Is The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux a good place to start with Miles Davis?

Yes, The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux is recommended as a starting point for new Miles Davis listeners. A vibrant fusion of jazz standards and electrifying improvisations that showcase Miles Davis's innovative spirit in a live setting. By the time 'The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux' was released in 2002, Miles Davis had already established himself as a jazz icon following decades of groundbreaking work. This collection encapsulates performances from various Montreux Jazz Festival appearances throughout the 1970s and 1980s, highlighting his evolution into jazz fusion and electric experimentation during a period when he was often redefining genre boundaries.

Who is The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux for?

The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux works well if you're into extended improvisations that unfold gradually, vibrant soundscapes for deep listening and rich melodic textures for exploration.

How many songs are on The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux?

The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux has 132 tracks, running approximately 1152 minutes.

The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux

Miles Davis · 2002

1152 min · 132 tracks · jazz

A vibrant fusion of jazz standards and electrifying improvisations that showcase Miles Davis's innovative spirit in a live setting.

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Top tracks — play these first

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Miles in Montreux ’73, Part 1 Start here — establishes the sonic palette early
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Calypso Frelimo — Blending Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz, this track illustrates Davis's ability to merge genres while maintaining a distinct sound, showcasing his innovative spirit.
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Human Nature — This rendition offers a deep emotional resonance through its lush harmonies and intricate arrangements, underscoring Davis's skill at interpreting contemporary music.
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Time After Time — Davis’s interpretation transforms this pop classic into a haunting exploration of melody and space, reflecting his mastery over mood and atmosphere.
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Jean-Pierre — As a staple in Davis's repertoire, this track captures the essence of his electric phase, blending funk grooves with complex improvisation.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental

71 /100

Alpine

Higher than 95% of albums we've rated

The album showcases diverse improvisation and high-level musicianship, though its extensive length affects cohesion.

What we noticed

The album features a wide range of improvisational styles, with tracks varying in length from a few minutes to over twenty, allowing for extended solos.

Composition 25% of the score: 8/10
Craft 20% of the score: 9/10
Durability 25% of the score: 7/10
Distinctiveness 18% of the score: 8/10
Sequencing 12% of the score: 5/10

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

extended improvisations that unfold gradually
vibrant soundscapes for deep listening
rich melodic textures for exploration
dynamic shifts in rhythmic complexity
for late-night sessions

Maybe skip if you

prefer short, standalone tracks
seek instant gratification in music

Where this album fits

In the catalog: Deep Cut — A compilation of live performances that showcases archival material, not a primary entry point.
Themes: Montreux Jazz Festival· live improvisation· modal jazz evolution
Career context: By the time 'The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux' was released in 2002, Miles Davis had already established himself as a jazz icon following decades of groundbreaking work. This collection encapsulates performances from various Montreux Jazz Festival appearances throughout the 1970s and 1980s, highlighting his evolution into jazz fusion and electric experimentation during a period when he was often redefining genre boundaries.
Stylistic neighbors: John Coltrane· Herbie Hancock· Wayne Shorter

New to Miles Davis? Find your way in →

Tracklist

Disc 1

1 Miles in Montreux ’73, Part 1 Start here 16:34
2 Miles in Montreux ’73, Part 2 19:54

Disc 2

1 Ife 27:24
2 Calypso Frelimo 15:56
3 Miles in Montreux ’73, Part 3 14:52

Disc 3

1 Speak / That’s What Happened 11:43
2 Star People 8:41
3 What It Is 8:05
4 It Gets Better 13:46
5 Something’s on Your Mind 11:14

Disc 4

1 Time After Time 13:57
2 Hopscotch / Star on Cicely 7:11
3 Bass Solo 1:26
4 Jean‐Pierre 10:06
5 Lake Geneva 4:20
6 Something’s on Your Mind (reprise) 7:33

Disc 5

1 Speak / That’s What Happened 8:29
2 Star People 9:06
3 What It Is 9:21
4 It Gets Better 13:30
5 Something’s on Your Mind 13:01

Disc 6

1 Time After Time 12:12
2 Hopscotch / Star on Cicely 8:09
3 Bass Solo 1:53
4 Jean Pierre 10:31
5 Lake Geneva 3:16
6 Something’s on Your Mind (reprise) 10:44
7 Code M.D. 6:51

Disc 7

1 Theme From Jack Johnson: One Phone Call / Street Scenes / That’s What Happened 13:27
2 Star People 6:39
3 Maze 9:58
4 Human Nature 5:27
5 MD 1 / Something’s on Your Mind / MD 2 13:24
6 Time After Time 8:18
7 Ms. Morrisine 10:37

Disc 8

1 Code M.D. 8:01
2 Pacific Express 14:46
3 Katia 7:07
4 Hopscotch 5:55
5 You’re Under Arrest 6:40
6 Jean‐Pierre / You’re Under Arrest / Then There Were None 9:02
7 Decoy 4:13

Disc 9

1 Theme From Jack Johnson: One Phone Call / Street Scenes / That’s What Happened 14:06
2 Star People 6:16
3 Maze 10:09
4 Human Nature 7:33
5 MD 1 / Something’s on Your Mind / MD 2 13:24
6 Time After Time 11:10

Disc 10

1 Ms. Morrisine 10:12
2 Code M.D. 8:10
3 Pacific Express 15:25
4 Katia 8:15
5 Hopscotch 7:41
6 You’re Under Arrest 7:18
7 Jean‐Pierre / You’re Under Arrest / Then There Were None 8:40
8 Decoy 5:06

Disc 11

1 Theme From Jack Johnson: One Phone Call / Street Scenes / That’s What Happened 9:08
2 New Blues 5:55
3 Maze 10:22
4 Human Nature 8:34
5 Wrinkle 10:55
6 Tutu 6:53
7 Splatch 11:17

Disc 12

1 Time After Time 8:31
2 Al Jarreau 6:23
3 Carnival Time 4:26
4 Burn 8:26
5 Portia 7:23
6 Jean‐Pierre 9:40

Disc 13

1 In a Silent Way 1:04
2 Intruder 4:54
3 New Blues 7:07
4 Perfect Way 4:50
5 The Senate / Me & U 9:20
6 Human Nature 13:01
7 Wrinkle 8:16
8 Tutu 11:05
9 Time After Time 8:11

Disc 14

1 Movie Star 4:27
2 Splatch 9:22
3 Heavy Metal Prelude 5:24
4 Heavy Metal 6:25
5 Don’t Stop Me Now 7:19
6 Carnival Time 13:19
7 Jean‐Pierre 8:50
8 Tomaas 11:09

Disc 15

1 Intruder 5:47
2 New Blues 12:08
3 Perfect Way 6:35
4 Hannibal 10:43
5 Human Nature 10:50
6 Mr. Pastorius 4:32
7 Tutu 13:30

Disc 16

1 Jilli 5:56
2 Time After Time 10:46
3 Jo Jo 5:35
4 Amandla 5:16
5 The Senate / Me & U 11:47
6 Wrinkle 6:50
7 Portia 7:48

Disc 17

1 Perfect Way 5:59
2 New Blues 8:30
3 Hannibal 10:44
4 The Senate / Me & U 10:51
5 In the Night 3:19
6 Human Nature 12:43
7 Time After Time 9:13

Disc 18

1 Wrinkle 8:10
2 Tutu 13:31
3 Don’t Stop Me Now 11:25
4 Carnival Time 13:35

Disc 19

1 Introduction by Claude Nobs & Quincy Jones 1:22
2 Boplicity 3:40
3 Introduction to “Miles Ahead Medley” / Springsville 3:42
4 Maids of Cadiz 3:36
5 The Duke 4:01
6 My Ship 4:10
7 Miles Ahead 3:38
8 Blues for Pablo 6:05
9 Introduction to “Porgy and Bess Medley” 0:28
10 Orgone 4:08
11 Gone, Gone, Gone 1:47
12 Summertime 2:54
13 Here Come de Honey Man 3:40
14 Introduction to “Sketches of Spain” / The Pan Piper 1:40
15 Solea 11:43

Disc 20

1 Perfect Way 5:33
2 New Blues 15:37
3 Hannibal 17:41
4 Human Nature 16:58
5 Time After Time 9:47
6 Wrinkle 4:23

What to play next

Listen next

In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete

2003

Continues the vibrant live jazz experience with improvisational depth.

Go back to

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2001

Full Miles Davis discography Where to start with Miles Davis Artists like Miles Davis

bebop hard bop jazz fusion

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Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata