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April 1, 2006
"Miles Davis at the Cellar Door"
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This week on Night Lights it’s “Electrifying: Miles Davis at the Cellar Door.” In December of 1970 Miles Davis took what some consider to be his last great quintet into a Washington, D.C. jazz club for a four-night stand. Columbia Records recorded all four evenings, but until recently, only material from the last night, when guitarist John McLaughlin joined the group, had been released (and then in edited form) on the album Live/Evil. Now a 6-CD compilation of the Cellar Door performances has come out, giving listeners a comprehensive portrait of this particular Miles ensemble in all its rock and funk-influenced glory. In his book Miles Beyond, Paul Tingen describes the band as denser, more aggressive, louder, and funkier than previous Davis electric groups. Musicians included Keith Jarrett on both electric piano and organ, Gary Bartz on alto and soprano saxophones, Michael Henderson (a 19-year-old who’d played with Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin) on bass, and Jack Dejohnette on drums. They were joined at the Cellar Door by percussionist Airto Moreira. We’ll hear Joe Zawinul’s composition “Directions,” as well as Davis compositions such as “What I Say,” “Inamorata,” and “It’s About That Time.” “Electrifying” airs Saturday, April 1 at 11:05 p.m. on WFIU.