Miles Davis
★★★★ Merci Miles! Live At Vienne WARNER BROS. CD/DL/LP
Trumpet legend’s poignant farewell to France.
France had always been a happy hunting ground for Miles Davis since his first visit in 1949; it’s where he fell in love with actress Juliette Greco and also recorded one of his finest albums, 1958’s
Ascenseur Pour L’échafaud. His final tour there in July 1991, three months before his death, saw him appear at the Vienne jazz festival. That concert is now released to mark the 30th anniversary of his passing. Despite his supposed frailty, Miles doesn’t sound like he’s ailing on the set’s eight tracks, which include terrific extended versions of Michael Jackson’s Human Nature and Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time. Also noteworthy are a couple of Prince tunes (the funkpowered Penetration and bluesy Jailbait), which allow the trumpeter’s excellent band to flex its chops. A musthear album for fans of late period Miles.