MILES AT THE FILLMORE

When Columbia Records president Clive Davis suggested that Miles open for some white rock acts for increased exposure (his record sales had been declining throughout the 1960s) Miles was so insulted that he nearly quit his Columbia contract. Somehow Miles was assuaged and agreed to work with Bill Graham (the start of another contentious relationship) which led to a series of legendary performances at the Fillmore East and West in 1970-71. Miles’ bands at this time were heavier, edgier, and more far out than any of the acts they were paired with, and probably just as loud. Luckily, these concerts were recorded and released on various albums in edited and unedited formats. Here are the basics.

MARCH 6-7, 1970 – FILLMORE EAST
^{with Neil Young & Crazy Horse, and the Steve Miller band.
Lineup: Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira
Official Release: Live at the Fillmore East, March 7, 1970: It’s About that Time (2001)}
The first of these Fillmore shows was at Fillmore East on March 6 and 7, 1970. Miles was to be the opening act on a three band bill, with the Steve Miller band, and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Miles famously dissed on Steve Miller as a “sorry-ass cat” and a “non-playing motherfucker” (ouch!) and refused to open for him, forcing Miller to go on first. It might seem odd that Miles was paired with these disparate acts, but Bill Graham was well-known for booking eclectic lineups in an era when genres were less defined. Bitches Brew was still 3 weeks away from being released, so this material and style was completely new to the audience. This was also Wayne Shorter’s final performance with the band.
The recordings of both sets from March 7 were released in 2001 as Live at the Fillmore East; It’s About That Time.

APRIL 9-12, 1970 – FILLMORE WEST
^{with The Grateful Dead
Lineup: Steve Grossman, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira
Official Releases: Black Beauty (1970)}
Miles had just finished the Jack Johnson sessions, then they were off to San Francisco for their first shows at Fillmore West, April 9-12, opening for the Grateful Dead and Stone the Crows. The Dead were reportedly nervous to follow Miles (as they damn well should be!). Wayne Shorter had left and was replaced by 19 year old Steve Grossman. A Teo Macero-edited version of the April 10 performance was released in Japan as the double lp Black Beauty.
“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down”, “Paraphernalia,” and “Footprints” from the April 11 show were included as bonus tracks on the 2014 Bootleg Series Volume 3 box, which collected the band’s complete June 1970 performances at Fillmore East.

JUNE 17-20, 1970 – FILLMORE EAST
^{with Laura Nyro
Lineup: Steve Grossman, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira
Official Releases: Miles Davis at Fillmore (October 28, 1970), Miles at The Fillmore: Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3 (2014)}
Miles opened the Fillmore East for Laura Nyro from June 17-20. Incidentally, Nyro had invited Miles to record on one of her new songs, but after listening he declined on the grounds that were no spaces left for him to fill. Chick Corea had decided to leave and gave Miles a three month notice. Keith Jarret was hired as a replacement and the two ended up overlapping for a few months, resulting in some of the wildest music of the electric period. Jarrett is playing organ and Corea is going nuts with various effects, especially the ring modulator. By now Bitches Brew was a hit and the band was connecting with the rock audience. All four nights were recorded, then edited down by Teo Macero and released as the double album Miles Davis at Fillmore, in October 1970. The full unedited performances were released in 2014 as Miles at The Fillmore: Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3 (2014). These sets are the last time older material from the 1960s, such as Footprints, was performed.
This would also be Dave Holland’s last Fillmore performance (although he played with the band through August). Holland and Corea then formed the band Circle, with Barry Altschul on drums, to pursue more free playing.

OCTOBER 15-18, 1970 – FILLMORE WEST
^{with Leon Russell, Sea Train, and Hammer.
Lineup: Gary Bartz, Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Juma Santos
Official Release: None}
In August Gary Bartz had replaced Grossman, performing first at Tanglewood (opening for Santana), and then the legendary Isle of Wight concert.
They were back at the Fillmore West again October 15-18, opening for Leon Russell, Sea Train, and Hammer.
Michael Henderson was now on bass, having replaced Dave Holland after the August 29 performance at the Isle of Wight festival. With Corea no longer in the band the psychedelic sound washes gave way to a steadier funk, thanks in no small part to Henderson deep bass grooves. Unfortunately there was no official release of these performances, although bootlegs are out there.

MAY 6-9, 1971 – FILLMORE WEST
^{with Elvin Bishop and Mandrill
Lineup: Gary Bartz, Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira
Official Release: None}
Miles returned to the Fillmore West one last time in May of 1971. Although these performances have never been officially released, a bootleg of most of the May 7 set is out there. Miles is really digging into the use of wah pedal with his trumpet and Henderson sounds completely confident after nearly 6 months of being in the band. Not only is this the final Fillmore performance for Miles, but Jack DeJohnette’s last performance with the band (with the exception of sitting in for one gig on November 26, and possibly a couple others). His departure really marks the end of the first electric Miles band. The drummers that followed DeJohnette no longer employed the constantly shifting moods and rhythms, instead pursuing a hard-edged, driving funk.

For more details on these and other live electric Miles performances check out the fantastic site The Heat Warps.

Written and designed by Dmitri Mavra.

The Singles Collection

The first Miles Davis electric period ran from 1969 until his temporary retirement in 1975. During this period he released seven albums of studio material and six albums of live recordings. To promote this new direction Columbia released a handful of 45 rpm 7-inch singles, some for sale, but more often they served as radio promos in an attempt to lure the next generation of listeners to Miles’ recordings. The music at this time was often recorded in long, sprawling takes that were then edited together by the groundbreaking production wizardry of Teo Macero. The singles were edited down even further. Here’s a breakdown of these singles and a link to the full compilation.

……………………………………………………………………………
In A Silent Way / It’s About That Time
^{Columbia – AE 13}
Recorded February 18, 1969 at Columbia Studio B, New York NY
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Wayne Shorter (ss); John McLaughlin (g); Herbie Hancock (el-p); Chick Corea (el-p); Josef Zawinul (org); Dave Holland (b); Tony Williams (d)}

……………………………………………………………………………
Spanish Key/Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
^{4-45171 (JZSS 153807/153808)}

Miles Runs the Voodoo
Recorded August 20, 1969 at Columbia Studio B, New York NY
Miles Runs the Voodoo Down (take 9)
_{^{Miles Davis (tpt); Wayne Shorter (ss); Bennie Maupin (bcl); John McLaughlin (g); Chick Corea (el-p); Josef Zawinul (el-p); Dave Holland (b); Harvey Brooks (el-b); Jack De Johnette (d); Lenny White (d); Charles Don Alias (d); Jumma Santos}}

Spanish Key
Recorded August 21, 1969, at Columbia Studio B, New York NY
_{^{Miles Davis (tpt); Wayne Shorter (ss); Bennie Maupin (bcl); John McLaughlin (g); Chick Corea (el-p); Josef Zawinul (el-p); Larry Young (el-p); Dave Holland (b); Harvey Brooks (el-b); Jack De Johnette (d); Lenny White (d); Charles Don Alias (d, perc); Jumma Santos}}

……………………………………………………………………………
Great Expectations/The Little Blue Frog
_{^{4-45090 (ZSP 152942/152943-2)}}

Great Expectations
November 19, 1969 Columbia Studio E, New York NY
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); Bennie Maupin (bcl); Herbie Hancock (el-p); Chick Corea (el-p); John McLaughlin (g); Khalil Balakrishna (sitar); Bihari Sharma (tabla, tamboura); Ron Carter (b); Harvey Brooks (el-b); Billy Cobham (d, perc); Airto Moreira (perc)}

The Blue Little Frog
November 28, 1969 Columbia Studio E, New York NY
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); Bennie Maupin (bcl); Herbie Hancock (el-p); Larry Young (org, celeste); Chick Corea (el-p); John McLaughlin (g); Khalil Balakrishna (sitar); Bihari Sharma (tabla, tamboura); Dave Holland (b); Harvey Brooks (el-b); Jack De Johnette (d); Billy Cobham (d, perc); Airto Moreira (perc)}

The item listed as “The Little Blue Frog” on CBS (F) 450472 (2:32) is really an excerpt of “Go Ahead John,” recorded on March 3, 1970.

……………………………………………………………………………
Great Expectations/ Go Ahead John
^{4-46074 (ZSS 159785/159/786)}

Great Expectations
November 19, 1969 at Columbia Studio E, New York NY
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); Bennie Maupin (bcl); Herbie Hancock (el-p); Chick Corea (el-p); John McLaughlin (g); Khalil Balakrishna (sitar); Bihari Sharma (tabla, tamboura); Ron Carter (b); Harvey Brooks (el-b); Billy Cobham (d, perc); Airto Moreira (perc)}

Go Ahead John
March 3, 1970 at Columbia Studio B, New York NY
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); John McLaughlin (g); Dave Holland (b, el-b); Jack De Johnette (d)}

This single features a different edit of Great Expectations than the version on 4-45090.

……………………………………………………………………………
Right Off part 1 & 2
^{4-45350 (JZSS 154492/154493}
Recorded April 7 at 1970 Columbia Studio B, New York NY
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); John McLaughlin (g); Herbie Hancock (org); Michael Henderson (el-b); Billy Cobham (d)}

……………………………………………………………………………
Friday Miles/Saturday Miles
^{4-45327 (JZSS 154433/154433)}
“From the Columbia lp “Miles Davis at Fillmore”

Friday June 19/Saturday June 20 1970
Fillmore East Auditorium, New York
Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss, ts); Chick Corea (el-p, perc); Keith Jarrett (org); Dave Holland (b, el-b); Jack De Johnette (d); Airto Moreira (perc, voc);

……………………………………………………………………………
Red China Blues
^{3-10110 (JZSS 160282/160283)}

Recorded March 9, 1972 at Columbia Studio E, New York
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Wally Chambers (hca); Cornel Dupree (g); Michael Henderson (el-b); Al Foster (d); Bernard Purdie (d); James Mtume Forman (cga, perc); Wade Marcus (brass arr); Billy Jackson (rhythm arr})
According to Paul Tingen (Miles Beyond), Davis overdubbed the trumpet parts several weeks after the recording of the basic track

……………………………………………………………………………
Vote for Miles part 1 & 2
^{4-45822 (JZSS 158254/158255)}
Recorded June 1 1972 at Columbia Studio E, New York NY
On the Corner (take 3) (M. Davis)
“Vote for Miles” edited and issued in two parts (2:59, 2:31) on Columbia 45822

^{Miles Davis (tpt); Dave Liebman (ss); Chick Corea (synth); Herbie Hancock (el-p); Harold I. Williams (eorg); John McLaughlin (g); Collin Walcott (sitar); Paul Buckmaster (cello); Michael Henderson (el-b); Jack De Johnette (d); Jabali Billy Hart (d, perc, bgo); Charles Don Alias (cga, perc); James Mtume Forman (cga, perc); Badal Roy (tabla)}

This was Dave Liebman’s first studio session with Davis.

……………………………………………………………………………
Molester pt 1 & 2
^{4-45709 (ZSS 157258/157258)}

Recorded June 6, 1972 at Columbia Studio E, New York
^{Miles Davis (tpt); Carlos Garnett (as, ts); Bennie Maupin (bcl); Herbie Hancock (el-p, synth); Harold I. Williams (el-p, synth); Lonnie Liston Smith (org); John McLaughlin (g); David Creamer (g); Collin Walcott (sitar); Paul Buckmaster (cello); Michael Henderson (el-b); Jack De Johnette (d, handclaps); Jabali Billy Hart (d, handclaps); Charles Don Alias (perc, handclaps); James Mtume Forman (perc, handclaps); Badal Roy (tabla, handclaps)}
This was Carlos Garnett’s first studio session with Davis.

This is the song Black Satin issued in two parts, “Molester, part 1” (3:03) and “Molester, part 2” (2:09) on Columbia 45709 and CBS 450472
……………………………………………………………………………
Holly-Wuud
^{4-45946 (JZSP 159077/159078)}
Recorded July 26, 1973 at Columbia Studio B, New York NY
^{Miles Davis (tpt, org); Dave Liebman (ss, fl); Pete Cosey (g); Reggie Lucas (g); Michael Henderson (el-b); Al Foster (d); James Mtume Forman (cga, perc)}

……………………………………………………………………………

Maiysha/Theme from Jack Johnson
Excerpts From Agharta (7″, Promo)
AS 214

February 1, 1975, Festival Hall, Osaka (Japan)
Miles Davis (tpt, org); Sonny Fortune (ss, as, fl); Pete Cosey (g, perc); Reggie Lucas (g); Michael Henderson (el-b); Al Foster (d); James Mtume Forman (cga, perc)

First concert, first set Agharta Prelude. Edited (1:34) on Columbia AS-214
Maiysha several fragments (4:08 + 2:58 + 0:54) on Columbia AS-214

First concert, second set
Right Off Edited (4:02) on Columbia AS-214

_{For more information see Peter Losin’s fabulous website: http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/Main.aspx}

Live Performance Repertoire of the Miles Davis Electric Era 1969-1975

During the first electric era of Miles Davis, from 1969-1975, there were a total of 45 “songs” in his repertoire. In this graphic we can visualize the way the set lists transformed over time.
Miles debuted his new quintet featuring Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and Wayne Shorter on February 25, just one week after recording the landmark album In a Silent Way. Yet the material the band performed live was drawn entirely from Miles’ previous set lists, some pieces more than a decade old. Over the next few months, the band gradually introduced songs from the soon-to-be-recorded Bitches Brew album. Most of these songs would remain in the live sets for at least a year, and some, such as “Sanctuary,” lasted even longer.
In 1970, four more songs were added to the regular set while only two remained from the pre-1969 era, “Directions” and “The Theme.”
No new songs were added during 1971. Jack DeJohnette, the last remaining member from the 1969 band, left and was replaced by Ndugu Chancler for a European tour . The set list remained the same, but that would soon change.
The controversial album On the Corner was recorded in June of 1972, yet only the song “Black Satin” showed up in the set for a few live performances.
The following year kicked off with a mostly new band and a completely new set list. These pieces would make up the bulk of Miles’ live material until he stopped performing in September of 1975. When he returned to music in 1980 it was with new material and musicians.

It should be noted that these “songs” can be very ambiguous, sometimes nothing more than a repeating bass line or a fragment of melody that the band used a point of departure for improvisation. Additionally, the band never really stopped between songs, making it unclear when one piece stops and another begins as the songs flowed into each other. In some cases, one instrument might be playing a theme from one piece while another instrument is playing a different theme. This graphic is based entirely on data from the indispensable Miles Ahead website.

Click to enlarge:

• 

Written and designed by Dmitri Mavra

The Phases of Electric Miles Live 1969-1975

Jan 04 2021

The first Miles Davis electric era lasted from 1969 to 1975. During this period Miles explored many different approaches to electric music both in performances and recordings, with a large cast of musicians in various lineups. While Miles’ electric albums have become iconic, the music he was playing live during this period is often very different. I like to think of the electric period live bands as two distinct phases with completely different lineups and styles, with a period of transition between the two. Phase 1 was roughly 1969-70. 1971 and 72 were years of transition, and Phase 2 lasted from 73-75. Here’s my attempt to break it down.

PHASE 1 Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea
1969
1969 was a huge year for Miles. In February of 1969 he made his first serious foray into electric music when he recorded In a Silent Way. The band consisted of Tony Williams on drums, with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Joe Zawinul on keyboards. He also brought in John McLaughlin on guitar for the first time. Dave Holland played bass.
After this session Miles switched up his touring band, the famous “second great quintet,” replacing Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams with Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, and Chick Corea. Only Wayne Shorter remained from the legendary 60s band. This new band is often referred to as the “lost quintet” because they never made an official studio album. Corea started off on electric piano and Holland began incorporating electric bass, something Ron Carter had told Miles he was not interested in doing. Stylistically, this new band picked up where the 60s band had left off: shifting, elastic rhythm with forays into free improvisation, and Miles reigning them in when he’d had enough. They continued to perform through the summer, incorporating new tunes that would soon be included on Bitches Brew. The famous Bitches Brew sessions took place at the end of August. For those sessions the core band was augmented even further than for In a Silent Way and played in a more subdued, hypnotic manner. This was quite a contrast to the explosive, open-sounding flux of the live band. When those sessions were over the quintet took off for a European tour that ran until the end of the year.
Although this band never made a formal recording they were well-documented with live performance recordings. Two concerts were recorded in July at the Jazz à Juan festival, La Pinède in Juan-les-Pins France, followed by a several concerts from the fall European tour. These recordings illustrate the radically different approach to the Bitches Brew material, and reveal a band taking their music to the extreme outer limits of melody, harmony, and time. Chick Corea is pushing the electric piano into new sounds while DeJohnette and Holland develop a deep telepathy.

November 3, 1969 Salle Pleyel, Paris:

Transition phase
1970
Miles began a series of recording sessions that lasted from November of 1969 until the spring of 1970, again augmenting or swapping out musicians for each session. He seemed to have no interest in capturing the sound of his touring band. At this point the Phase 1 band began to slowly transform with the addition of Airto Moreira on percussion. This was a first for Miles and he continued to use percussionists for the rest of the 1970s. Wayne Shorter left the band in March, his final shows being from the Fillmore East on March 6 and 7, and was replaced by Steve Grossman. Despite these changes the band still revolved around the core of Phase 1: Corea, Holland, and DeJohnette and their increasingly heavy and edgy free-jazz-funk. By this time they’d completely abandoned the previous era’s standards, focusing exclusively on their unique approach to material from Bitches Brew.

April 11, 1970 at Fillmore West, San Francisco:

In June another big change was made: the addition of Keith Jarret on keyboards. The combination of Corea and Jarrett, both on electric pianos and/or organs, allowed for some incredibly strange and dissonant sounds. This lineup recorded four nights at the Fillmore East in June and the results were released as Miles Davis at Fillmore. This album was heavily edited by Teo Macero, possibly to try to bring it closer to the Bitches Brew sound, as well as to condense the performances. Fortunately the full recordings have been released as Miles at the Fillmore: Miles Davis 1970 The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. This version of the band lasted a short five months, but included performances at Fillmore East and West, Tanglewood, and culminating in the incredible set at the Isle of Wight festival. During this period saxophonist Steve Grossman was replaced by Gary Bartz. The Jarrett-Corea combo really resulted in some of the edgiest stuff from the Electric Miles era.

August 29, 1970, Isle of Wight:

Miles was looking to put an end to this free playing, pushing even more for a funk groove. He was never really a fan of free playing, rarely participating when his 60s quintet would get far out. His funk aspirations led to the departure of Holland and Corea after the Isle of Wight. Corea was not replaced, leaving Jarrett as the only keyboardist. Although a lot of changes were happening, the first seeds of Phase 2 were really planted when Miles hired Michael Henderson to replace Dave Holland on bass. Henderson was a young funk bassist that had been playing with Stevie Wonder. Miles told Wonder, “I’m taking your fucking bassist.” And he did! Henderson brought a completely different approach and it was the sound Miles was after: FUNK.
Henderson didn’t have any interest in playing free or far out stuff, but he could hold down a heavy funk bass groove forever. But as heard on the live recordings from the Cellar Door in December of 1970, the rest of the band, Jarrett, DeJhonette, and to a lesser extent, Airto, were still trying to pull free, creating an interesting tension against the insistent bass grooves. However, the different approaches were also causing tension within the band.

May 7, 1971 Fillmore West, San Francisco:

1971
The band sounded much more in sync five months later at the Fillmore, as heard above, but it would be the last show for DeJohnette and Moreira. DeJohnette was the only one left from Phase 1, but he stuck it out until summer. He knew Miles wanted a funky timekeeper to lay down a solid groove and realized he wasn’t the right drummer for that job. There’s no doubt he could do it, but like Corea and Holland, that’s not where his interests were going. DeJohnette was replaced briefly by Ndugu Leon Chancler, and Moreira was replaced by Mtume. With Bartz, Jarrett, and Henderson, they headed out on a fall European tour. Miles was getting nearer to the sound he’d been looking for; uptempo, hard driving funk with a bed of percussion and bass grooves, but it would be Jarrett’s last tour with Miles.

November 7, 1971 Universitets Aula, Uppsala:

PHASE 2: Foster, Henderson, Mtume,
1972
Miles changed up the band once again and the core of Phase 2 was now in place. The new lineup was Henderson (bass), Mtume (perc), Al Foster (drums), Badal Roy (tabla), Cedric Lawson (keyboards), Reggie Lucas (guitar), Carlos Garnett (saxophone) and Khalil Balakrishna on electric sitar. When you hear Foster you understand why DeJohnette left. This metronomic playing was too restrictive. Foster, however, was the perfect choice for the sound Miles wanted. They recorded the album Miles Davis in Concert live at the Philharmonic Hall as one of this lineup’s first gigs. The seminal On the Corner was recorded in June and released in the fall. As with the earlier electric albums, Miles used a large ensemble made up of Phase 1 and Phase 2 members, plus others.

October 1, 1972, Palo Alto, Ca:

1973
Miles was back on tour in 1973 with a modified version of the ’72 lineup. The core of Henderson, Mtume, and Al Foster remained. Dave Liebman replaced Garnett on saxophones, and the experimental funk guitarist Pete Cosey was added, and soon became a crucial element of the Phase 2 sound. Lonnie Liston Smith played organ, but when they left for a tour of Europe in June Smith was out of the band, along with Balakrishna and Badal Roy. Miles dropped the Indian elements completely and added Reggie Lucas as a second guitarist. Miles began playing organ himself as a textural element.

October 17, 1973 Stockholm:

1974
Miles added Dominique Gaumont, a 3rd guitarist, to the lineup and saxophonist Azar Lawrence. Both of these musicians can be heard on Dark Magus, recorded March 30 at Carnegie Hall in New York. Lawrence wasn’t invited to join the band, but Gaumont stayed on until the end of 1974. Liebman left in the summer of 74 and was replaced by Sonny Fortune.

June 2, 1974 Theatro Municipal, São Paulo, Brazil:

1975
The band recorded two live albums in a single day, Agharta and Pangea on February 1 in Osaka, Japan. When they returned to the States, Miles replaced Sonny Fortune with Sam Morrison. The final concert of the 70s was September 5 in Central Park. Miles retired from music until 1981.

June 11, 1975, Bottom Line Club, New York City:

Explore more live recordings from the electric era at: Milestones: A Miles Davis Archive

Written and designed by Dmitri Mavra.