A tape of mystery origin such as this one is a rarity in the Miles Davis electric timeline, but we do have a few clues as to the date and venue. The inclusion of “Untitled Original 701004” suggests the performance predated the November 15th Philadelphia gig, by which point the song had been dropped from the setlist, while the addition of “What I Say” indicates it likely followed the mid-October Fillmore West shows, none of which featured the tune. Paired with the modest crowd and the gymnasium-like acoustics, my best guess is that this tape is from a gig at a small Northeastern US college in early November.

Conjecture aside, one thing is certain: this is the first tape of the Michael Henderson/Keith Jarrett era that could go toe-to-toe with the Lost Quintet. And at a whopping 109 minutes, it’s the longest recorded set of Miles’ electric period.

There are so many things that make this tape exceptional. Fidelity wise, the mix is surprisingly balanced for an audience tape, and the band seems to relish the venue’s cavernous echo, with DeJohnette sounding downright Bonham-esque on occasion. It also catches this lineup sounding for the first time like a cohesive unit. Miles lets the songs unfold and run their course, he’s in no hurry to cue the next tune, and there are no lulls or awkward readjustments in the segues – the set simply flows with a trance-inducing quality the band would master in the spring of 1973, but never with the intensity heard here.

Featuring nearly every song in the sextet’s repertoire from the fall of 1970 through winter of 1971 (only “Yesternow” is absent), this marathon set is a universe in itself. An absolutely exceptional tape.

Get it here
1. Directions (12:50)
2. Honky Tonk (20:03)
3. Untitled Original 701004* (11:02)
4. Sanctuary (2:32)
5. It’s About That Time (16:05)
6. Funky Tonk (20:48)
7. Bitches Brew (11:04)
8. What I Say** (14:53)
9. The Theme (1:00)

*Final recorded performance
**First recorded performance