Average Customer Review: ( 19 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

I am amazed by the transformations in Miles Davis style during his career. (Too bad there wasn't more personality transformation in step with that, but I digress!) The stylistic changes were largely determined by his choice of new bandmates over the years, but also by his own restless quest for originality. To me however, this album represents his greatest work. It isn't the most immediately accessible, and will never be popular like Kind of Blue, or the fusion stage (which seems simplistic in comparison), but it is jazz created by a combination of great intellects who evidently felt their music together as close as a group can. Is is also music that pushes the boundaries of experimentation and creativity, without delving into foolish extremes.

If there's anything lacking in this great live recording, perhaps it's a sense of fun. Nor do these songs move me on an emotional level. I do find these qualites in Kind of Blue and in other of Davis's earlier material. Having said that, perhaps I'll discover these qualities as I continue to listen to this outstanding highlights disc, and as it's depth and complexity continue to grow on me.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Cant have enough listensSep 12, 2002
By Blues Bro "bluesbro"
This is a major work by Miles Davis and band. Actually, this is one of the albums I play the most of him. Every time I listen to it, I just get something new. The music is kind of 'free form', so probably not recommended for someone new to jazz or new to miles. I'd suggest trying Kind of Blue, Miles Ahead, In a silent way, before getting to this one. The remastering is very, very good, and so the sequence of the CD, which takes the best from all performances from Miles at the Plugged Nickel.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Not for EveryoneMar 22, 2007
By Tom "tomintoronto"
The Plugged Nickel sets seem to bring out very strong reactions in people. Some believe the music to be among the most complex and creative of Davis' career; others find it poorly executed and often meandering. Few reviewers note that when Davis recorded this material, he was still recovering from a grueling eight month lay off due to having his hip replaced in the spring. He was still a long, long way away from anything approaching top form technically when he played the Plugged Nickel sets, but he made a virtue out of necessity. To me, lacking resources that he probably once took for granted, he finds another way to play that does not shy away from his limitations but transforms them into fresh ideas and challenging experimentations, reconfiguring his music into a kind of abstract painting in the process. Davis' statements of theme and solos are all angles and fragments and shards, with familiar shapes and patterns often only barely discernible, if at all. Not easy listening by any means, but fascinating and compelling in its own way nonetheless. This is not Miles Davis for everybody, but it is still remarkably acute and probing music.

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:

This is a must for a Davis collectionSep 18, 1998

If you can't afford the complete box set, this is a great substitute. The sonic quality is incredible. It's like you're sitting in the club. The playing is first rate. You can hear people laughing, glasses clinking, and the cash register ringing in the background. Don't hesitate. Buy it.

12 of 15 found the following review helpful:

Good representationJan 27, 2003
By Samuel Chell
I was in the audience during this Chicago stand, and apart from the spectacle of the indomitable Miles (more off the bandstand than on) the recording beats the live performance for one reason: you can hear all the musicians (my table was next to Tony Williams' ride cymbal).

This live date and "Miles Smiles" are, in my opinion, the best by Miles' "second great quintet." And no doubt there are many fans who will not be satisfied by anything less than the complete box set. My hunch is that listeners who prefer this music to the earlier group with Coltrane along with Garland, Evans, or Kelly are likely to have little to no affinity with standards from the "Great American Songbook." In fact, one of the hallmarks of the 2nd quintet is its virtual disregard of the chord progressions to a familiar tune (e.g. "Stella") once the head has been stated. The compensating gain is optimal ensemble interaction, evidenced by rapid, mid-stream changes in tempo, texture, and dynamics. The piano's role is very much like that of a horn, replacing comping and chorded solo structures with fleet, polytonal single-note lines. It can be engaging, even exciting, music, but for this listener it's never warranted much repeating. Nonetheless, some version of this session is probably essential to any complete representation of Miles' career.

See all 19 customer reviews on Amazon.com