DVD Box Set of the Month - "Miles! The Definitive Miles Davis at Montreux"

DVD Box Set of the Month
"Miles! The Definitive Miles Davis at Montreux" (Eagle Vision) 2011

Executive Producers for Miles Davis Properties: Vince Wilburn Jr., Cheryl Davis & Erin Davis
Executive Producer for Montreux Sounds: Claude Nobs
Executive Producers for Eagle Vision: Terry Shand & Geoff Kempin
Design: Nikkie Amouyal - Photos: Edouard Curchod & Georges Braunschweig for GM Press
DTS Digital Surround Sound, Dolby Surround 5.1 and Dolby Stereo
NTSC region 0

Fans have been eagerly waiting for it: the complete collection of Miles Davis' concerts at Montreux (over twenty hours) is finally available. "These live recordings, spanning nearly 30 years, not only show Miles' creativity but also the major influence he had and still has on today's music. I am very proud that by keeping all these recordings through the years and using only direct mixes, the magic of Montreux can be yours now," says Claude Nobs, director and founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival.

A DVD of "highlights" had already been released in July, but this historic 10-DVD, titled "Miles! The Definitive Miles Davis at Montreux" captures all of Miles Davis' performances at the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival between 1973 and 1991, the last being less than three months before his death. It is an unparalleled archive of live Miles Davis performances (total time: 1.092 minutes!) and is now being released on a visual format for the first time ever.

Mastered in DTS Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, this limited issue box will only be manufactured to the tune of 5,000 units. This release – an unparalleled archive of live Miles – comes complete with a 48 page booklet featuring a foreword by Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs, about this most enigmatic, prolific, and important jazz figure of the 20th century.

Although many tunes are repeated across the years, the concerts are strikingly individual with extensive improvisation and frequent rearrangements.

It starts in 1973 when Miles debuts at the festival playing organ and trumpet. Complete with bonus interviews of Nobs, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Jean Luc-Ponty, Al Di Meola, Monty Alexander, Helen Merrill, Betty Carter, Charlie Haden, Gil Goldstein, and Michel Petrucciani, Disc 1 runs over two hours.

It would be 11 years before Miles would grace the Montreux stage again. In 1984, with a seven-piece band (featuring Bob Berg on sax and keyboards, Darryl Jones, now in the Rolling Stones, on bass, John Scofield on guitar and Al Foster on drums), Miles performs 11 pieces stretching out over an hour and a half. The following year, the same lineup would perform the same set but you'd never know it by the way Miles changes up the changes in each song so it never comes out the same way twice.

The two-hour 13-piece '85 set includes material from the "Tribute To Jack Johnson" and "Star People" albums including Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time." In '86, Robben Ford replaces Scofield on guitar. Keyboardist George Duke ("Tutu" and "Splatch") and saxophonist David Sanborn ("Burn," "Portia," and "Jean-Pierre") are special guests.

In 1988, Miles returns for a very special night with saxophonist Kenny Garrett (who can also be heard on the 1990 set) to explore his "In A Silent Way" for the first time in years. The two-hour, 16-piece set is a spellbinder.

In 1989, Chaka Khan adds vocals to "Human Nature" in a fabulous 13-piece 113-minute set (I was there!) that features Rick Margitza on sax (as far as I know, Rick's only performance with Miles ever taped), Kei Akagi and Adam Holzman on keyboards, Foley on lead bass, Benny Rietveld on bass, Ricky Wellman on drums and Munyungo Jackson on percussion.

The final concert, on July 8, 1991, a little under three months before Miles' death, is a haunting 60-minute set previously available on CD and LaserDisc (the total time of the original LaserDisc was 74 minutes, since it included rehearsal takes too), featuring Quincy Jones conducting the Gil Evans Orchestra and George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. On this night, Miles allows himself one small semblance of sentimentality, performing tracks from his legendary collaborations with Gil on the albums "Miles Ahead," "Porgy and Bess" and "Sketches of Spain."

With Miles' philosophy of "never look back" it was extraordinary that he would agree to perform such a show and it was a truly unique occasion captured here for posterity. Miles Davis is undeniably one of the most important and successful jazz figures of the 20th century. This unrivalled DVD box set of his live performances at Montreux is a release to be truly cherished, by far the most important video release of this year.Program/Musicians:
July 8, 1973 - 28 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet, organ; Dave Liebman, tenor sax, soprano sax, flute; Reggie Lucas, guitar; Pete Cosey, guitar, percussion; Michael Henderson, bass; Al Foster, drums; James Mtume, congas, percussion.
1 Ife (28m) plus interviews

July 8, 1984 (Afternoon & Evening) - 98 mins & 109 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet; Bob Berg, sax, keyboards; Robert Irving III, keyboards; John Scofield, guitar; Darryl Jones, bass; Al Foster, drums; Steve Thornton, percussion.

Afternoon (98m)
Speak; That’s What Happened (11 :41); Star People (08.39); What It Is (07 :53); It Gets Better (13 :42); Something’s On Your Mind (11 :07); Time After Time (14 :05); Hopscotch; Star On Cicely (07:08); Bass Solo (1:26); Jean-Pierre (9:53); Lake Geneva (4:06); Something’s On Your Mind (reprise) (7:25)

Evening (109m)
Speak; That’s What Happened (8:12); Star People (9:00); What It Is (9:13); It Gets Better (13:17); Something's On Your Mind (12:49); Time After Time (12:05); Hopscotch; Star On Cicely (7:59); Bass Solo (1:52); Jean Pierre (10:34); Lake Geneva (3:06); Something's On Your Mind (reprise) (9:56); Code MD (6:37)

July 14, 1985 (Afternoon & Evening) - 120 mins & 121 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet; Bob Berg, sax, keyboards; Robert Irving III, keyboards; John Scofield, guitar; Darryl Jones, bass; Vince Wilburn Jr., drums; Steve Thornton, percussion.

Afternoon
Theme From Jack Johnson; One Phone Call/Street Scenes; That`s What Happened (13:30); Star People (6:34); Maze (9:57); Human Nature (5:13); MD 1; Something`s On Your Mind; MD 2 (13:03); Time After Time (8:12); Ms Morrisine (10:32); Code MD (7:51); Pacific Express (14:24); Hopscotch (5:56); You’re Under Arrest (6:46); Jean-Pierre; You’re Under Arrest; Then There Were None (8:02); Decoy (4:20)

Evening
Theme From Jack Johnson; One Phone Call/Street Scenes; That`s What Happened (14:06); Star People (6:14); Maze (11:41); MD 1; Something`s On Your Mind; MD 2 (13:04); Time After Time (11:00); Ms. Morrisine (10:10); Code MD (8:07); Pacific Express (15:07); Hopscotch (7:54); You’re Under Arrest (7:16); Jean-Pierre; You’re Under Arrest; Then There Were None (8:19); Decoy (5:00)

July 17, 1986 - 106 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet, keyboards; Bob Berg, sax; Adam Holzman, keyboards; Robert Irving III, keyboards; Robben Ford, guitar; Felton Crews, bass; Vincent Wilburn Jr., drums; Steve Thornton, percussion. Special guests: George Duke, synthesizer on "Tutu" & "Splatch"; David Sanborn, alto sax on "Burn", "Portia" & "Jean-Pierre"

Theme From Jack Johnson; One Phone Call/Street Scenes; That’s What Happened (9:12); New Blues (8:57); Maze (07:05); Human Nature (8:27); Wrinkle (10:40); Tutu (6:46); Splatch (11:07); Time After Time (8:15); Al Jarreau (6:14); Carnival Time (4:11); Burn (8:09); Portia (6:52); Jean-Pierre (9:13)

July 7, 1988 - 130 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet, keyboards; Kenny Garrett, sax; Robert Irving III, keyboards; Adam Holzman, keyboards; Foley, lead bass; Benny Rietveld, bass; Ricky Wellman, drums; Marilyn Mazur, percussion.

In A Silent Way (0:56); Intruder (5:09); New Blues (6:52); Perfect Way (4:52); The Senate; Me & U (9:06); Human Nature (12:46); Wrinkle (8:27); Tutu (10:58); Time After Time (7:52); Movie Star (4:27); Splatch (9:09); Heavy Metal Prelude (5:07); Heavy Metal (6:12); Carnival Time (13:39); Jean-Pierre (7:26); Tomaas (11:09)

July 21, 1989 - 113 mins (I was there!)
Miles Davis, trumpet, keyboards; Rick Margitza, tenor sax; Kei Akagi, keyboards; Adam Holzman, keyboards; Foley, lead bass; Benny Rietveld, bass; Ricky Wellman, drums; Munyungo Jackson, percussion. Special guest: Chaka Khan, vocals on "Human Nature".

Intruder (5:40); New Blues (12:04); Perfect Way (6:29); Hannibal (10:29); Human Nature (10:40); Mr Pastorius (4:21); Tutu (13:01); Jilli (6:09); Time After Time (10:17); Jo Jo (5:18); The Senate; Me & You (11:41); Wrinkle (6:28); Portia (7:58)

July 20, 1990 - 93 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet; Kenny Garrett, sax; Kei Akagi, keyboards; Foley, lead bass; Richard Patterson, bass; Ricky Wellman, drums; Erin Davis, percussion.
Hannibal (10:32); The Senate; Me & U (10:40); In The Night (3:06); Human Nature (12:48); Time After Time (9:01); Wrinkle (7:58); Tutu (13:18); Don’t Stop Me Now (11:06); Carnival Time (13:27)

July 8, 1991 - 60 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet. Quincy Jones, conductor. Soloists: Kenny Garrett, alto sax; Wallace Roney, trumpet, flugelhorn. With the Gil Evans Orchestra and the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. Additional musicians: Benny Bailey, trumpet, flugelhorn; Carles Benavent, bass, electric bass on "The Pan Piper" and "Solea", Grady Tate, drums.
Miles Davis, trumpet. Quincy Jones, conductor. Soloists: Kenny Garrett, alto sax; Wallace Roney, trumpet & flugelhorn.
The Gil Evans Orchestra: Lew Soloff, trumpet; Miles Evans, trumpet; Tom Malone, trombone; Alex Foster, alto sax & soprano sax, flute; George Adams, tenor sax & flute; Gil Goldstein, keyboards; Delmar Brown, keyboards; Kennwood Dennard, drums on "Orgone," percussion on other tracks.
The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band: George Gruntz, piano, leader; Marvin Stamm, trumpet, flugelhorn; John D’earth, trumpet, flugelhorn; Jack Walrath, trumpet, flugelhorn; John Clark, french horn; Tom Varner, french horn; Dave Bargeron, euphonium, trombone; Earl McIntyre, euphonium, trombone; Dave Taylor, bass trombone; Howard Johnson, tuba, baritone sax; Sal Giorgianni, alto sax; Bob Malach, tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Larry Schneider, tenor sax, oboe, flute, clarinet; Jerry Bergonzi, tenor sax; Mike Richmond, bass; John Riley, drums, percussion.

Introduction by Claude Nobs & Quincy Jones (7:18); Boplicity (3:32); Maids Of Cadiz (3:38); The Duke (3:58); My Ship (4:14); Miles Ahead (3:39); Blues For Pablo (5:38); Orgone (3:50); Gone, Gone, Gone (1:48); Summertime (2:47); Here Come De Honey Man (3:33); The Pan Piper (1:40); Solea (11:10)