty much everything the guy ever did a dozen or more times now...

I guess that the powers-that-be know that there will always be some folks out there willing to lay down the cash for the same tunes ol' tunes, only with a different, prettier front cover.

[Doctor Flang]

This set was plagued with problems, as I remember...I can't really think of something less worthy of investing recession money in...

I don't hear any problems on this one. The Carnegie hall gig with Gil Evans, or the first Fillmore East recordings are plagued but not this one.


Has anyone ever laid down the bills for that 'Cellar Door' sessions collection yet?...I was curious about that thing for a wee blip...

I've seen that orange box at one of the area libraries and pro'lly would just go that route if anything...

The Cellar Door set is very good.

[Meng]

I don't hear any problems on this one. The Carnegie hall gig with Gil Evans, or the first Fillmore East recordings are plagued but not this one.

I don't know if you saw it Doc, but I recall reading a thread on this over at Hoffman's where someone mentioned something about him having undergone some extensive dental work prior to these performances and wasn't quite at the top of his game.

[Doctor Flang]

I don't know if you saw it Doc, but I recall reading a thread on this over at Hoffman's where someone mentioned something about him having undergone some extensive dental work prior to these performances and wasn't quite at the top of his game.

True. He was also out of practise and on heavy medication. Anyway, Miles is like Hendrix; not every note he played was gold, but it's always worth hearing. And the other players in the qvintet are playing very well.

Plugged Nickel is not an essential Miles Davis album like Kind of Blue or Skecthes Of Spain or In a Silent Way are, but as a document it is essential.

[Doctor Flang]

Ok, it seems that the re-release didn't happen. What a bummer.