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58 of 59 found the following review helpful:
 It's Very Good, But Buy One of the New, Improved VersionsSep 19, 2004
By Buddy Bolden
The title notwithstanding, this is not in fact the "complete" concert; it's missing "Autumn Leaves." Additionally, the tracks are not sequenced as they were actually played, but as they appeared on the two original LP releases, "My Funny Valentine" and "Four and More." This is unfortunate, because while the actual concert was well paced, with a nicely varied mix of different tempos and song forms, in producing the LPs Columbia elected to put almost all of the ballads on "My Funny Valentine" (disc one here) and almost all of the up-tempo numbers on "Four and More" (disc two). To my ears, the homogenization that this arrangement entails dilutes the impact of the music somewhat.
The new version of this concert that appears as part of the seven-CD boxed set, "Seven Steps," (released in September 2004) includes "Autumn Leaves," sequences the songs in the order in which they were performed, and has been remastered to improve the sound. Unfortunately, while Sony is now preparing separate reissues of the individual albums that make up the "Seven Steps" boxed set, it appears that there are no immediate plans to issue an updated version of "The Complete Concert"; instead, they are releasing remastered editions of the original single albums, "My Funny Valentine" and "Four and More."
Therefore, the best way to hear this music would be 1) to buy the "Seven Steps" boxed set, assuming you can afford it and are interested in the other material it includes; or 2) get the new, remastered versions of the "My Funny Valentine" and "Four and More" albums.
For those who don't have the box set and would like to listen to an approximation of the concert as it was actually played, you can program your CD player to play the tracks in the following order: "Intro by Mort Fega," "So What," "Stella by Starlight," "Walkin'," "All of You," "Go-Go (Theme and Announcement)," "All Blues," "My Funny Valentine," "Joshua," "I Thought About You," "Four," "Seven Steps to Heaven," "There is No Greater Love," "Go-Go (Theme and Re-introduction)."
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 on fireSep 24, 2000
By Sean M. Kelly
The story goes that Miles' more or less agreed to waive his normal fees for this concert and contribte all proceeds to charity. While this probably didn't matter much to Miles in terms of the money lost, it certainly must have for Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and the still teenaged drum prodigy Tony Williams, fresh from playing with Sam Rivers' group.It's apparent from the start that the uneasiness of the evening translated into some of the most explosive live jazz ever laid down, with Williams' flailing away on his drums, getting more excitable, faster, and probably doing so just to see if Miles can keep up. Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock certainly had no problem doing so, and, to his credit, neither did Miles. The other apparent point in the show was that tenor sax player George Coleman didn't fit in the new group, even though he played, as some said, the best gig of his life. Coleman was on Miles transitional "Seven Steps to Heaven" lp the year before, as Miles was putting together a new group after Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Wynton Kelly (who would all form the Wynton Kelly Trio) and saxophonist Hank Mobley (who replaced Sonny Stitt who replaced John Coltrane) all left the group. (This concert was in fact the last gig Coleman would play with the band- Sam Rivers would replace him briefly, before Wayne Shorter would leave the Jazz Messengers and join the band, thus completing the 2nd great quintet) Despite of, or because of, the tensions in the group, these live sides are some of the most ferocious ever laid down on vinyl, and are a necessary part of any jazz fan's collection.
24 of 26 found the following review helpful:
AwesomeDec 26, 2001
By Kenneth James Michael MacLean
This recording is one of the best jazz recordings of all time. It certainly is the best live recording I've ever heard. The liner notes to this CD recall that this 1964 concert was performed during the height of the civil rights movement. It was a benefit to register black voters in Louisiana and Mississippi. Miles decided that all of the musicians would play for free and donate, as a group, all proceeds to the movement. Backstage, some of the band members were ...[ticked] off big-time -- it was typical of Miles that he never even consulted them beforehand, but told them shortly before they were to appear on-stage. These guys came out and just literally blew the roof right off of the Lincoln Center. Everyone was hacked off, but it generated an explosive energy that each musician channeled positively into his instrument. I mean these cats just CHARGED into "So What", then sprinted through "Walkin", the 19 year-old Tony Williams back there just driving everybody to greater and greater heights. They kept it up through an inspired rendition of "Joshua", then took a break. After that break, there was no let up. They took off on "Four" and played "seven steps to heaven" like it was their very lives at stake. Ron Carter is back there walking so hard his fingers must have been falling off. During the last cut on disk 2, the band began to settle down a little, and then came out after intermission with a beautiful set of ballads. Tony Williams never liked George Coleman much, but George plays so beautifully on this date even Tony couldn't be unhappy. The two disks are both awesome, and the recording itself is technically excellent, all of the musicians can be heard pefectly.
The ballads on disc 1 are played with such feeling and deftness, it is just an absolute pleasure to listen. It is an honor, really, to be able to hear world-class musicians at the absolute top of their form. This concert is not to be missed by any true jazz lover. It is a combination of ultimate hard driving swing and beautiful ballad. The price for this great concert is ludicrous -- $... It's almost an insult to this great music, but you gotta take advantage of this. I remember I paid a lot more a while back for this 2 CD set. If you want to enjoy jazz at its finest, get this CD.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
The music is fantastic!Jun 27, 1998
The music probably deserves five stars, especially young Tony Williams pushing all the musicians to the very edge on some cuts. On the softer tunes, Miles Davis proves once again he is the true master of the ballad. My only complaint: Columbia does it's usual inadequate job in post-production--they didn't even take the time to edit out the duplicated announcements (from the two seperate records). When one looks at what a great job Fantasy/OJC or Bluenote does on their re-issues, it makes the overpriced Columbia reissues pale in comparison.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
IF NOT HERE--MAYBE YOU NEVER WILL.Nov 16, 2004
By Crabby Apple Mick Lee
This is a wonderful album and has to rank as one of the most extraordinary "live" recordings of its time. Most "live" recordings in the 1960's sounded like the microphone was stuffed in a shoebox and sitting on the other side of a lake from the band. But it appears that the engineers at Columbia came up with a microphone arrangement that really worked-at least for acoustic jazz.
Part of the context that is lost (and the liner notes makes no mention of it) is that these performances take place just a few months after President John Kennedy was assassinated. The shock and grief that followed the killing plunged the whole nation into a dark sadness that carried through the Christmas holidays and New Year's. By the time Miles and company took the stage at the Lincoln Center the country was more than ready to shed its funereal clothes to live life again. (This is also the context from which the Beatles burst into American imaginations from their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.) The audience was eager to grasp the joy of life and Miles fed off his audience to play beyond his usual high standards.
The first disc features the slower, bluesier numbers while the second disc has the faster and more exciting tunes. Several critics have complained that Mils actual concert was not so divided and was actually more varied and mixed up. If that concerns you, there are plenty of sites on the Internet that can advise you of the proper sequencing of all the selections on this CD set. Speaking for myself, I am quite pleased with the arrangement of all the pieces as they are on THE COMPLETE CONCERT 1964.
Not enough credit can be given to a young Tony Williams to set the character of these performances as he drives the drums with exceptional excellence. Herbie Hancock shows that he could put on quite a show without all the electronic "gee-wiz" he came to love latter. Ron Carter more than kept up with his able bass (the CD edition keeps his presence sweet and audible-he was practically a ghost employee on LP editions.) George Coleman plays the best saxophone of his life and shows his excellent taste and intuitive support for Miles' ferocious groove and swing. (Yes, I agree Wayne Shorter is a better musician; but that is no reason to retroactively dump on Coleman).
Miles and company took the moment and made it theirs. They sounded like only a band fresh in the relief from a profound funk can. This is a great album and a great place to fall in love with jazz. Buy it. If you don't suddenly understand what jazz is all about here-maybe you never will.
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