Black Beauty: Live at the Fillmore West

Occupation

Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West is a jazz album by Miles Davis. It contains a live recording from April 10, 1970 from the concert hall Fillmore West in San Francisco and was then released in 1977 on Sony the Japanese offshoot of Columbia Records.

Background to the album

Clive Davis, then president of his record company, Columbia was able to persuade the trumpeter to take also act as before in small clubs in larger venues, such as the New York Fillmore East before rock audience; May 6 In 1970, there there to a strange appearance, because the program compilation also included the Steve Miller Band and Neil Young's band Crazy Horse. With this Davis ' band were Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, and Wayne Shorter; However, this left the Davis band shortly after this gig to start with Joe Zawinul fusion band Weather Report. For him, Miles took the young, influenced by John Coltrane saxophonist Steve Grossman and put the new formation in April 1970 in "Rock Temple " Fillmore West in San Francisco. At the same time his epochal fusion album Bitches Brew was released. However, at that time was in Miles Davis ' music of rock influences to feel little, noted Davis ' biographer Peter Wießmüller this on, " on the other hand he astonished his audience for the first time on the background of percussion spell with completely free-form sections. "

A little later he persuaded the young pianist Keith Jarrett, to expand his ensemble septet and entered in June 1970 at New York's Fillmore East; the concert recording was released under the title Miles Davis at Fillmore.

The music of the album

"With Miles to make at this time music was a lot of fun and experimentation. He always found ways and they make for interesting to us. When the band appeared, Miles never took long breaks between the pieces; he only played a few notes of the next song, he wanted to play, and the band should then slide into there. This helped the band and the audience to concentrate the constant change that always occurred when the group was playing. Sometimes were Miles ' concerts as one long suite, a concept that previously was used only in classical music. "

The Black Beauty album begins with the Joe Zawinul composition " Directions"; it contains a lengthy solo by Steve Grossman on soprano, framed by the abstract function of the abbreviations played by Chick Corea electric piano, which then appends his improvisations.

Corea brittle, metallic sound on the Fender piano forms the sonic background for live recording; Peter Wießmüller wrote: Chick Corea " confident in the abstract sections again and again in the blistering intensity with new ideas ." The Davis biographer Eric Nisenson states that Corea on the first unloved instrument " began to play solos that sounded like electronic versions of Cecil Taylor's atonal Donner ( ... ) Miles was interested in the sonic possibilities of these instruments, particularly in connection with the quasi - rock beat, which he used more often. "

The subsequent "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" away in its design greatly from the original version of Bitches Brew album; Grossman and Corea have here great solo freedoms for extended improvisations. The bandleader takes in sections always come back and points his instrument tempo changes to. Miles Davis returns in the funky " Willie Nelson ", his solo versions are answered by Corea's electric piano in call and response - style of play. The finally oppose Dave Holland and Corea, the " Willie Nelson " theme and play it through until Corea begins a shrill - metallic solo. . Silitischen a slot - almost as a point of rest after Corea's attacks - is the standard " I Fall in Love So Easily " Jule Styne of / Sammy Cahn; Miles continues the theme with the more played riff of " Willie Nelson ", with which he brings the musical activities of the rhythm section to a halt. His solo is accompanied only by Corea's electric piano hints.

Right after that the trumpet intones the ( from Bitches Brew derived ) " Sanctuary " theme, the composer Wayne Shorter him. Grossman and Davis work the themes from variations in unison; they open " into a fantastic, communicative phrasing between trumpet and electric piano ," said Peter Wießmüller to " Sanctuary ," which he considers to be the highlight of the live recording, " the following soprano solo, the whole group plays in a heady groove until the ostinato bass figure carries over to the contemplative " it's About Time did ." From "Sanctuary" gets the concert suites a character which runs through until the end.

After " It's About Time did ," which was originally written from In a Silent Way, begins a rendition of " Bitches Brew "; the variant to the title track of the album, released at the same time then removed rapidly from the template. The title is taken from Corea's electric piano attacks before the actual Bitches Brew by Miles Davis theme is introduced briefly, and he launches into his improvisation. Steve Grossman follows him in the play session -like scale; eight minutes signaled Miles a change of pace, Chick Corea has a final solo, as Miles resumes and eventually leads to Shorter's " Masqualero " and thus attracts the pace. The trumpeter plays the subject only briefly, has a short solo before Grossman to join him. Similar to " Masqualero " is the last piece of the concert recording "Spanish Key ," also designed quite abstract from Bitches Brew opposite the Studio template; with a short " Theme" Miles signaled the band the end of the concert.

Album Review

Eric Nisenson emphasizes the influence of the Brazilian percussionist Airto to Miles Davis ' music; " Airtos game on countless South American rhythm instruments mingled well with the electronic effects. Airto Moreira filled the open spaces and could literally, often produce with everything with any objects that he found on the street, interesting and often bizarre sounds. "

The critics Richard Cook & Brian Morton, that gave the recording in the Penguin Guide to Jazz is the second highest rating, Notes and the music that " Bitches Brew formula is expanded with lively rhythms and staccato trumpet stitches ". Scott Yanow noted in the All Music Guide, which gave the album 4 stars, the perfect embodiment of the abstract topics against the predecessors In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, and criticized the fact that the band members sometimes get lost in the maelstrom. Latest from the medley of " Sanctuary " to " It's About That Time "; " Bitches Brew "; " Masqualero " and the final " Spanish Key / The Theme " missing Scott Yanow in the abstract system of the title harmonies, and often loose concept design of the melodies. The young Grossman show in his game a little overwhelmed, because he meant to have in every solo show everything that he could. Nevertheless, it was an impressive document of a band that plays with a large force, but their music does not quite understand.

Title

The original double album from 1977 (CBS Sony SOPI 39-40 ), which is used for Columbia Records to fill the annual retreat of the trumpeter ( 1975-1981 ) with old publications, also declined detailed track information and numbered the pieces Black Beauty by the plate sides by. Only the new edition of CD form offered an exact title list with composition evidence.

Disc one

1 Directions ( Zawinul ) - 10:46 2 Miles Runs the Voodoo Down ( Davis) - 12:22 3 Willie Nelson ( Davis) - 6:23 4 I Fall in Love Too Easily ( Cahn- Styne ) - 1:35 5 Sanctuary ( Shorter) - 4:01 6 It's About That Time ( Davis) - 9:59

Disc two

1 Bitches Brew ( Davis) - 12:53 2 Masqualero ( Shorter) - 9:07 3 Spanish Key / The Theme ( Davis) - 12:14

Record label Genre Steve Grossman (saxophonist) The Fillmore Call and response (music) Richard Cook (journalist)
130311
de