Miles Davis Marcus Miller, Mike Stern, Bill Evans Miles Davis Bill Evans/MI, USA 1981 Upgrade

Miles and his comeback band Akumu’s Japan tour, which has been omitted from Miles Davis’ archive releases until now, is finally making its debut with the highest quality sound from the Ann Arbor, Michigan performance just before Nishi-Shinjuku Square! Music fans all over the world have been waiting for the return of the jazz king Miles Davis. The post-it notes had been put up around Al Foster, who had been by Miles’ side since his temporary retirement around 1978, but the studio sessions for a full-scale comeback that began in May 1980 also began in earnest in January 1981. Miles was in good form, and in the sessions in March and May, they finished recording the miraculous comeback album “The Man with the Horn” in one go. After that, prior to the full-scale tour that was to come, they held a four-day concert at Kicks in Boston in June 1981 as a warm-up concert to regain the feeling of Miles. Finally, the so-called “Comeback Band” was unveiled, consisting of the still unknown Marcus Miller, Bill Evans, Mike Stern, Mino Cineru, and Al Foster, the man who contributed most to Miles’ comeback. The reviews of this performance noted how Miles had utilized the young talents to create music that was different from anything he had done before. Miles was praised as Miles after all. However, he made many mistakes and was still in the process of making music. He then performed at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the home of jazz, and the prestigious Savoy, also in New York, and almost completely regained his activeness. On July 28, he embarked on his first tour of the United States since his return, starting at the Warner Theater in Washington. Miles’ condition improved with each passing day, and he put on a spectacular performance that made it hard to believe he had retired for a time. The final show of the first US tour after his return, held on September 19, 1981 at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was said to be one of the best performances by Miles and his comeback band immediately after his miraculous return among some people involved and collectors, but it was a secret recording that was not available to the general public. Now, the true master has finally been unearthed by the Gi label, and this powerful album, which contains the complete recording of the band’s warm-up to the first and second sets in amazing high-quality sound with careful mastering by the label, is finally making its debut! After this, there was a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on the final day of their first American tour. As it was an outdoor performance, the audience was extremely enthusiastic, and the king Miles, feeling pleased, tried too hard and caught a cold. So, Miles arrived in Japan, full of energy after receiving huge fees, but now he was feeling down…As for this performance, Nat Hentoff, who is known for his generally harsh criticism of Miles and his comeback band after their comeback, said, “I was more than satisfied just to hear Miles’ extremely magnificent trumpet playing. What a contrast, what a dramatic performance for a band made up of relatively unknown members. I am truly pleased to see them make a comeback.” The performance was excellent throughout, and we can hear Miles’ best playing immediately after his comeback. The album also features plenty of solos from young Bill Evans, who was described as a major discovery, as well as Mike Stern and Mino Cineru, and features a solid rhythm section by Al Foster and a young Marcus Miller, who had supported Miles since the 70s, and a performance that is hard to believe was just formed! There are mixed opinions about Miles of all eras, but now that we have a wide range of materials, this Ann Arbor performance is the true Miles and his comeback band in their original form! Hill Auditorium, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America Miles Davis, tp, key Bill Evans, ts, ss Mike Stern, g Marcus Miller, e-b Al Foster, dr Mino Cinelo, per (First Set) 1 – Band Warming up 2 – Back Seat Betty 3 – My Man’s Gone Now 4 – Aida (Second Set) 5 – Kix 6 – Fat Time 7 – Jean Pierre