Top Five Live Cuts

On the Fillmore East album, Miles and his band play the material from Bitches Brew, but with a lot more understanding of what they want from it. Far more aggressive, focused and avant-garde than Brew, its an amazing record that contains some oft criticized keyboard "battles" between Corea and Jarret. Although some critics describe their assault as indulgent, I think it reflects the nature early 70s fusion when being indulgent was OK and even encouraged. In today's world it can sound a bit dated, but what they do with the Brew material is pretty incredible.

I know that isn't five, but that is what's  hitting me right now. An old friend of mine had some live Charlie Parker recordings that just blow away a lot of studio work I have heard from him, unfortunately I was young and I can not recall the names of those recordings, but I hope to hook up with them again someday.

Some of my bop leaning friends thought the Quintet performances were kind of heavy handed and over the edge (ie rockish) but its still a fun energetic performance.

Les Paul/Nat King Coles duo on Blues ex. Jazz At The Philharmonic 1944

Brecker/Pastorius: Dry Cleaner fro Des Moines (Joni Mitchell's Shadows & Light - alas the DVD of this is an arthouse f***-up)

Joe Morello: Castillian Drums:(ex. Dave Brubeck Quartet Carnegie Hall Live) - about the only drum solo I can now listen to and still get pleasure each time) - in fact Blue Rondo Ala Turka from the same set is a favourite (but I want to mix it for a top five)

Holdsworth/Pasqua: Fred (ex. Blues For Tony)  - Fred (aka Kinder) is my favourite Holdsworth, so how can I resist?

 

But a fifth I have to think about with the following coming to mind:

Shakti live,

Bugge Wesseltoft with John Schofield guesting,

Soft Machine's Third;

MIles Davis off We Want Miles or several others,

Nucleus's Snakehips Dream esp the rhyhm guitar of Chris Spedding (ex. Hemispheres)

................ the list may be huge,