eMusic Review 0
Can there be any argument that (aside from possibly John Coltrane’s classic quartet) this is the greatest small jazz band ever? With Miles Davis’s band, you had five deeply individual players, all of whom were capable of shifting gears on a second-to-second basis, and they may never have done that better than they do here. If Live in Europe 1967 – The Best of the Bootleg Vol. 1 falls slightly short of the rightly-celebrated “Live at the Plugged Nickel” series, it has plenty of compensating virtues. The most notable is the leader’s own playing, which is infinitely sharper here. His chops were up, he was kept on his toes by the impossibly high standards imposed by his sidemen, and he played throughout this recorded tour like a man with something to prove.
As was true for the entire 1966-67 phase of the band’s club and concert performances, both tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter and drummer Tony Williams are on fire from start to finish, the former combining profound intellect with unending daring, the latter challenging his bandmates (and himself) with an almost terrifying relentlessness. Pianist Herbie Hancock and bassist Ron Carter are equally impressive; Hancock would never again play with… read more »
![Know What I Mean? [Original Jazz Classics Remasters] album cover](http://images.emusic.com/music/images/album/125/969/12596908/300x300.jpg)
