This exciting live set (released for the first time on this European CD in the mid-'90s) finds
Miles Davis at a particularly intriguing point in his evolution. He had finished recording
In a Silent Way five months earlier, and was just a few weeks away from starting
Bitches Brew. His working quintet (captured during a seven-song continuous set at the Montreux Jazz Festival) at that time was comprised of
Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano, keyboardist
Chick Corea,
Dave Holland on electric bass, and drummer
Jack DeJohnette. In addition to performing versions of "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" and "Sanctuary," both of which pre-date
Bitches Brew, they also play versions of
Davis performing two of his standards: "Milestones" and "'Round About Midnight." The recording quality is excellent and
Miles Davis was in fine form for this very interesting transitional date which captures the trumpeter just before he permanently turned his music completely into fusion.