A Rare Snapshot of the Second Great Quintet: Miles Davis in Milan, October 11, 1964 (full video)

In autumn 1964, the Miles Davis Quintet arrived at Milan’s Teatro dell’Arte for a performance that would crystallise into an enduring jazz moment.

With Wayne Shorter having joined the group just weeks earlier, this one-hour concert—which you’ll find in full via the video below—offers rare colourised footage of a band just beginning to take shape.

Just-Formed Greatness

Only weeks earlier, in September 1964, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter joined the group, completing what would become known as the Second Great Quintet:

• Miles Davis (trumpet)
• Wayne Shorter (saxophone)
• Herbie Hancock (piano)
• Ron Carter (bass)
• Tony Williams (drums)

This Milan show captures one of their first appearances together — still finding their footing but already distinctive.

The Tunes They Played

The setlist balances familiar terrain with forward-looking exploration:

• Autumn Leaves
• My Funny Valentine
• All Blues
• All of You
• Joshua, leading into The Theme

The choice of material reflects both comfort and curiosity. Standards like Autumn Leaves and My Funny Valentine offer emotional entry points, alongside originals like All Blues (originally recorded five years earlier on Kind of Blue) and Joshua.

Captured on Italian television that night

This isn’t just audio history—it’s a visual snapshot. Italy’s national broadcaster videotaped and the entire performance was later colourised, giving us a rare glimpse into the band’s early dynamics and stage presence, as you’ll see here.

Why This Moment Matters

1. Lineup in formation. Shorter had only just joined; the band’s classic albums like E.S.P. and Miles Smiles were still to come.
2. Diverging from the norm. Even on standards, the band stretched harmonies, rhythms, and space in ways listeners hadn’t widely heard before.
3. Documented real-time evolution. Few films exist of the Second Quintet in their earliest days. The footage documents one of the earliest filmed performances of the Second Great Quintet.

A Night Between Eras

Each solo shows a group still negotiating its shared language. Miles is sparse and pointed, Hancock leaves space, Carter and Williams shape the pulse, and Shorter’s tone is probing — not yet settled, but already individual.

It’s one of the earliest recorded steps toward what would become one of the most influential groups in jazz

Key Moments Worth Watching

• The opening run of Autumn Leaves sets the scene.
• All Blues shows the group leaning into modal space.
• The bridge from Joshua into The Theme hints at the shape they’d soon sculpt into jazz’s new architecture.

This Milan performance isn’t polished perfection. It’s a snapshot: a band freshly assembled, exploring, and electrified. If you want to witness the dawn of something classic—but still unpredictable—this is that moment.

Miles, once again, on the brink of changing the course of jazz.