Miles Davis – “Black Beauty (Miles Davis At Fillmore West)” MoFi

Description

Dateline: April 10, 1970. Setting: The storied Fillmore West inSan Francisco, CA. Context: Miles Davis, three days removedfrom his first session for Jack Johnson and, with newly recruitedsoprano saxophonist Steve Grossman in tow, opening shows forcountercultural heroes the Grateful Dead on the latters home turf.
Result: The initial rumblings of a thrilling era in which Davis and hiscohorts would again upend jazz and popular conceptions of the genre with music steeped in groove, improvisation, and hang-on-for-your-life adventurousness. All captured on Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West. Given Davis was only months away from releasingthe pioneering Bitches Brew, it shouldnt come as a surprise that
much of the fare here adheres to similar explorative approaches.

Masted at MoFis California studio, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelitys 180g 2LP set helps bring what went down that spring evening in Bill Grahams venue to your listening room with exceptional clarity, balance, and presence. Originally only released in Japan in 1973 and unavailable in the United States until the late 90s on compact disc, this marks the first time Black Beauty has been issued on domestic vinyl. These LPs present the bands livewire energy and torrential storm of notes with captivating
dynamics, pacing, and fullness. At its core, this audiophile reissue takes you into the walls of sound erected by a band learning on-the-fly the sheer power, will, and breadth of the electric jazz Davis was orchestrating and realizing, on the spot, would reach rock audiences that until that point had only a faint awareness of his mad-scientistexperimentation.