Montreux

Miles Davis - It's About That Time…, Live In Montreux 1969 (2008) {Jazz Door JD 1294}
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© 1969, 2008 Jazz Door | JD 1294
Jazz / Fusion / Jazz Rock / Trumpet

This exciting live set (released for the first time on this European CD in the mid-'90s) finds Miles Davis at a particularly intriguing point in his evolution. He had finished recording In a Silent Way five months earlier, and was just a few weeks away from starting Bitches Brew. His working quintet (captured during a seven-song continuous set at the Montreux Jazz Festival) at that time was comprised of Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano, keyboardist Chick Corea, Dave Holland on electric bass, and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

This 1986 concert by Otis Rush was the first of four appeances that the legendary bluesman has made at the Montreux Festival to date. This particular night turned out to be a very special one when he was joined on stage by first Eric Clapton and then Luther Allison as they rockedtheir way through a set of Otis Rush classics and blues standards in a truly unforgettable performance.

Canned Heat - Live At Montreux 1973 (2011) {Eagle Records EAGCD450}
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© 1973, 2011 Eagle Records | EAGCD450
Rock / Blues Rock / Boogie Rock / Modern Electric Blues

A fine little blues-rock jug band from the 1960s, Canned Heat had already been bitten hard by the rock & roll tragedy bug, losing key member Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson to a fatal drug overdose by the time they'd made their sole appearance at Montreux in 1973. Luckily for history's sake, the great bluesman and multi-instrumentalist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was on hand to step in with the band for this appearance, sparking things along nicely, and luckily, too: the set was filmed and recorded, eventually appearing on both DVD and CD, making it, particularly because of Brown's contributions, a valuable and fun archival historical release.

A true legend! Hardly any other musician has experienced as many musical styles in their career as singer-songwriter Willy DeVille. From his early days with Mink DeVille at New York’s famous CBGB’s club through to his later career, he has always created a unique blend of blues, pop, Cajun and soul seasoned with pure DeVille magic and that wonderful smokey voice. Willy DeVille was a regular visitor to Montreux and this album captures him at his absolute best in 1994 with a stunning band and a superb set list.

Charles Earland - In Concert: At The Montreux Jazz Festival and The Lighthouse (1972-1974) {Pestige PRCD-24267-2 rel 2002}
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© 1972-74, 2002 Prestige / Fantasy | PRCD-24267-2
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Organ Hammond B-3

This two-fer CD pairs 1972's Live at the Lighthouse with the less impressive, though still worthy, 1974 album Kharma, which was recorded at that year's Montreux Jazz Festival. As the head of a sextet on Live at the Lighthouse, Earland spearheaded some first-class soul-jazz, which integrated some funk and rock of the early '70s without sounding like a watered-down cocktail of all those styles (as many other soul-jazz-pop albums of the time did). The horn section of James Vass on sax and Elmer Coles on trumpet leaned more toward soul than jazz, as heard on the opening instrumental cover of Sly & the Family Stone's "Smilin'." The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" wasn't the greatest tune to attempt, though Earland gamely put it into a boppish swing arrangement.

During the early '80s, the South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim released a flurry of small-group albums that concentrated on essentially the same relatively small repertoire. At Montreux is one of these. Thus we have pieces like "The Perfumed Forest Wet With Rain" and "Ishmael," which are available on several other recordings, and "The Wedding," which – while a beautiful song – seemed to appear on every recording Ibrahim issued during this period. This is not to say that it's a mediocre or unenjoyable recording. The band is tight and energetic, featuring the usual stellar work from the unsung saxophonist Carlos Ward as well as an early recorded appearance by the young trombonist Craig Harris. Ibrahim chose to have an electric bass with this group, giving a slightly funkier sound than usual and, as was typically the case, the pianist himself stays in the background, preferring to lead and prod the band rather than solo.

Although Ella Fitzgerald had been on the jazz scene for over four decades by the time of this 1975 concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival, she still knew how to swing and keep the audience in the palm of her hand. Backed by lyrical pianist Tommy Flanagan, the solid bassist Keter Betts and the driving drummer Bobby Durham, the vocalist wows the crowd with a mix of standards, popular jazz compositions and ballads in a way that only she could do it. Even though her voice shows evidence of a little more vibrato on her held notes at the end of a phrase (especially on the ballads), she still emotes like no one else, occasionally adding some playful scat in the up-tempo numbers and captivating the audience with her romp through "How High the Moon," a piece she kept fresh even though she had performed it hundreds of times over the years…

Eldridge's final recording as a leader is a real gem. Although his chops were no longer in prime form, he was still pushing himself to the limit. With a brilliant rhythm section egging him on (pianist Oscar Peterson, bassist Niels Pedersen, and drummer Bobby Durham), Eldridge still went for the high notes (and generally hit them) during this exciting set from the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival. Although the musicians did not know it at the time, the last two songs ("Perdido" and "Bye Bye Blackbird") were a perfect ending to a brilliant career.

Bill Evans' second recording at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1970 was a highly anticipated concert, finding the pianist in peak form, accompanied by bassist Eddie Gómez and drummer Marty Morell. His originals include the rhapsodic "Very Early," the turbulent "34 Skidoo," and an aggressive rendition of "Peri's Scope." His introspective take of Burt Bacharach's "Alfie" is played at a leisurely tempo, while his take of Earl Zindars' "How My Heart Sings" simmers slowly to a boil. His driving setting of Johnny Carisi's "Israel" has an intense Eddie Gómez solo and a lively exchange with Morell as its centerpiece.

For this duet set from the 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival, Bill Evans alternates between acoustic and electric pianos while Eddie Gómez offers alert support and some near-miraculous bass solos. The audience is attentive and appreciative - as they should be, for the communication between the two masterful players (on such songs as "Milano," "Django," "I Love You," and their encore, "The Summer Knows") is quite special.