Still Miles Ahead of His Time

In December 1970, on the week before Christmas, Miles Davis, with his entourage of musicians in tow (keyboardist Keith Jarrett, Gary Bartz on alto sax, bassist Michael Henderson, percussionist Airto Moreira, guitarist extraordinaire John McLaughlin & drummer Jack DeJohnette), set up shop for three nights at a club in Washington, DC, The Cellar Door. Once upon a time back in 1969, Miles told Downbeat writer Don DeMichael, that he could put together "the greatest (expletive) rock n' roll band you ever heard." With this group of young bucks which he was prodding on for a few nights in a row, these sessions serve as a confirmation that he came awful close to doing just that. At the same time, these sessions reveal a very electric & electrifying group which was capable of tearing the roof off The Cellar Door; that's how intense they were as a collective unit.

As one can see, Miles played music, plain & simple. It wasn't just jazz. It wasn't just funk. It wasn't just rock either. In a sense, it was all of the above, music that was/still is far ahead of its time. He dug Sly Stone & James Brown in the same way that he dug Hendrix & this carryover of influences would find its way into what is now The Cellar Door Sessions 1970. For some, this 6-CD set is challenging as much as it is adventurous. But nonetheless, it is powerful, very imposing music which only Miles could bring forth. And if we think listening to the Grateful Dead or even Phish performing live is a heady experience (or should I say one heavy trip), nothing will prepare one for what The Cellar Door Sessions has to offer. This is as good as jamming gets on stage, with a real "out for blood" vibe Miles' various electric groups delivered in spades but none as close as this box set readily demonstrates: pure, unedited, passionate, aggressive, turbulent, futuristic music - in short, the real deal when it comes to the man himself in every phase of his career.

From CD 1 up through CD 4, there is hardly a dull moment to be had with Miles & company.(Airto Moreira shows up on percussion from CD 2 onwards.) The band approaches the music from different angles & perspectives, keeping things fresh & unique with each subsequent performance of "Directions," "What I Say," "Inamorata," & "Honky Tonk." Which brings to mind how John Coltrane performed his compositions at The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Sessions or even the Dead everytime they played, say, "Dark Star," on The Fillmore West Concerts of 1969. But Miles wanted to take things a notch further, so he added guitarist John McLaughlin into the mix for the last night of shows (CDs 5 & 6). This may have led the group to rethink & restrategize their musical roles, but in the long run, their last night at the Cellar Door was a frigging good one, so much so that a live album was released in 1971 documenting this show in edited, tweaked-up form (Live-Evil).

Miles' soloing, either on open horn or through a wah-wah, is top-notch & of course majorly on fire. However, the two other key soloists for the Cellar Door recordings, Jarrett & McLaughlin, are equally smoking & definitely amazing. Jarrett gets a chance to shine through on his Fender Rhodes electric piano/Fender organ combination & his solo spots are superb as much as they are inventive (the four improvisations he takes here are great examples of what he can do when cut loose to explore the great musical unknown). McLaughlin, who can be heard on the last 2 CDs of this box set, proved he was up there with Hendrix when it came to administering blazing solos & delivered some of the most intense music of his career before making greater waves with his Mahavishnu Orchestra the following year.

I've given enough superlatives about The Cellar Door Sessions already. Yet there are some more: a 96-page booklet with reflections/insightful essays from each of the surviving band members, great sound (BTW), even a synopsis on how the Live-Evil album was pieced together. In the final assessment I'm giving this whole box set, this is another crown jewel in the Miles Davis Deluxe Box Set series. For folks who love listening to jam bands & are looking for something to intrigue & surprise them, The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 will fit the bill nicely. For diehard fans of Miles' electric period, this is a box set to consider looking into. For anyone with an open-minded love for music in general, The Cellar Door Sessions is everything you wanted to know about Miles Davis: fiery, passionate, intense, etc...a man who was far ahead of his time when it came to changing the history of not only jazz but the entire history of popular music in the process.

Listening to some of this compilation again, I can't help but come to the same conclusion: Miles was definitely miles ahead of his time for sure & for that we ought to give him our thanks. And one more reason why he's held a place as one of my top five musicians all-time.