Live-Evil is one of Miles Davis' most confusing and illuminating documents.… Read Full Bio ↴Live-Evil is one of Miles Davis' most confusing and illuminating documents.
-- Thom Jurek (AMG) 4,5/5 Stars --
As a double album, it features very different settings of his band -- and indeed two very different bands. The double-LP / CD package is an amalgam of a December 19, 1970, gig at the Cellar Door, which featured a band comprised of Miles, bassist Michael Henderson, drummer Jack DeJohnette, guitarist John McLaughlin, saxophonist Gary Bartz, Keith Jarrett on organ, and percussionist Airto Moreira.
These tunes show a septet that grooved hard and fast, touching on the great funkiness that would come on later. But they are also misleading in that McLaughlin only joined the band for this night of a four-night stand; he wasn't really a member of the band at this time. Therefore, as fine and deeply lyrically grooved-out as these tracks are, they feel just a bit stiff -- check any edition of this band without him and hear the difference.
The other band on these discs was recorded in Columbia's Studio B and subbed Ron Carter or Dave Holland on bass, added Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on electric pianos, dropped the guitar on "Selim" and "Nem Um Talvez," and subbed Steve Grossman over Gary Bartz while adding Hermeto Pascoal on percussion and drums in one place ("Selim"). In fact, these sessions were recorded earlier than the live dates, the previous June in fact, when the three-keyboard band was beginning to fall apart. Why the discs were not issued separately or as a live disc and a studio disc has more to do with Miles' mind than anything else. As for the performances, the live material is wonderfully immediate and fiery: "Sivad," "Funky Tonk," and "What I Say" all cream with enthusiasm, even if they are a tad unsure of how to accommodate McLaughlin. Of the studio tracks, only "Little Red Church" comes up to that level of excitement, but the other tracks, particularly "Gemini / Double Image," have a winding, whirring kind of dynamic to them that seems to turn them back in on themselves, as if the band was really pushing in a free direction that Miles was trying to rein in. It's an awesome record, but it's because of its flaws rather than in spite of them. This is the sound of transition and complexity, and somehow it still grooves wonderfully.
Track Listing
Disc 1
1 -- Sivad (Davis) -- 15:13
2 -- Little Church (Pascoal) -- 3:14
3 -- Medley: Gemini / Double Image (Davis, Zawinul) -- 5:53
4 -- What I Say (Davis) -- 21:09
5 -- Nem Um Talvez (Davis) -- 4:03
Disc 2
1 -- Selim (Davis) -- 2:21
2 -- Funky Tonk (Davis) -- 23:26
3 -- Inamorata and Narration by Conrad Roberts (Davis) -- 26:29
Credits
Rene Arsenault -- Assistant Producer, Production Assistant
Khalil Balakrishna -- Sitar (Electric)
Gary Bartz -- Liner Notes, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Bob Belden -- Producer, Reissue Producer
John Berg -- Cover Design, Design
Steven Berkowitz -- Reissue Series
Ron Carter -- Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Hope Chasin -- Packaging Manager
Billy Cobham -- Drums
Chick Corea -- Piano (Electric)
Miles Davis -- Trumpet
Jack DeJohnette -- Drums
Kevin Gore -- Reissue Series
Steve Grossman -- Sax (Soprano)
Herbie Hancock -- Keyboards, Piano (Electric)
Michael Henderson -- Bass (Electric), Guitar (Bass)
Dave Holland -- Bass, Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
Don Hunstein -- Photography
Keith Jarrett -- Keyboards, Organ, Piano (Electric)
Mati Klarwein -- Illustrations
Teo Macero -- Producer
Randall Martin -- Design, Reissue Design
Abdul Mati -- Artwork, Cover Art
John McLaughlin -- Guitar
Airto Moreira -- Percussion
Hermeto Pascoal -- Drums, Piano (Electric), Vocals, Voices, Whistle (Human)
Russ Payne -- Mixing
Conrad Roberts -- Narrator
Seth Rothstein -- Project Director
Tom "Curly" Ruff -- Digital Mastering, Mastering
Cozbi Sanchez-Cabrera -- Art Direction
Wayne Shorter -- Sax (Soprano)
Stanley Tonkel -- Engineer
Joe Zawinul -- Piano (Electric)
-- Thom Jurek (AMG) 4,5/5 Stars --
As a double album, it features very different settings of his band -- and indeed two very different bands. The double-LP / CD package is an amalgam of a December 19, 1970, gig at the Cellar Door, which featured a band comprised of Miles, bassist Michael Henderson, drummer Jack DeJohnette, guitarist John McLaughlin, saxophonist Gary Bartz, Keith Jarrett on organ, and percussionist Airto Moreira.
These tunes show a septet that grooved hard and fast, touching on the great funkiness that would come on later. But they are also misleading in that McLaughlin only joined the band for this night of a four-night stand; he wasn't really a member of the band at this time. Therefore, as fine and deeply lyrically grooved-out as these tracks are, they feel just a bit stiff -- check any edition of this band without him and hear the difference.
The other band on these discs was recorded in Columbia's Studio B and subbed Ron Carter or Dave Holland on bass, added Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on electric pianos, dropped the guitar on "Selim" and "Nem Um Talvez," and subbed Steve Grossman over Gary Bartz while adding Hermeto Pascoal on percussion and drums in one place ("Selim"). In fact, these sessions were recorded earlier than the live dates, the previous June in fact, when the three-keyboard band was beginning to fall apart. Why the discs were not issued separately or as a live disc and a studio disc has more to do with Miles' mind than anything else. As for the performances, the live material is wonderfully immediate and fiery: "Sivad," "Funky Tonk," and "What I Say" all cream with enthusiasm, even if they are a tad unsure of how to accommodate McLaughlin. Of the studio tracks, only "Little Red Church" comes up to that level of excitement, but the other tracks, particularly "Gemini / Double Image," have a winding, whirring kind of dynamic to them that seems to turn them back in on themselves, as if the band was really pushing in a free direction that Miles was trying to rein in. It's an awesome record, but it's because of its flaws rather than in spite of them. This is the sound of transition and complexity, and somehow it still grooves wonderfully.
Track Listing
Disc 1
1 -- Sivad (Davis) -- 15:13
2 -- Little Church (Pascoal) -- 3:14
3 -- Medley: Gemini / Double Image (Davis, Zawinul) -- 5:53
4 -- What I Say (Davis) -- 21:09
5 -- Nem Um Talvez (Davis) -- 4:03
Disc 2
1 -- Selim (Davis) -- 2:21
2 -- Funky Tonk (Davis) -- 23:26
3 -- Inamorata and Narration by Conrad Roberts (Davis) -- 26:29
Credits
Rene Arsenault -- Assistant Producer, Production Assistant
Khalil Balakrishna -- Sitar (Electric)
Gary Bartz -- Liner Notes, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Bob Belden -- Producer, Reissue Producer
John Berg -- Cover Design, Design
Steven Berkowitz -- Reissue Series
Ron Carter -- Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Hope Chasin -- Packaging Manager
Billy Cobham -- Drums
Chick Corea -- Piano (Electric)
Miles Davis -- Trumpet
Jack DeJohnette -- Drums
Kevin Gore -- Reissue Series
Steve Grossman -- Sax (Soprano)
Herbie Hancock -- Keyboards, Piano (Electric)
Michael Henderson -- Bass (Electric), Guitar (Bass)
Dave Holland -- Bass, Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
Don Hunstein -- Photography
Keith Jarrett -- Keyboards, Organ, Piano (Electric)
Mati Klarwein -- Illustrations
Teo Macero -- Producer
Randall Martin -- Design, Reissue Design
Abdul Mati -- Artwork, Cover Art
John McLaughlin -- Guitar
Airto Moreira -- Percussion
Hermeto Pascoal -- Drums, Piano (Electric), Vocals, Voices, Whistle (Human)
Russ Payne -- Mixing
Conrad Roberts -- Narrator
Seth Rothstein -- Project Director
Tom "Curly" Ruff -- Digital Mastering, Mastering
Cozbi Sanchez-Cabrera -- Art Direction
Wayne Shorter -- Sax (Soprano)
Stanley Tonkel -- Engineer
Joe Zawinul -- Piano (Electric)
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Live-Evil
Miles Davis Lyrics
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