The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965
The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965 is a compact disc box set of the Miles Davis Quintet, recorded on December 22 and 23, 1965, and released on Legacy Records in July 1995, catalogue CK 66955. It comprises recordings of seven performance sets over the two nights by the second great Davis quintet at the now-defunct Plugged Nickel nightclub in Chicago. A single-disc sampler, Highlights from the Plugged Nickel, catalogue CK 67377, was released by Legacy on November 14, 1995, and was reissued on February 1, 2008.
The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965 | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | July 8, 1995 | |||
Recorded | December 22–23, 1965 | |||
Venue | Plugged Nickel, Chicago | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 7:32:03 Highlights disc 73:23 | |||
Label | Legacy | |||
Producer | Michael Cuscuna | |||
Miles Davis chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Record Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Background
Although the quintet had already issued the E.S.P. album, consisting of original compositions by members of the band, the repertoire at the club included none of those tunes, except Davis' "Agitation." Instead, the band relied upon standards or items that had been in Davis' live repertoire for several years. Research for a Wayne Shorter biography revealed that drummer Tony Williams, during the plane ride to Chicago, challenged the rest of the band to play anti-jazz, in essence sabotaging the gig by playing whatever one wished rather than the standard versions.[3] The band kept to the challenge, and the tunes were then radically altered for the Plugged Nickel performances. In contrast, Hancock mentions this "sabotage" in his autobiography, adding: "really, he was only trying to sabotage our comfort level, to break us open again. It was just another step in trying to push our boundaries as musicians and as a band." Also, Hancock describes the challenge as everyone playing the opposite of what they would usually play: soft notes when they'd usually play loud, drum cymbals instead of bass drum etc.[4]
Some tracks were available on Miles Davis compilations, but the full recordings were not released until the appearance of this box set. A 1982 double album was released as part of the Contemporary Masters Series on Columbia; this appeared also as Live at the Plugged Nickel (no. 25, discs 30 and 31) in the box set Miles Davis: The Complete Columbia Album Collection.[5][6] The ten tracks are the same that together made up the 1976 Japanese releases, At Plugged Nickel, Chicago, Vol. 1 and At Plugged Nickel, Chicago, Vol. 2, but some durations are longer.[7]
Content
Each disc of the box set of eight discs presents one complete set, with the exception of the second set on the first night of December 22, which is split onto two discs, with the discs in a slimline case and internally numbered accordingly as 2a and 2b. The reasoning for this on the part of Sony is unclear, since the total timing of the music on discs 2a and 2b is under the 80-minute single disc limit. The box set has been awarded a rare crown by the Penguin Guide to Jazz, concluding that "these are genuinely historic recordings."
Track listing
At Plugged Nickel, Chicago, Vol. 1
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Walkin'" | Richard Carpenter | 11:03 |
2. | "Agitation" | Miles Davis | 10:50 |
3. | "On Green Dolphin Street" | Ned Washington, Bronisław Kaper | 11:14 |
4. | "So What" | Miles Davis | 13:38 |
5. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 0:17 |
At Plugged Nickel, Chicago, Vol. 2
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "'Round Midnight" | Bernie Hanighen, Cootie Williams, Thelonious Monk | 8:40 |
2. | "Stella by Starlight" | Ned Washington, Victor Young | 13:16 |
3. | "All Blues" | Miles Davis | 12:00 |
4. | "Yesterdays/The Theme" | Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach/Miles Davis | 10:00 |
The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965
December 22, 1965 — first set (67:51)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "If I Were a Bell" | Frank Loesser | 16:42 |
2. | "Stella by Starlight" | Ned Washington, Victor Young | 12:49 |
3. | "Walkin'" | Richard Carpenter | 15:51 |
4. | "I Fall in Love Too Easily" | Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn | 11:43 |
5. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 10:19 |
December 22, 1965 — second set (42:41)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "My Funny Valentine" | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | 16:33 |
2. | "Four" | Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson | 15:05 |
3. | "When I Fall in Love" | Edward Heyman, Victor Young | 10:44 |
December 22, 1965 — second set (36:47)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Agitation" | Miles Davis | 13:13 |
2. | "'Round Midnight" | Bernie Hanighen, Cootie Williams, Thelonious Monk | 8:42 |
3. | "Milestones" | Miles Davis | 14:04 |
4. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 0:38 |
December 22, 1965 — third set (69:19)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "All of You" | Cole Porter | 14:38 |
2. | "Oleo" | Sonny Rollins | 6:05 |
3. | "I Fall in Love Too Easily" | Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn | 11:53 |
4. | "No Blues" | Miles Davis | 17:35 |
5. | "I Thought About You" | Johnny Mercer, Jimmy Van Heusen | 11:03 |
6. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 8:05 |
December 23, 1965 — first set (52:51)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "If I Were a Bell" | Frank Loesser | 13:29 |
2. | "Stella by Starlight" | Ned Washington, Victor Young | 13:09 |
3. | "Walkin'" | Richard Carpenter | 11:01 |
4. | "I Fall in Love Too Easily" | Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn | 12:07 |
5. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 2:50 |
December 23, 1965 — second set (65:55)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "All of You" | Cole Porter | 10:39 |
2. | "Agitation" | Miles Davis | 10:48 |
3. | "My Funny Valentine" | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | 13:52 |
4. | "On Green Dolphin Street" | Ned Washington, Bronisław Kaper | 12:48 |
5. | "So What" | Miles Davis | 13:36 |
6. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 3:28 |
December 23, 1965 — third set (69:44)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "When I Fall in Love" | Edward Heyman, Victor Young | 13:39 |
2. | "Milestones" | Miles Davis | 11:49 |
3. | "Autumn Leaves" | Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer | 11:56 |
4. | "I Fall in Love Too Easily" | Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn | 11:43 |
5. | "No Blues" | Miles Davis | 20:06 |
6. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 0:22 |
December 23, 1965 — fourth set (46:55)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stella by Starlight" | Ned Washington, Victor Young | 14:16 |
2. | "All Blues" | Miles Davis | 12:18 |
3. | "Yesterdays" | Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach | 15:00 |
4. | "The Theme" | Miles Davis | 4:51 |
Highlights single disc
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Date & Set | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Milestones" | Miles Davis | 12/23 Third | 11:49 |
2. | "Yesterdays" | Kern, Harbach | 12/23 Fourth | 15:00 |
3. | "So What" | Miles Davis | 12/23 Second | 13:36 |
4. | "Stella by Starlight" | Washington, Young | 12/23 First | 13:09 |
5. | "Walkin'" | Richard Carpenter | 12/23 First | 11:01 |
6. | "'Round Midnight" | Hanighen, Williams, Monk | 12/22 Second | 8:42 |
Personnel
- Miles Davis — trumpet
- Wayne Shorter — tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock — piano
- Ron Carter — bass
- Tony Williams — drums
References
- Allmusic review
- "Rocklist.net...Steve Parker...Rolling Stone Guide 2004." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- NPR All Things Considered retrieved 17 April 2011
- 1940-, Hancock, Herbie (2014). Herbie Hancock : possibilities. Dickey, Lisa. New York, New York. pp. 92–93. ISBN 9780670014712. OCLC 878953462.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- At the Plugged Nickel (Columbia C2 38266) on Miles Ahead: A Miles Davis Website by Peter Losin.
- The Complete Columbia Album Collection on Miles Ahead: A Miles Davis Website. Retrieved December 2010
- For full details of this and all other releases see the comprehensive discography by Peter Losin on Miles Ahead: A Miles Davis Website.