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Late work from Miles Davis – his last-ever appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival – but a set that still has him sounding great! The performance is a special tribute to Quincy Jones, so instead of playing material from the Doo Bop generation, Miles is going more for a late 50s mode – blowing over backings put together by Quincy Jones and Claude Nobs, intended to recreate the sound of the Gil Evans/Miles collaborations. Titles include "The Duke", "Miles Ahead", "Blues For Pablo", "Summertime", "The Pan Piper", "Maids Of Cadiz", and "Gone Gone Gone". DVD features inerviews with Betty Carter, Helen Merrill, Charlie Haden, Monty Alexander, Stanley Clarke, and others.

A famous live performance of material discovered after the death of Charles Mingus in 1979 – played here a decade later in New York, but a group of musicians all directed by Gunther Schuller! Performers include Wynton Marsalis, Randy Brecker, and John Handy – and titles include "Freedom", "Wolverine Blues", "Monk Bunk & Vice Versa", "OP", "Please Don't Come Back From The Moon", "Self Portrait The Chill Of Death", "The Soul", and "Main Score Part One". DVD runs for approximately 131 minutes.

A trio of classic albums from Don Cherry – packaged in a heavy book-like cover, with lots of new notes too! On the first part of the set, Cherry really breaks out on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles include "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", "Terrestrial Beings", "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". Orient is a beauty from Don Cherry – and one of his rarest records! This set was originally only ever issued by the Japanese branch of BYG Records in the early 70s, and it features 2 live performances from France, both of them great! Don's in a spare trance-like mode here – working with one trio comprised of bassist Johnny Dyani and percussionist Okay Temiz; and another trio with Han Bennink on percussion and Moqui on tambura. Tracks from both sets are very long and stretched-out – a mixture percussion, trumpet, flute, piano, and occasional vocals, often done in a globally expansive style. Titles include "Si Ta Ra Ma", "Orient", "Eagle Eye", and "Togetherness".

Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly organic groove that builds up strongly from the bottom, often with elements of world music settled in alongside the jazz – but there's also some funkier moments here too, a bit like the Brown Rice album, but looser overall! The groups on most numbers are relatively large and spiritual – almost like Alice Coltrane at times, but a bit more electric and funky at others – and players include Collin Walcott on sitar, Michael Brecker on saxes, Cliff Carter on keyboards, Lenny White and Tony Williams on drums, Lois Colin on harp, and Raphael Cruz on percussion. Cherry himself plays conch shells, bells, and flute in addition to his usual trumpet – and he even sings a bit on a few numbers, in a soulful, scatting sort of groove. Narada Michael Walden produced, and the whole set's got a very righteous feel – with tracks that include "Universal Mother", "Buddah's Blues", "Eagle Eye", "Mahakali", "Karmapa Chenno", "Surrender Rose", and "Journey Of Milarepa".

A legendary night at Chicago's Checkerboard Lounge – when The Stones, in town for some shows out in Rosemont, sat in with their hero Muddy Waters! First and foremost – we're in Muddy's wheelhouse here – it's his show, and he sounds great, even this late in the game! The Stones, who are hardly ever better from the early 80s onward than when they're in hard blues homage mode, provide stellar support, and they may very well instigate Muddy and his band to bring their best, which they handily do! Also in action are Muddy's own great band and other guests, including John Primer, Rick Kreher, Earnest Johnson, Ray Allison and Mojo Buford – plus Junior Wells, Buddy Guy (who does some singing on the set, along with Mick and Muddy), Lefty Dizz and Nick Charles. The whole thing sounds great, and this 2LP edition also includes a DVD of the live show – and titles include "Sweet Little Angel", instrumental takes on "Country Boy" and "Baby Please Don't Go", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mannish Boy", "Got My Mojo Workin'", "One Eyed Woman", "Clouds In My Heart", "Champagne And Reefer" and more.