Miles Davis & Keith Jarrett - The 1971 Berlin Concert (2008)

The bulk of the DVD is this Berlin concert of 6 November 1971. This is one of the last recorded concerts with this band, which disbanded totally later that month. It features Miles on electric trumpet, Keith Jarrett on electric piano and electric organ, Michael Henderson on electric bass, Leon Chancler on drums, and Mtume and Don Alias on percussion. This band is the last one that has direct links to the "Bitches Brew" era, with Gary Bartz still in the band and Jarrett having taken over the two keyboards when Chick Corea left the band in 1970. On the other hand, the style of the band also points the way forward to 1972, with a much more abrasive and melancholic style combined with much more non-Western percussion and the use of stiff funk-based ostinatos.
The Berlin concert commences with the last few seconds of Honky Tonk. The music shifts to What I Say. By this time, Miles was playing electrified trumpet pretty exclusively. The highlight of this track is Gary Bartz's solo. His soprano sax seems to me to have progressed since the Live Evil sessions, with a much freer attitude to improvisation. His solo insinuates bebop-style lines even into an apparently chord-free environment. At times he shrieks totally freely, like Ayler or Sanders, with Jarrett comping heroically underneath.
The band shifts to Sanctuary. In the Chick Corea days, Miles used this track more or less to soothe things down. He and Bartz play the tune over and over without improvisation, with the rhythm section providing subtle, cunning variations. However, Jarrett now makes this tune more interesting, playing improvised keyboard lines under the horns.
It's About That Time is unrecogniseable from the In A Silent Way album. The body of the composition now consists of Miles screeching short, sharp notes, combined with the drummer Chancler smashing out a very loud, very slow beat. The highlight here is Miles's own solo.
Inamorata (or Funky Tonk) commences as usual with a Jarrett solo. Miles knew very well that Jarrett's great strength was in long improvised unaccompanied statements. He therefore gave ample solo space for Jarrett. Here Jarrett seems to go beyond what he did in Live Evil. His solo, with Don Alias accompanying with very unconventional percussion, ventures into free jazz regions, with a great deal of thumping.
Miles's solo on Inamorata is another highlight. At one stage, you see something unusual: Miles changing from electric to acoustic trumpet and then sticking in the Harmon mute. The move is accomplished by Miles pulling out his whole mouthpiece, with the wires still in it, and stuffing into his pocket. He pulls a second mouthpiece out of his pocket, sticks it in, and then grabs the mute. No wonder there's always a short pause when he changes over. His solo is absolutely excellent. There is no sound like Miles' trumpet, no matter what era. By 1971, his sound is rather eerie, with a lot of declamatory wah-wahed phrases that seem to be calling on dark forces.
The DVD shifts to Keith Jarrett in 1974 - at the Umbria Jazz Festival, of all places! Jarrett plays two remarkable improvised soloes lasting about eight minutes each. This video was recorded between the Bremen/Lausanne and Koln Concert albums, and shares a lot of the characteristics of those two wonderful masterworks.
Throughout, Jarrett is absolutely surrounded by a sea of Umbrian paparazzi, who take flash photographs of him with impunity. At times Jarrett resembles a weird unknown animal being photographed by hordes of scientists.

Artists:
- Miles Davis: trumpet
- Keith Jarrett: electric piano & organ
- Gary Bartz: alto and soprano sax
- Michael Henderson: electric bass
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler: drums
- Charles Don Alias: conga & percussion
- James "Mtume" Forman: conga & percussion


Tracklist:
01. Honky Tonk (Miles Davis)
02. What I Say (Miles Davis)
03. Sanctuary (Miles Davis-Wayne Shorter)
04. It's About That Time (Miles Davis)
05. Funky Tonk (Miles Davis)
06. Improvisation 1 (Keith Jarrett piano solo)
07. Improvasation 2 (Keith Jarrett piano solo)


Features:
- Direct Scene Access
- Interactive Menu