Miles Davis,That's What Happened: Live in Germany 1987 (Eagle Eye Media, 2009)

Miles Davis, "the most innovative jazz musician of the 20th Century?" Or what? A fraud? Over-rated? Misogynist? Well, the liner notes make the first claim, or at least, they call him "one of the most innovative jazz musicians" and of course they're right to do so. All the other stuff might be right too. Never the virtuoso that Wynton Marsalis is, he more than made up for that by aiming at the horizon and charging ahead. Incorporating R&B, hip-hop, fusion, be-bop, and whatever else there was, he turned the music world (not just the jazz world) on its ear again and again.

That's What Happened is essentially a video that shows what happened one evening in Munich in 1987. His album Tutu had recently been released (an album I personally have great affection for) and featured Marcus Miller on most everything, synthesized percussion by Jason Miles and Davis playing muted solos over top of it. Oh, there were a few guest appearances, but it was definitely Davis' show. Miller wrote most of the material except for a George Duke tune and a cover of "Perfect Way" originally done by Scritti Politti. Only "Tutu" and "Portia" appear in this live show. His cover version of the Cyndi Lauper tune "Time After Time" had appeared on 1985's You're Under Arrest album. Davis was criticised for doing pop tunes but responded that since most jazz standards were in fact pop songs from Broadway theatre, he was simply updating the standards repertoire with new material. "Time After Time" and Davis's rendition of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" both appear on the DVD.

The band that accompanies Davis for this set is made up of younger musicians. Darryl Jones (who has been playing bass for the Rolling Stones since Bill Wyman's retirement) is the first bassist providing a powerful bottom end. Joseph "Foley" McCreary also plays bass, although he's listed as a guitarist. He plays a four string bass tuned an octave higher than the bass of Jones, and Miles referred to him as "my lead bass player." Drummer Ricky Wellman and percussionist Mino Cinelu keep the rhythms moving while two keyboardists (Adam Holzman and Bobby Irving) provide a melodic base for Davis' trumpet to weave in and out. Saxophonist Kenny Garrett joins Miles as second soloist. These men are all 30-40 years Davis's junior, and yet he seems as young and vibrant as any of them.

Davis himself wanders on-stage, blowing down into his trumpet turning his back to the crowd. The camera is able to follow him, and this video might just provide the best look at Miles Davis in concert that any viewer's had for years. The music is funky and solid, representative of the last few years of his career. Gone were the wild experimentations of the 60s and 70s, but there's plenty of good playing here. The critics at the time called him "lazy" and "lukewarm" but in retrospect this DVD offers up a master in his end-game. Well worth a viewing.

[David Kidney]