September 1964 - The Second Great Quintet is solidified
In late 1964, Miles Davis is 38, Wayne Shorter is 33, Ron Carter is 29, Herbie Hancock is 24, Tony Williams is almost 19.
In 1963, Miles' rhythm section of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb departed and were replaced by pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and 17 year old drummer Tony Williams.
By the end of the summer, Davis had persuaded Wayne Shorter to leave Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and join the quintet. Shorter became the group's principal composer, and some of his compositions of this era (including "Footprints" and "Nefertiti") have become standards. While on tour in Europe, the group quickly made their first official recording, Miles in Berlin (September 1964).
By the end of the summer, Davis had persuaded Wayne Shorter to leave Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and join the quintet. Shorter became the group's principal composer, and some of his compositions of this era (including "Footprints" and "Nefertiti") have become standards. While on tour in Europe, the group quickly made their first official recording, Miles in Berlin (September 1964).
By the time of E.S.P. (1965), Davis's lineup consisted of Wayne Shorter (saxophone), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums). The last of his acoustic bands, this group is often referred to as the "second great quintet".
A
two-night Chicago performance in late 1965 is captured on The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965,
released in 1995. Unlike their studio albums, the live engagement shows the
group still playing primarily standards and bebop tunes. Although some of the
titles remain the same as the tunes played by the 1950s quintet, the quick
tempos and musical departure from the framework of the tune are dramatic. It
could be said that these live performances of standards are as radical as the
studio recordings of new compositions on the albums listed below.
It was followed by a series of studio recordings: Miles Smiles (1966), Sorcerer (1967), Nefertiti (1967). The quintet's approach to improvisation came to be known as "time no changes" or "freebop," because they abandoned the more conventional chord-change-based approach of bebop for a modal approach. Through Nefertiti, the studio recordings consisted primarily of originals composed by Shorter, with occasional compositions by the other sidemen. In 1967, the group began to play their live concerts in continuous sets, each tune flowing into the next, with only the melody indicating any sort of demarcation. Davis's bands would continue to perform in this way until his retirement in 1975.
Studio albums:
Miles Smiles (1966) (16:00)
A critic praised the quintet's "mastery of sensitive interaction" and wrote that they "must be one of the most beautifully integrated groups ever to play jazz". He noted that "Every man is listening intently at all times, responding sensitively to mutual hints and directions", and stated "The empathy between Carter, Williams and Hancock, the way they anticipate each other, push each other, support each other, and phrase together - all this without a sign of strain - is really amazing".
He cited the Davis-penned "Circle" as the album's highlight and wrote that the composition "defines the excellence of the group... a masterpiece"
Circle (6:00) (Miles Davis) - Hancock's piano playing
Footprints (9:45) (Wayne Shorter) - William's drumming, the flexible rhythms
Wayne Shorter's composition "Footprints" appears on his earlier album Adam's Apple, but on Miles Smiles, the correlation between African-based 12/8 (or 6/8), and 4/4 is playfully explored. Drummer Tony Williams freely moves from swing, to the three-over-two cross rhythm—and to its 4/4 correlative. The rhythmic approach of Williams, and bassist Ron Carter, strongly suggests compound duple meter (12/8), rather than triple meter (3/4), because the ground of four main beats is maintained throughout the piece. The bass switches to 4/4 at 2:20. Carter’s 4/4 figure is known as ‘’tresillo’’ in Afro-Cuban music and is the duple-pulse correlative of the 12/8 figure. This may have been the first overt expression of systemic, African-based cross-rhythm used by a straight ahead jazz group. During Davis’s first trumpet solo, Williams shifts to a 4/4 jazz ride pattern while Carter continues the 12/8 bass line. The following example shows the 12/8 and 4/4 forms of the bass line. The slashed noteheads indicate the main beats (not bass notes), where one ordinarily taps their foot to "keep time."
Prince of Darkness (6:30) (Shorter)
Nefertiti (1968) (8:00) Mile's last all-acoustic album
Nefertiti (8:00) (Shorter)
Miles in the Sky (1968) (13:00)
Stuff (17:00) (Davis) Hancock & Carter, electric instruments
Paraphernalia (12:30) (Shorter) w/ George Benson, guitar
Black Comedy (7:30) (Tony Williams)
Live Performances:
Live at the Teatro Dell'Arte, Milan, Italy (1964 TV broadcast) (59:00)
1. Autumn Leaves (13:42)
2. My Funny Valentine (12:01)
3. All Blues (13:40)
4. All of You (10:38)
5. Joshua (9:11)
'Round Midnight, 1965 (8:00)
Live in Germany & Sweden, 1967 (1:05:30)
1. Agitation (7:55)
2. Footprints (6:00)
3. (more...)
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