Miles Davis – In Person At The Blackhawk, San Francisco Friday And Saturday Nights (Impex Vinyl 2LP)

Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the October 2012 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Mastered by Kevin Gray from the Original Master Tapes on 180 Gram Vinyl & Pressed at RTI!

Miles Davis’ two night stand at The Blackhawk in San Francisco marked a watershed in jazz history, a seminal event transforming the American musical landscape. Davis had never been recorded live in a club with his combo and the performances over the course of two sets a night on April 21 and 22, 1961 more than justify the legend. The New York Times, in its review of the Columbia Records release of the complete Blackhawk shows, called the music “the gold standard for straight-ahead, postwar jazz rhythm”.

Impex Records is proud to present a performance unequaled, a recording unparalleled and the must-have audiophile release of this or any other year.

“Friday and Saturday Nights in Person at The Blackhawk, San Francisco,everyone’s second favorite small club live engagement (the first being Bill Evans at The Village Vanguard) finally gets the AAA 180g vinyl treatment with this double LP set from IMPEX… this is a superb sounding reissue that every Miles fan should own. It’s as close to hearing Miles Davis play live in a small club as you’re ever going to hear.” – Michael Fremer, www.analogplanet.com. Music 9/10, Sound 9/10

“First of all, this set, from April 21st and 22nd 1961 was Davis’ first live in a small club recording. Because the two night stand was planned as a live recording date, the engineers were ready and sound is as close to being in a live jazz club as a recording can get—or second to being as close after the aforementioned Bill Evans LPs. Secondly, the Blackhawk was about as venerated a jazz club as can be used as a recording venue. Like the Village Vanguard, the club drips with atmosphere and probably drips literally for all I know. Certainly many attendees suffered post nasal drip, but that’s another story. Adding luster is the combo itself. This is only a few years after Kind of Blue after all, so it’s Miles, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, and the rhythm section of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. In other words, it’s basically driven by the KOB rhythm section (though Wynton was only on one track and Bill Evans was on the rest).” – Michael Fremer, www.analogplanet.com. Music 9/10, Sound 9/10

Features:
• Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio
• Mastered from the Original Master Tapes
• Pressed on 180 Gram Vinyl at RTI
• Double LP

Selections:
LP1 – Side 1:
1. Walkin’ (14:20)
2. Bye Bye Blackbird (10:02)
LP1 – Side 2:
1. All Of You (10:30)
2. No Blues (9:09)
3. Bye Bye (2:56)
4. Love, I’ve Found You (1:59)
LP2 – Side 3:
1. Well You Needn’t (4:42)
2. Fran-Dance (6:06)
3. So What (12:44)
LP2 – Side 4:
1. Oleo (5:12)
2. If I Were A Bell (8:40)
3. Neo (12:51)