Dark Magus

Dark Magus
Live album by Miles Davis
Released	1977 (1977) (Japan)
Recorded	March 30, 1974 Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genre	Fusion, jazz funk
Length	100:58
Label	Columbia/Legacy
Producer	Teo Macero
Miles Davis chronology
Agharta (1976) Dark Magus (1977) Miles! Miles! Miles! (1981)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	(A)[2]
Down Beat	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	(A)[4]
JazzTimes	(favorable)[5]
Pitchfork Media	(9.5/10)[6]
Penguin Guide to Jazz	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Spin	(favorable)[9]
The Village Voice	(favorable)[10]

Dark Magus is a live album by jazz artist Miles Davis recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 30, 1974. The album was released in 1977 in Japan as a double-LP by Columbia Records, and released in 1997 in the United States in a double-CD format. Unlike its predecessor concert recordings released on Pangaea and Agharta, it was remastered and released on November 22, 2002, as part of the Davis comprehensive reissue series by Legacy Records. In 2001, Q magazine named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time.^[11]

In the liner notes of the CD reissue Dave Liebman confirms that he never heard the titles that were given to the songs by the label before its release. He refers to the "Moja Pts. 1 & 2" as "Turnaround" (although it's actually the song "Turnaroundphrase") and "Tune in 5", respectively. "Wili Pts. 1 & 2" is mentioned as "Funk" and "For Dave" respectively. "Tatu Pt. 2" and "Nne Pt. 1" are actually versions of "Calypso Frelimo" and "Ife" according to Liebman (although the latter bears very little resemblance to the studio recording from Big Fun).

Track listing

Side A

1. "Moja, Pt. 1" – 12:28
2. "Moja, Pt. 2" – 12:40

Side B

1. "Wili, Pt. 1" – 14:20
2. "Wili, Pt. 2" – 10:44

Side C

1. "Tatu, Pt. 1" – 18:47
2. "Tatu, Pt. 2" – 6:29

Side D

1. "Nne, Pt. 1 " – 15:19
2. "Nne, Pt. 2 " – 10:11

Personnel

• Miles Davis – organ, electric trumpet with wah-wah
• Dave Liebman – flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Azar Lawrence – tenor saxophone
• Pete Cosey – electric guitar, synthesizer
• Reggie Lucas – electric guitar
• Dominique Gaumont – electric guitar
• Michael Henderson – electric bass
• Al Foster – drums
• James Mtume – percussion
• Teo Macero – producer

References

1. ^ Jurek, Thom (November 1, 2002). Review: Dark Magus. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-02-05.
2. ^ Christgau, Robert (October 1997). "Consumer Guide: Dark Magus". The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2011-02-05.
3. ^ Product Notes – Dark Magus. Muze. Retrieved on 2011-02-05.
4. ^ Sinclair, Tom (August 1, 1997). Review: Miles Davis live albums. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2011-02-26.
5. ^ Terrell, Tom (October 1997). Review: Dark Magus. JazzTimes. Retrieved on 2011-02-05.
6. ^ Josephes, Jason (1997). "Review: Dark Magus". Pitchfork Media. Archvied from the original on 2011-02-05.
7. ^ Cook, Richard (2004). "Review: Dark Magus". The Penguin Guide to Jazz: 424–425.
8. ^ Hoard, Christian (November 2, 2004). "Review: Dark Magus". Rolling Stone: 215, 218.
9. ^ Davis, Erik (August 1997). "Freakin' the Funk – Revisiting Miles Davis's '70s Visions". Spin: 117.
10. ^ Christgau, Robert (October 14, 1997). "Miles Davis's '70s: The Excitement! The Terror!". The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2011-02-05.
11. ^ A Selection Of Lists From Q Magazine - Page 2

• Tingen, Paul (2001). Miles Beyond: The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991. Watson-Guptill. p. 155. ISBN 0823083462