Audio CD review:
Miles Davis - Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall [2-CD SET]

Miles Davis - Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall [2-CD SET]

Band: Miles Davis Title: Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall [2-CD SET] Rating: Release Date: 29 July, 1997 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Moja (Part 1) 2: Moja (Part 2) 3: Wili (Part 1) 4: Wili (Part 2) 5: Tatu (Part 1) 6: Tatu (Part 2) 7: Nne (Part 1 ('Ife') 8: Nne (Part 2)

Customer Reviews one of the baddest albums Looking back, I think I was feeling and searching for what miles was. I was searching for a sound when I found this album. Someone told me since I like billie holiday, than i like jazz, and should hear bitches brew. found out mclaughlin was on it so i had to get it. i didnt comprehend or hear the music for what it was for a year, but i get tribute to jack johnson. cobham ruled on that one, so did mclaughlin and henderson, but the music was missing something. i got dark magus and found it. Deep deep dark dark is how i describe this. one of my favs in my collection and it never gets old, i listen at least a few times a month. especially sitting on the proch at 3 am smokin a big. . . well u get the idea. some of its harsh towards the end, the music that is, from what i understand, miles left the stage after track3 disc 2, and the go crazy. mostly gaumont, i didnt like him at first, but now i hear what miles and the band liked about him i guess. this is driven, dark, deep, heavy, aggressive. lucas rhythm playing so gets me off, and the fade out on track 2 disc 2, miles trumpet solo is hellacious. and the concert closes perfectly with some congas and percussion, i love that shaker at the end, they wanted this to go on forever. get this album. Sheer raw power It's got bits of funk, and hard rock, a few African rhythms, and a lot of noise. Zappa was wrong: This is jazz from hell. Plenty of power, too. In other words, it's insane. A 100-minute cacophony. Barely any discernable melodies. A lot of heavy guitar, soprano sax, and Miles' own trumpet. You thought Pangaea was in-your-face and nasty? It's lounge music. This is a difficult album to review, simply because it's so different: for one, it's essentially a 100-minute song, arguably making it the longest piece of music in history. For another, it's loud. A powerhouse of an album. It's also very, very good. And very angry. "Dark" is an understatement: It's like letting a monster loose and listening to the carnage that results from its being unleashed. Still, what amazing carnage. . . When the intensity lets up, as it does on "Wlii, pt. 2" and "Tatu, pt. 2" (which is really "Calypso Frelimo"), things do get a little slow and boring. On every other part but those, however, this is a perfect album: the groove is nonstop, every guitar solo is heavy, every other solo (including numerous trumpet and soprano sax ones) is loaded with emotion, and it damn near sustains itself across its 100 minutes. Like Pangaea and Agharta, this is essential live Miles. Oh, That Tenor I agree with nearly all of them. Please read all of these eloquent love letter reviews. As a fan of "the trio" (Pangea, Afgharta, Dark Magus), this chronologically first of 3 gets the most listen. All I wish to add is: let's not minimize the contribution of Azar Lawrence. I really think part of the difference between this and the other two Japanese concerts is the absolutely nasty tone he gets on the tenor sax. While many reviewers find his musicianship subpar, his sparse growling solos really add a heft to the band's attitude that effects the music after he's silent. . You can see a complete list of all Miles Davis discography, or go back to the Miles Davis tabs