Miles Davis & John Coltrane – The Final Tour, Bootleg Series Vol. 6

In 1960 jazz legends Miles Davis and John Coltrane played their last shows together and now, Columbia/Legacy Recordings has compiled the previously unreleased live recordings of their last tour together in a recently released collection called, Miles Davis & John Coltrane – The Final Tour, which is the sixth volume in the vaunted Bootleg Series, highlighting the unreleased works of Miles Davis.  The newly remastered 4-CD box set features five legendary concerts, recorded in Paris, Stockholm and Copenhagen during March of 1960 along with extensive liner notes by renowned music journalist Ashley Kahn.   

All five players - Miles Davis along with an ensemble featuring saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and percussionist Jimmy Cobb - are at their absolute peak and the chemistry between them is undeniable and unparalleled on these recordings.  It makes sense because just a year earlier, the same ensemble helped shape Davis’s landmark album Kind Of Blue and the standout tracks “All Blues” and “So What” featured prominently on the set lists during the tour.  The rest of the set list is highlighted by some of Miles Davis’s greatest hits including, “Bye Bye Blackbird”, “Walkin”, “All Of You”, “On Green Dolphin Street”, “Oleo” and “Round Midnight”.       

Davis of course, delights with his inimitable and iconic virtuosity but the spotlight here is on the intricate interplay between him and Coltrane.  The individuality and improvisation asserted as the two of them trade off solos, is a thing to behold as the tour progresses; despite or even in spite of the growing schism between the two featured performers.  It has been noted that Coltrane was hesitant to make the lengthy overseas trip as he was ready to start out on his own as a featured performer, and his solos during this tour stole the spotlight with a burgeoning ferocity that proved worthy of his hesitation.  The rhythm section though, were locked-in tightly, as Cobb brought a steady yet sensational swing and Chambers propelled the ensemble with his constantly moving bass lines; and pianist Kelly kept things grounded while occasionally changing directions with his twinkling runs.      

The historic recordings of Davis and Coltrane’s final tour together are finally available, sound absolutely amazing, and prove well worth the wait!    

In addition to the full 4-CD set and digital release, select shows from the box set have been pressed onto vinyl. The Final Tour: Copenhagen, March 24, 1960 is also available as a single vinyl album and a special 2-LP vinyl edition of The Final Tour: Paris, March 21, 1960 will be reissued exclusively through Vinyl Me, Please as part of their new VMP Classics subscription.

To order or for more info: http://legacyrecordings.com/releases/miles-davis-john-coltrane-final-tour-bootleg-series-vol-6/      

Stream smoothly subdued “So What”, taken from the second Stockholm concert here: