Track Listing

1. In a Silent Way
2. Intruder
3. New Blues
4. Human Nature
5. Mr. Pastorius
6. Amandla
7. Wrinkle
8. Tutu
9. Full Nelson
10. Time After Time
11. Hannibal

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42733 in Music
• Released on: 1996-05-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com
The body of work Davis created in his 40-plus years of recording makes the word "incomparable" grossly inadequate. So, it should be no surprise that these live recordings, drawn from the last three years of his life, are nothing short of remarkable. This collection highlights Davis's funkier 80s repertoire. From the laid back groove of "Mr. Pastorius" to the driving rhythms of "Wrinkle," this was Davis redefining jazz. Even more remarkably, it was all recorded digitally in stereo with no remixes, no overdubs, and a sound so perfect that most musicians couldn't match those standards in a studio. The album's closing version of "Hannibal" was drawn from Davis's final performance, giving both the already haunting composition and the entire album an added poignancy. Jazz doesn't get much better than Davis, and live recordings don't get much better than this. --Bill Snyder

Customer Reviews

A fine overview of Davis' last years.
Miles Davis' last decade is often maligned-- usually on the basis of "The Man With the Horn" (Davis' 1981 return to music after a six year hiatus)-- and dismissed as a period of Davis coasting. This assertion is really quite unfair-- admittedly "The Man With the Horn" isn't exactly the most stunning piece of music ever recorded, but Davis produced a substantial amount of music in his later years that really is unfairly dismissed. While his early recordings in the '80s flirted primarily with pop forms, his late '80s recording found him performing in a logical extension of his followers in the fusion movement. This is probably best illustrated in his live performances, and "Live Around the World", culled from shows between 1988 and 1991 is probably the best example of this.

Davis as always surrounded himself with the best young performers on the scene-- contributions in this set come from (among others) Kenny Garrett, Foley, Adam Holzman, Joey DeFrancesco, Ricky Wellman, Robert Irving III and Marilyn Mazur. The band sets up a highly modern framework on which the lead voices can sit-- modern beats, synthesizers and electic bass all swirl in the mix. It's quite unlike what the preconceived notion of jazz is-- on the other hand, virtually every music Davis was involved in was far from the then-preconceived notion of jazz, and fifteen years after his death, it seems this period in his career is finally beginning to get reevaluated.

The performances themselves are largely pieces from his Warner Brothers records-- Davis' playing is remarkably agile and excited, and his band is really made up of superb performers. Of particular revelation is the work of Wellman and Foley, both of whom provide enormously flexible voices and prove capable of stealing the show from the leader. Davis' playing admittedly isn't as powerful as it had been in the past, but he was still more than capable of powerful and sensitive balladry ("Time After Time"), funky explosiveness ("Intruder") and enormous presence ("Tutu").

This is not the kind of music Davis was playing in the '50s or '60s (or for that matter the '70s), but it's certainly good music, and these performances are superb. I always find that approaching a live record as a compilation of multiple shows sacrifices an irreplacable ebb and flow for quality of performance, and I can't really bring myself to think of assembled records like this as five star pieces, but this one is awfully good. Highly recommended.

If I only had one CD while lost on an island - this is it.
The music is representative of Miles' driving electronic/bop era along with some heart/soul searching ballads. (If you love Miles' music you'll cry during Time After Time.)

I have every Miles CD/album that I can find. I was blessed to see him perform live several times in the late 80's and early 90's in various venues around the country (New York, Newport, Cleveland).

Miles' career spanned and encompassed most all forms of jazz with himself defining the way since the early 50's after the be-bop era.

This album documents his concerts around the world during his last few years. It is from a collection of live DAT recordings representing the best-of-the-best. The quality is outstanding.

Kenny Garrett (saxophone) is absolutely possessed during his solo on Human Nature, and you can hear Miles' congratulate him afterwards. It was always unusual to ever hear Miles' speak during a performance.

Maybe I enjoy the CD so much because it is from the same music he played when I saw him play. This is a great CD filled with intense energy and deep emotion.

You'll enjoy this collection of historic recordings Live Around The World.

We Want Miles!
Buy this and We Want Miles if you want a true taste of the Miles Davis experience from the 80s. His studio work during this era just didn't cut it. It was too mechanical and not enough guts. These live versions kick ass. They give the music life and allow the songs to breathe. Are there any other good live Miles discs from the 80s?