Two years after its last entry, Legacy Recordings revives the Miles Davis Bootleg Series with a deep dive into some early '60s live recordings that showcase the birth of his second great quintet.

Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 brings together five sets on six CDs or eight LPs: three performances from the Festival Mondial du Jazz in the summer of 1963 and two performances over a day at the Paris Jazz Festival in October 1964. (The 1964 material - which features the unbeatable line-up of Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams - will also receive its own standalone 2LP release on vinyl colored to look like the French flag.) Marcus J. Moore pens new liner notes for the set, housed in a slipcase box that includes the discs in their own gatefold jackets (three for the CD and four for the vinyl), a booklet (32 pages on CD, 20 on vinyl) and wrapped with a die-cut O-card.

These performances are notable as a celebration of Miles' ongoing relationship with France: other than America, he performed in that country the most, with possibly the greatest span in his career (from a pivotal Festival International du Jazz performance in 1949 to receiving the country's National Order of the Legion of Honor months before his passing). Moreover, they find Davis assembling a new ensemble that would turn the jazz world on its head throughout the decade. Having endured the defection of his entire band by 1962, Miles began the year rebuilding, and by the spring had found his new sidemen: tenor saxophonist George Coleman, bassist Carter, pianist Hancock and drummer Williams. (Hancock was only 23 years old at the time, and Williams was just 17; the youthful energy energized Miles considerably.) Together, they finished the studio album Seven Steps to Heaven before trekking across Europe, where they recast Davis' by-now standard repertoire into renditions built for speed and looser structure than ever before. This line-up is featured on the three dates at the Festival Mondial du Jazz in Antibes, recorded on July 26, 27 and 28, 1963; much of the middle date was released contemporaneously by Columbia as Miles in Europe in 1964.

More than a year later, the quintet returned to the Paris Jazz Festival with a key personnel change: Feldman was replaced by Wayne Shorter, a tenor player best known as the principal composer for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Shorter fulfilled the same duty in Davis' band, and the energy they felt in Paris that fall would soon translate to studio magic on albums like E.S.P., Miles Smiles, Sorcerer, Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky and Filles de Kilimanjaro. (Most of the quintet was also present for the pivotal In a Silent Way sessions in 1969.)

After showcasing live sets from 1967, 1969 and 1970; Miles' lengthy history with the Newport Jazz Festival; studio outtakes with the second great quintet; a final tour with John Coltrane; and studio material from Davis' final years with Columbia, it's exciting to see the Bootleg Series return to fans. As always, the package is produced by Steve Berkowitz, Richard Seidel and Michael Cuscuna (one of the final projects he completed before his passing earlier this year) and mastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York City. The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 will be out November 8 and can be pre-ordered below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 (Columbia/Legacy, 2024)

6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
8LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (Discs 7-8 from box): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1/LP 1-2 (Sides C & D1): Festival Mondial Du Jazz, Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins - July 26, 1963

1. Introduction by Andre Francis
2. So What
3. All Blues
4. Stella by Starlight
5. Seven Steps to Heaven
6. Walkin'
7. My Funny Valentine
8. Joshua

CD 2/LP 2 (Side D2-3) and 3: Festival Mondial Du Jazz, Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins - July 26, 1963 (1-2) and July 27, 1963 (3-7)

1. The Theme
2. Closing Announcement by Andre Francis
3. Introduction by Andre Francis +
4. Autumn Leaves +
5. Milestones +
6. I Thought About You +
7. Joshua +

CD 3/LP 4-5 (Side I): Festival Mondial Du Jazz, Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins - July 27, 1963

1. All of You +
2. Walkin' +
3. Bye Bye Blackbird ++
4. The Theme ++

CD 4/LP 5 (Side J) and 6: Festival Mondial Du Jazz, Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins - July 28, 1963

1. Introduction by Andre Francis
2. If I Were a Bell
3. So What
4. Stella by Starlight
5. Walkin'
6. The Theme

CD 5/LP 7: Paris Jazz Festival, Salle Pleyel - October 1, 1964 (first concert)

1. Autumn Leaves
2. So What
3. Stella by Starlight
4. Walkin'
5. The Theme

CD 6/LP 8: Paris Jazz Festival, Salle Pleyel - October 1, 1964 (second concert)

1. All of You
2. Joshua
3. My Funny Valentine
4. No Blues
5. The Theme

+ previously released on Miles Davis in Europe - Columbia CS 8983, 1964
++ previously released on Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964 - Columbia/Legacy C7K 90840, 2004