Published on Jul 18, 1999
The older I get, the more I truly grow to appreciate jazz. I
love the unbridled, unscripted feeling of the music, though chances
are the music is often very carefully arranged to get that sort of
feeling. I don’t claim to be any expert on the subject, but the
more I listen to artists like Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, the
more I find myself picking up their albums in my trips to the music
store.
Had it not been for Davis, jazz probably would not have evolved
to the music form it is today. His unique style of trumpet playing,
and his uncanny knack of working with only the best in the
business, helped raise people’s awareness of jazz to the point
where, in the early ’70s, Davis and his style of “cool jazz” was
reshaping the music scene.
The Best Of The Miles Davis Quintet (1965-1968) is a
highlight disc from the six-CD box set that should make anyone who
is even remotely interested in jazz very hungry to hear as much of
Davis’s work as they can. If you don’t have the cash to fork over
for the complete box set, or you just want a taste of how
remarkable this line-up was, then this is the disc to own.
Comprised of nine tracks (including two alternate takes found
only on the box set), Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron
Carter and Tony Williams all had to have known that they were
creating something very special in this music. Hancock (who the
MTV-generation knew thanks to his “Rockit” video) demonstrates just
how magical of a pianist he was – and still is today. Hearing the
frantic fretting of Carter’s bass work and the fills Williams
played on the drums raises the listener’s pulse rate almost to the
point where your heart is beating in time with the music. Shorter’s
saxophone work melts together with Davis’s horn; together, this
quintet is almost unstoppable.
“E.S.P.,” the title track from the album of the same name, kicks
things off solidly, working its way into a frenzied rhythm that you
hope will never end. Of course, when it finally does, it leads the
listener into “Eighty-One,” another track that should get your toes
tapping to the beat.
There are only two mis-steps on
The Best Of The Miles Davis Quintet (1965-1968), and I’m
sure jazz purists will disagree with me on these. “Circle” is a
little too slow for my tastes, and reminds me of the slower, more
methodical work of John Zorn and Naked City (who came around two
decades after these sessions). “Nefertiti” also doesn’t pique my
interest, seeming like it’s just a little too repetitive. (There
still is some promise in both tracks, meaning I wouldn’t make a
dive for the “skip track” button on the CD player when these came
on.)
But, for the most part, this disc captures everything good
musically about this group. “Gingerbread Boy,” “Masqualero” and the
alternate take of “Country Son” just blow me away every time they
come on the speakers, and I’m sure they’ll do the same to you.
After listening to this disc, you might wonder what’s your next
musical step when it comes to Davis’s work. If you, like me, love
this disc, you might wish to pick up albums like
E.S.P.,
Miles Smiles,
Sorcerer or
Nefertiti, where these tracks (except for the alternate
takes) can be originally found. Or, you might want to do some
free-lance Davis surfing (the only other Davis album I have waiting
for me in the wings is
Sketches Of Spain). Whatever the case, this disc is a
wonderful place to start your musical journey – and it just might
have me plunking down $90 for the box set in the near future.