Miles Davis Quintet - 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival
Recorded on September 20, 1963, at the Monterey Jazz Festival, this remarkable performance captures Miles Davis at a pivotal moment in his musical evolution. Joined by tenor saxophonist George Coleman, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and the astonishing seventeen-year-old drummer Tony Williams, Davis leads an extraordinary quintet that bridges the hard bop tradition of his earlier recordings with the adventurous musical freedom that would define his celebrated Second Great Quintet. The performances of Autumn Leaves, So What, Stella by Starlight, and Walkin' reveal a group of exceptional musicians exploring new rhythmic and harmonic possibilities while retaining the lyrical beauty and unmistakable character of Davis's trumpet. The concert concludes with The Theme, his familiar closing signature, providing a fitting farewell to an unforgettable evening of jazz.
Recorded by renowned engineer Wally Heider, this historic Monterey performance preserves the excitement, spontaneity, and remarkable musical interaction of five extraordinary artists. The inventive rhythm section of Hancock, Carter, and Williams provides a constantly shifting foundation for Davis's expressive trumpet and Coleman's commanding tenor saxophone. Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival is an essential document of a legendary ensemble in transition, offering a fascinating glimpse into the musical innovations that would transform modern jazz throughout the 1960s. A compelling addition to any Miles Davis collection.
Artist(s): Trumpet – Miles Davis
Tenor Saxophone – George Coleman
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Tony Williams
Recording Info: Recorded by Wally Heider of United Recording Group at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival on September 20
Mixed and mastered off the The original 1/2-inch, 3-track, 15 ips master tapes
Components used for Transfer:
This transfer leverages precision analog playback and mastering-grade digital conversion. The signal path begins with a modified Studer A810 with Flux Heads, fed through a Merrill Audio Master MX Tape Head Preamp. The analogue signal is converted via a Merging Anubis converter, powered by a Teddy Pardo dedicated linear power supply synchronised to an Antelope Audio 10MX atomic clock for temporal accuracy. All components receive isolated power conditioning through a Shunyata Research Everest X with Shunyata Sigma-X power cords and Omega-X Interconnects, while grounding infrastructure utilises Shunyata ALTAIRA hubs to minimise noise floor and preserve sonic detail throughout the transfer chain.
1 Autumn Leaves 11:26
2 So What 11:11
3 Stella By Starlight 14:27
4 Walkin 12:40
5 The Theme 1:14
The original 1/2-inch, 3-track, 15 ips master tapes were transferred to digital for mixing. When the mixes were complete, they were transferred to 30 ips 1/2-inch tape for mastering. The resulting DSD256 master was then used to generate the final distribution files.
Copyright © & ℗ High Definition Tape Transfers 2026, including all compilation, transfer, remastering, and restoration aspects
 |
|