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Miles Davis – At Carnegie Hall (The Legendary Performances of May 19, 1961)
This historic live recording captures Miles Davis at a pivotal moment in his career, performing at Carnegie Hall on May 19, 1961. The album documents two distinct but complementary settings: his working quintet (featuring Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb) and a collaboration with Gil Evans conducting his 21-piece orchestra. The result is a powerful blend of small-group modal jazz intensity and sweeping orchestral sophistication.
The quintet performances are lean, urgent and blues-driven, while the Evans arrangements provide rich tonal colours and dramatic contrasts. Highlights include “So What,” “Spring Is Here,” “Oleo,” “Someday My Prince Will Come,” “The Meaning of the Blues,” and “New Rhumba.” The interplay between Davis and his rhythm section is sharp and fluid, and the orchestral material adds depth and grandeur rarely matched in live jazz recordings of the era.
This pressing is the Columbia CL 1812 (Monaural) edition, as indicated on the sleeve. The mono mix is often preferred by some collectors for its punchier, more focused presentation typical of early 1960s jazz recordings.
Genre:
Jazz – Modal Jazz / Hard Bop / Orchestral Jazz
Track Listing:
Side One
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So What
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Spring Is Here
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No Blues
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Oleo
Side Two
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Someday My Prince Will Come
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The Meaning of the Blues
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Lament
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New Rhumba
