Claude Nobs may not be a name that's overly familiar to many who consider themselves relatively well schooled in 20th
(and early 21st) century music, and yet it's arguable he helped shape the face of one of the most unique art forms of all
time: jazz. Nobs had the good fortune to be born and raised in one of the most picturesque sites imaginable, the
lovely city of Montreux, Switzerland. Through a variety of happy accidents, Nobs managed to make some connections in
the United States music business while he ended up working for the tourism industry in Montreux. Somehow he got the
bright idea to combine these two seemingly disparate elements and the Montreux Jazz Festival was born in 1967.
While the Festival began with jazz and only jazz in mind, over the years Nobs and his staff opened it up and it began
featuring a number of high profile pop, rock and folk acts. Legendary trumpeter Miles Davis had his own long history
with the Montreux Jazz Festival, appearing there several times between 1973 and 1991. As Nobs reveals in a sweet
interview that's included on this Blu-ray as a supplement, he met Davis quite by chance outside one blistering summer
day when Miles was on his way to a stage to perform. The shirt Nobs was wearing evidently caught Miles' notoriously
moody eye, and the jazzman complimented Nobs on it. Without even so much as the blink of an eye, Nobs literally took
the shirt off of his back and handed it to Miles, which actually brought a smile to the often brusque legend.
It was a
graceful gesture, and one that perhaps instantly endeared Nobs to Davis, and Davis repaid that kindness over the
years with a series of performances that have had CD and DVD releases, but no Blu-ray releases until now. This
particular performance is especially historic in that it pairs Davis with another legend, Quincy Jones, for (as unbelievable
as it may sound) the first time ever on stage. Making it even more spectacular is the fact that the concert is an homage
to one of Davis' greatest (if sadly unsung and still underappreciated) collaborators, the amazing arranger and
orchestrator Gil Evans. Evans and Davis are often credited with giving birth to the so-called "cool jazz" movement
which emerged from the shadows of both bebop and the then-dying big band era to become a dominant force in the
late forties and fifties. In one of the great ironies of the semi-modern recording industry, though Evans and Davis
recorded several sides in 1949-50 with their groundbreaking ideas, The Birth of the Cool didn't reach record
stores until 1957, almost simultaneously with the first "real" Davis-Evans collaboration, Miles Ahead. Davis and
Evans reteamed several more times for such masterpieces as Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain.
Though Davis especially disliked it and raised quite a fuss when it was released against his wishes, Quiet Nights
remains a beautifully wrought jewel that combines Evans' totally unique voicings for brass within a more or less general
context of the then-hot bossa nova.
I came dangerously close to opening for Miles Davis when I was still a smart aleck kid convinced that I was the greatest
thing to hit jazz since—well, since Miles Davis. A frankly kind of sleazy promoter with whom I had a passing
acquaintance approached me about the
gig, but he needed some more money to secure Miles. I called my Dad, who put up the requisite amount (which was an
appallingly little sum, now that I think back on it, especially for a musician of Miles' caliber), but the deal ultimately fell
through, due I believe to Miles' recurring problems with phlebitis. I say "dangerously close" because I'm sure I would
have
been eaten alive by someone of Miles' temperament, especially since I was still quite young and too full of myself. Davis
had a famously prickly demeanor a lot of the time and raised quite a few hackles for his live performance style over the
years, which would include such bizarre traits as turning his back on the audience when he soloed. While it can't be
stated that he's "warm and fuzzy" in any way during this concert, he's at least facing the audience, which I guess is a
step
in the right direction. There's little if any emotion on his face during the hour or so he's on stage, and in fact he seems
kind of remote, an Olympian God above the rabble of the band and especially the audience. (Note how fellow
trumpeter
Wallace Roney is relegated to page turner for Miles to see how detached Davis really is, though that may simply be a
sign
of deference from Roney, who had a rather close relationship with Davis.)
Davis was a pretty understated soloist after his bebop phase, especially in his collaborations with Evans, where Davis
seemed to understand almost intuitively that he was part of a larger canvas instead of typical frontman. That means
that for the most part during this concert his solo comments are somewhat limited and discursive, and the vast bulk of
them are played with a mute, making them even less showy. Roney and saxophonist Kenny Garrett offer much more
fiery blasts of improvisation, adding some nice energy to the proceedings. The real standout here, though, is Evans'
immaculate arranging skills. His completely distinctive blending of brass and winds has never been equaled, and under
Q's calm but assured direction, this legacy band brings those arrangements into full flower, creating a swirling tapestry
around which Davis and his cohorts are able to weave their own intimate magic.
Miles Davis With Quincy Jones and The Gil Evans Orchestra Live at Montreux is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of
Eagle Eye Media (yet another imprint of Eagle Rock, which seems to have more sublabels than any other distributor I can
think of) with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. The bulk of this high definition presentation looks rather good,
though there are some noticeable issues along the way. The first problem occurs with an upstage camera, which was
either defective or had smudges on its lens, for there are several huge blotches which are clearly visible when it's pointed
directly at the blue lighting downstage. Luckily this camera is not used much during the actual concert and these issues
occur mostly during the introductions when various players take the stage. However, that very blue lighting creates some
softness issues which are prevalent in midrange and wide shots. That tendency is balanced by some amazing sharpness
and clarity in close-ups (take a look at Davis' wrinkled fingers in the screenshot accompanying this review for a great
example). While everything being bathed in blue light robs the image of some detail and color accuracy, overall this is an
above average high definition presentation that should please most fans.
Miles Davis With Quincy Jones and The Gil Evans Orchestra Live at Montreux features a lossless DTS-HD Master
Audio 5.1 surround mix as well as an uncompressed LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down. Once the music starts, both of these
tracks offer superior fidelity and remarkable clarity. There's a weird anomaly on the 5.1 track in the early going before the
music starts, where the ambient audience noise sounds like it's been phase shifted, with that peculiar white noise swirling
sound that's hard to describe but will be immediately apparent to most listeners. It seems to be a processing or monitor
situation that dissipates once the music gets underway. The 5.1 track offers some nice discrete separation of instruments.
Davis' muted trumpet is just a tad on the bright side for my personal tastes, although others may like the somewhat brittle
sound of his instrument. The Evans Orchestra sounds fantastic, with clearly delineated inner lines and excellent
reproduction of all instruments.
Claude Nobs Interview (480i; 27:04). This is a wonderful set of reminiscences from Nobs, who recounts
quite a bit of his
extended history with Miles.
About Miles Davis (480i; 46:19) includes briefer interviews with many legendary players who provide some
great anecdotes about
him. These include Monty Alexander, Helen Merrill, Betty Carter, Charlie Haden, Gil Goldstein, Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc
Ponty, Al DiMeola and
Michel Petruccianni.
1991 proved to be the last year that Miles Davis appeared at Montreux (he returned a couple of weeks after these
performances for his final bow with the Festival). It's remarkable that Nobs had the presence of mind to get these historic
performances recorded, and it's a wonderful treat to be able to see and hear them now in high definition. Though there are
some minor niggling issues with both the video and audio on this release, they're insubstantial enough to give Miles
Davis With Quincy Jones and The Gil Evans Orchestra Live at Montreux a hearty Highly recommended.
Miles Davis with Quincy Jones & the Gil Evans Orchestra Live at Montreux Blu-ray, News and Updates
Eagle Rock Entertainment has officially announced that it will release on Blu-ray Miles Davis with Quincy Jones & the Gil Evans Orchestra Live at Montreux. This concert from July 8, 1991 was the last of Miles Davis' many appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival ...
Miles Davis with Quincy Jones & the Gil Evans Orchestra Live at Montreux Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
