Miles Davis Quintet: The Unissued Japanese Concerts (2LP, 180g) [HALF NELSON]

Why you'll love it

This 2LP set on 180g vinyl gathers two July 1964 shows from Davis's first tour of Japan. It catches the brief Sam Rivers chapter of the quintet, with Hancock, Carter and Williams already locking into the rhythm section that would define the decade.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 180g vinyl
• Gatefold jacket

About the album

Summer 1964 found Miles Davis between saxophonists and halfway round the world. George Coleman had moved on, Wayne Shorter hadn't yet signed up, and so Sam Rivers, a Boston firebrand with a taste for the outer edges, took the tenor chair for a run of dates in Japan. These recordings come from Tokyo on July 12 and Kyoto on July 15.

The set list leans on the band's favourites, but nothing sits still. "So What" and "Walkin'" go off at a sprint, Tony Williams (all of 18 at the time) pushing everything forward, while "Autumn Leaves" and "Stella By Starlight" give Herbie Hancock room to stretch out and Ron Carter room to steer. Rivers brings a restless, searching tenor to "If I Were A Bell" and "Oleo," and the quintet closes with a fierce "Seven Steps To Heaven."

Jazzwise gave the material four stars and called Rivers the most distinctive tenor voice beside Davis since Coltrane. Within a few months Shorter arrived and the second great quintet was complete, which makes these two nights a rather good postcard from the bit just before.

Also at Kops: more Miles Davis on vinyl · browse Classic Jazz

Tracklist

Listen

On Half Nelson (cat# 44001).