The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3: Miles At the Fillmore 1970

Part of an ongoing campaign of extensive Miles Davis reissues and unreleased live recordings, this 31-track collection is both. It gathers four sets that the trumpeter’s electric band played at New York's Fillmore East June 17–20, 1970, with three extra songs from the same era at San Francisco's Fillmore West. It was just a few months after the release of the landmark Bitches Brew. While that album famously utilized a cut-and-paste aesthetic to give the songs structure—and these sets provided the source material that was distilled into 1970’s Miles Davis at Fillmore—the performances heard here are full shows without any edits. Featuring organist Keith Jarrett, electric pianist Chick Corea, saxophonist Steve Grossman, bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and percussionist Airto Moreira, the band cooks with a steely intensity that starts with Davis and DeJohnette. Featuring more or less the same sets each night, this collection lets listeners really grasp the often-inscrutable Davis yet hear how truly malleable this jazz-based material was. It's certainly a must for any fan of the trumpeter’s early electric work.