StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Miles Davis - Live in Copenhagen 1969

This week, let's take a look at some vintage performance videos of Miles Davis that recently became available online for the first time.

Recorded in November, 1969 at the Tivoli Koncertsal in Copenhagen, Denmark, the videos feature Davis on trumpet along with Wayne Shorter on saxophones, Chick Corea on keyboards, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. This group has been referred to as Miles' "Lost Quintet," as the lineup was relatively short-lived and never made a studio album together in this configuration.

The entire performance previously was issued on DVD in 2010 as Miles Davis: Copenhagen Live 1969, but the individual tracks were posted to YouTube for the first time earlier this month, presumably to help promote the 50th anniversary re-release of Davis' landmark album Bitches Brew.

At the time of the Copenhagen gig in question, Davis was transitioning from the all-acoustic post-bop he had played for most of the 1960s to the electrified sound heard on albums beginning with In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew. The setlist reflected that transition, featuring music from Bitches Brew along with some slightly older original material and one standard, the ballad "I Fall In Love Too Easily."

You can see and hear those performances starting up above with "Directions," followed after the jump by "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" and "Bitches Brew."

Next up, it's "Agitation," "I Fall In Love Too Easily," "Sanctuary," and finally, "It's About That Time/The Theme." (If you'd like to watch all seven clips consecutively as a playlist, go here.)

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...