Home » Jazz Articles » Liner Notes » Miles Davis Quintets: Stockholm 1967 & 1969 Revisited
Miles Davis Quintets: Stockholm 1967 & 1969 Revisited
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto1920 - 1955
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Red Garland
piano1923 - 1984
Paul Chambers
bass, acoustic1935 - 1969
Philly Joe Jones
drums1923 - 1985
Was there more than one Miles Davis? Could he be both the Prince of Darkness and the purveyor of cool? A drug addict and an athletic boxer? A hip bebopper and a proto-hippie? A flamboyant dresser and a shy vulnerable soul? A brutal misogynist and an insecure romantic? The answer is yes, and yes. Miles Davis was both a creator and a destroyer. His chameleon-like nature can be explained by the times in which he lived and created his art. These live recordings in Stockholm, Sweden, 1967 and 1969, illustrate how Miles' creative process was influenced by the moving parts of our world, social, cultural, and political.
First we must back up a bit. Miles' first great quintet had disbanded in 1959. John Coltrane recorded the sensational Giant Steps. That same year
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015
Albert Ayler
saxophone, tenor1936 - 1970
Wayne Shorter
saxophone1933 - 2023
Ron Carter
bassb.1937
Herbie Hancock
pianob.1940
Tony Williams
drums1945 - 1997
Grateful Dead
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1965
Jimi Hendrix
guitar, electric1942 - 1970
The Who
band / ensemble / orchestra
Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982
Dave Brubeck
piano1920 - 2012
Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
The 1967 Newport Jazz Festival European tour might have been the adieu for the night club Miles Davis. Although he and his young ensemble were sporting tuxedos, the tone was one of audacity. Besides Shorter's "Footprints" and the new Davis composition "Agitation," the music was drawn from the familiar. Monk's "Round Midnight," Jimmy Heath's "Gingerbread Boy" and the standard closer "The Theme" are covered. The familiar, however, yielded to experimental, and the compositions were merely the foundation to build Miles' new house on. Miles allowed and encouraged. the band to push and pull the music in new directions. Miles treated Shorter, Hancock, Carter, and Williams as equals, instead of sidemen.
After the 1967 tour, the spinning world picked up greater speed. Martin Luther King was assassinated, as was Booby Kennedy. Riots occurred in Paris and Chicago. Tommy Smith raised a defiant Black Power fist at the Mexico Olympics. The Woodstock Festival featured artists such as Ravi Shankar, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly and the Family Stone, and man walked on the moon. Miles was tuned into it all.
In 1968 He recorded Miles In The Sky and Filles De Kilimanjaro and in 1969, In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew before setting off on this European tour. Electric guitars and pianos were ushered in as were the new musicians
Chick Corea
piano1941 - 2021
Dave Holland
bassb.1946
Jack DeJohnette
drumsb.1942
Sonny Rollins
saxophoneb.1930
Although we now know what was coming, the jazz/rock fusion and wah-wah pedal trumpet of Bitches Brew wouldn't be released until March of 1970. Miles returned to Stockholm in 1969 with a new quintet. Dubbed 'The Lost Quintet,' the Davis, Shorter, Corea, Holland, and DeJohnette ensemble, who can be heard on Bitches Brew, never recorded a proper studio album. Bootlegs and European radio and television broadcasts are the only evidence of this quintet.
In Stockholm 1969, gone are the tuxedos, replaced by colorful scarves, vests, and flared pants. Besides the introduction of Miles' composition "Bitches Brew," the quintet relies upon music by Shorter and Corea. Davis was phasing out his standard repertoire and ushering in a more free sound. Corea switched between acoustic and electric piano as DeJohnette incorporates rock and funk into his jazz drumming. The audacity of 1967 is replaced by the ferocity of '69. From the Stonewall riot to urban unrest, Miles' quintet captured the chaos and mayhem in these performances.
Liner Notes copyright ? 2025 Mark Corroto.
Stockholm Live 1967 & 1969 Revisited can be purchased here.
Contact Mark Corroto at All About Jazz.
Mark misses his dogs Louie & Freddy, but endeavors daily to find and listen to new and interesting sounds.
Track Listing
Agitation; Footprints; Round Midnight; Gingerbread Boy; Bitches Brew; Paraphernalia; Nefertiti; Masqualero; This.
Personnel
Miles Davis
trumpet
Wayne Shorter
saxophone
Herbie Hancock
piano
Chick Corea
piano
Ron Carter
bass
Dave Holland
bass
Tony Williams
drums
Jack DeJohnette
drumsAlbum information
Title: Stockholm Live 1967 & 1969 Revisited | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Ezz-thetics
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