Mile Davis - What I Say 1971

[werminy]

Sabía que Keith había incursionado en el saxo antes de darse a conocer como el brillante pianista que es, pero desde que se consagró como uno de los pianistas más talentosos del mundo, nunca lo había visto tocando los teclados y, mucho menos, acompañado de Miles Davis

[jazzynet1]

I think George Duke and Todd Rundgren are to killer keyboard players. Just to name 2.

[jazzynet1]

man i was still in jr high school when he did this show. man we were onto this scene by then. we were so blessed to have seen it all. from beatles to supremes to the tops to temptations to wonder to the monkeys to hendrix to the bubblegum scene to the psychodelic scene to the disco scene to what we dont have today. to bad that the monsters that run the scene today have the kids fucked up on nothing but nothing. to bad. we were fucked up on drugs :)

[gimpsucks]

I feel like Keith Jarrett is always having an orgasm.

[unclejunglebass]

damn dude i thought keith's solo was cool. liked it more than bartz'. way more unexpected.

[unclejunglebass]

was there any cocaine involved here?

[lunasurface]

Gary bartz is soooooo cool!

[fnkdrmmr]

See more about Ndugu on SoulDrummers . com

[klawpro]

Also, could you imagine Billy Kilson on drums.. OMG

[dr05guitar]

@klawpro that would be sweet, i saw him playing with dave holland in a vid on here and he was killin it

[klawpro]

Look, would someone please focus on Gary Bartz?! His playing - inside and out - is always so hip, innovative, imaginative and just plain soulful... Also, can you imagine what Herbie Hancock would have done on this after Gary's solo??? Scary,,, I've seen Herbie on live dates just "destroy" grooves like this... No wonder Miles kept him as a "core" member during the glory years. He knew what was up.

[FunkySkunk90]

Hmm.... Keith Jarrett acts like he's kind of a rock-star playing the solo of his life... Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Larry Young etc. had more feelin' for swing and energy than Keith Jarrett.

[digimaton]

@FunkySkunk90 maybe he is playing the solo of his life, maybe every solo he plays is the "solo of his life" what about it? you seem hung up on convention, each player you mention has their own aesthetic vision. Jarret had his and offered something unique at that time. Davis saw what it was that Jarret had and hired him; so the rest of us could see this great talent in action and hear some great music, but I guess it's simply not to your taste.

[triofdoom]

@digimaton

I agree with you both, I mean Jarrett plays one heck of a solo on this concert, in fact it's on youtube. Some of the best improv solos of all time. But then again, it was Miles (according to his book) that didn't think it was all that cute near the end of his tenure in the band. Miles got him cause he was and still is the best piano player out there.

[uncasist]

@FunkySkunk90 That's the way Mr. Jarrett plays. The fact is he is/was(?) a genius. Miles admitted it himself. I do believe he moves his body a lot to try and make very cerebral instrument, the piano, into a physical one, like drums or trumpet or sax. The latter three are all very physical instruments: they take require the coercion of your whole body. Not so the keyboard.

[jonrwert]

people make funny comments on youtube

[edrixie]

miles is crazy... geniusly crazy... beautiful crazy... madcap..wonderful crazy.

[theillfrisch]

this is my favorite track off the live evil album.

[haloblender]

... are keiths' keys electrified or is he sitting on a prostate massaging chair?

[0Oclockmusic]

Keith Jarret is dressed like Luke Skywalker.

[costcordero2]

does ne1 realize how many times the ENTIRE BAND changed time signatures ... SIMULTANEOUSLY? how the hell do u that with improv? these cats were 1!!!

[Nawa910]

great video!

[zojanyo]

Kieth Jarret definately has a talent for playing nothing and making it look like he did. I'm sorry but he don't swing and needs to chill on his stupid antics.

[digimaton]

this is after his "swinging" phase, and yes he could swing, but this band was not about swinging, and that's not why he was hired, what he is doing here is converting energy into sound, using an electric piano, not sure why you look upon that as "stupid antics".

[keepsanantoniolame]

jarrett (yeah, there are two t's in his name) loses his way bigtime for about the first 30 seconds of his solo at 5:00m and i would agree that both of his solos are the weakest moments here. and yes, he has a talent for physical histrionics, but to say he don't swing is just silly talkin' - his playing in the first coupla minutes proves it.

[digimaton]

can't agree with you here, what he is playing is intentionally displaced, it's skewed, that's what's great about it, the solo comes in like it was a channel that someone forgot to raise the fader on - it was playing away unheard until that point - and the way he finishes at 6.30 without a clearly stated resolution is my favourite bit of this whole video. I think what he is doing here is very imaginative for the idiom he's working with, and I think thats what Davis was looking for in hiring him.

[keepsanantoniolame]

to be clear, i am not badmouthing jarrett, i am defending him. i like his work here - when i said it was the weakest part (just my personal taste/gut response) i wasn't calling it weak - except that bit around 5:00. the displacement of that section - upon relistening, i agree it's intentional - just don't work for me. sounds like he's on another stage for those 30 seconds & this is coming from one who likes it out & fractured. you can understand why it wouldn't swing in most listeners ears.

[keepsanantoniolame]

we just have to agree to disagree on the finer points - it's fantastic regardless, and thanks for posting it!

[digimaton]

yeah, it is fantastic, no doubt about that! : )

[jonrwert]

@digimaton good call. 

[SuperWoody69]

Truncated, alas.

The players are different from and the the tempo is faster than the LP. Jarret's piano solo here is not as soaring as the simple chording on the LP. Davis sometimes chose his pianists to play the simple chording (e.g., Gil Evans on "Sketches of Spain").

On the whole, very satisfying.

[MEGAMIGA]

Fucking sick!!! Miles was the best!

[greenaether]

Keith is fuckin' crazy weird motherfucker ;-)

[meuamphun]

It is Leon Ndugu Chandler on the drums. Michael Henserson on the bass, Don Alias and M.Foreman at the congas, Gary Bartz sop/alto (note how Kenny garrett was such influencd by him 15 years later!)

I have seen this band in Dietikon Switzerland on 22 October 1971. Music at that time was the most interesting in Miles electric period becaus ethey changes the beat and the tempos, and the music was based mostly on bass guitar motives by Michael Henderson. Great Music far in advance at that time.

[talkingwall]

if you search youtube for Miles Paris 1971 you will find video of the same band (in black and white) the narrator mentions Chancellor about a minute or so into the video (it's in French).

[jassbass1208]

I know Willaim (Billy) Cobham was on the drummer on the studio album.  Could this be a young him?

[talkingwall]

I'm pretty certain that is Ndugu Leon Chancellor. He toured Europe with Miles in 1971 after Jack DeJohnette left. Miles didn't like Chancellor for some reason from what I've read. Cobham was with Mahavishnu at this time.

[jassbass1208]

I was just taking a wild-assed guess. Thanks for correcting me. Does anyone know how to get a copy of this video to play on a DVD player at home?

[talkingwall]

I don't but if you have a notebook PC and both your TV and the notebook have an "S" cable connector, just set your laptop up with 2 montitors in the setting. The right Tivo package will also let you play YouTube on your TV.

[LazarusGordon]

does exist the whole concert in video? what have I to type to find it?

[jaydude214]

is that jack dejohnette on the drums? it doesnt look like him...

[digimaton]

Billy Hart, I think. Definitely not Al Foster or De Johnette, and Hart is the only other drummer who sat in during this period.

[talkingwall]

no he isn't. Leon Chancellor toured Europe with Miles. There was a recording that is available from time-to-time. I'm pretty sure that's Leon. The time frame is exactly right.

[digimaton]

OK I was going by the session info on the Miles Beyond website, but it doesn' t have tour line-ups.

Maybe he's mentioned in the book, he seems to have been interviewed for it.

[talkingwall]

I actually tried doing a web search for Chancellor with Miles but came up with nothing, however, I've read maybe 1/2 dozen books about Miles Davis and Chancellor is definitely the guy who replaced DeJohnette in 1971. There is a video of Miles in Paris 1971 here on Youtube. If you listen closely to the French narrative when he is listing the personnel, you will hear Chancellor's name. There's a lot of guys like Hart who played with Miles but did not record. Miroslav Vitous for example.

[talkingwall]

Chancellor is also on the Miles From India CD - personnel are from Miles alumni combined with Indian musicians.

[LazarusGordon]

my favourite Miles track

[rokniamadeus]

I think the studio version of this song is much better

[digimaton]

better? different, yes. studio version? this was first heard in a recorded format on the release Live Evil which was highlights from gigs at the Cellar Door in 1970, there is no studio version.

[rokniamadeus]

wow

I didn't know that. This made me appreciate it even more. Thank you

[digimaton]

I love the Live Evil recording, but this for me is also awesome.