Music critics are praising “Miles Davis Quintet – Live In Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1,” released this week! Here are some of the reviews:

“It’s arresting to hear this one-of-a-kind-band in its element.” – Los Angeles Times

“Back up. Miles Davis: You know that name. The five-man band he led from late 1964 to early ’68 — the so-called “second great quintet” — was one of the best he ever had. …This music is the first disc of a 3-CD + DVD set called Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1, out Sept. 20. It was all recorded during a fall 1967 tour by various European state-owned broadcasters — and, yes, DVD means there’s some video, too. Some of it was previously released illegitimately, hence the title, but this is an authorized box set. …How do they know how to move together so well? Why do they sort of sound like 2011 in 1967? Why does this feel so intense? All are good questions, and all are reasons why so many fans and musicians keep mining this particular stretch of Miles Davis’ career for answers.”
– NPR

“Unless you happen to be a musician or a very perceptive listener, it’s often tough to distinguish exceptional jazz from the merely satisfactory. Miles Davis’ famed second quintet of 1964-68 is a rare exception to this rule, a band so individually brilliant and collectively virtuosic, even your average Katy Perry fan can tell there’s some very serious sh*t happening there.” – San Antonio Current

“In short, this release is a treasure trove for jazz aficionados. This was the second great quintet assembled by Miles Davis, consisting of Davis (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums). The group was one of the most adventurous and highly-skilled of Davis’ career. Unafraid to push the boundaries of a tune’s chord structure, the quintet radically reinvented them in the process. Each of these musicians would go on to sustain long, successful careers after the quintet’s 1968 break-up. Rather than sideman serving a leader, their individual contributions to each performance were integral. In late 1967, they were at the top of their game as a collective unit.” – Seattle Post Intelligencer Blog