Miles Davis - In Person, Friday Nights At The Blackhawk, San Francisco, Vol.II (1961) [2011 SACD]

Originally Columbia 1961Recorded live at Blackhawk, San Francisco, on Friday, April 21
Fabulous live atmosphere, turn the lights down, open a bottle, enjoy. Miles, great, but the bonus is Mobley & Wynton Kelly, a classic live session over 2 nights, released in 2 volumes, Friday Night Vol1 & Saturday Night Vol2.
The 1st of 2 sets recorded during a weekend in 1961 features the Miles Davis Quintet at a period of time when Hank Mobley was on tenor & the rhythm section was comprised of pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, & drummer Jimmy Cobb. What is most remarkable is the way Kelly fits into this particular blend of the Miles band. Kelly’s interplay with Chambers is especially brilliant, because his sense of blues phrasing inside counterpoint harmony is edgy & large, with left-hand chords in the middle register rather than sharp right-hand runs to accentuate choruses. Davis himself has never played with more intensity & muscularity on record than he does here. He is absolutely fierce, both on the Friday night & Saturday night sets. Kelly plays more like a drummer than a pianist, using gorgeously percussive left-hand comps & fills to add bottom to the front line’s solos. Mobley displays his bebop rather than hard bop & groove sides here, & reveals his intricate knowledge of the bop phraseology; he sounds free of the baggage & responsibility that he replaced John Coltrane & Cannonball Adderley. His solos on “If I Were a Bell” & “No Blues” are simply revelatory. This is an under appreciated group because of its relatively short life, but as evidenced here, the band members swung fast & hard & never looked back. Hearing a dropped bass line, an out-of-time cymbal flourish, & a shortened series of phrases by Miles because he miscounted — you guess the track — adds to the charm of this being recorded as it was, without any cleanup. It is difficult to recommend this set over Saturday Night or vice visa; Miles fans will need both to fully appreciate how special this engagement with this particular band was.


Tracks:

1. Well You Needn't
2. Fran-Dance
3. So What
4. Oleo
5. If I Were A Bell
6. Neo

Personnel:

Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Piano – Wynton Kelly
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Miles Davis