Miles Davis Quintet
Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1
(Columbia/Legacy)

In an old interview, Herbie Hancock said he didn’t approve of bootlegs. Then he corrected himself—he’d make an exception for the Miles Davis Quintet since that group was changing so fast the official records represented only a fraction of its evolution. With the launch of this official bootleg series, listeners get a sense of what he meant. Live in Europe 1967 captures the band at the height of its powers, compiling five different shows—three on CD, two on DVD. The group cycles through many of the same compositions—”Footprints,” “No Blues,” “Agitation”—but the familiar material allows them to radically reshape the tunes every night. The quintet’s near-telepathic interplay pushes the music into places that are more lyrical, ferocious, dynamic and adventurous than the studio albums. Captured in excellent fidelity, these performances are an instant addition to the jazz canon. —Jeff Jackson

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Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
(Sour Mash/Mercury)

Co-produced by Gallagher and Dave Sardy, the debut solo release by the former Oasis kingpin is a satisfying career renewal for a songwriter responsible for some of the most notable moments in the last 20 years of British music (“Wonderwall,” et al.). Featuring contributions from The Lemon Trees drummer Jeremy Stacey and percussionist Lenny Castro, the record also includes the massive sounds of the Crouch End Festival Chorus on the inspired opener “Everybody’s on the Run.” First single “The Death of You and Me” includes a welcome horn section, and later tracks “AKA…What A Life!” and “Stop the Clocks” dabble in dance music and psychedelic rock, respectively. Though comparisons to his former band’s work are inevitable, Gallagher’s latest is more experimental and well worthy of an artist not content to stick with a proven formula. —Michael Cimaomo

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The Chieftains
Voice of Ages
(Hear/Concord)

Get T-Bone Burnett in the studio with a band that’s made music for 50 years, and something good is going to happen. Add to that mix a long roster of guests from contemporary bands (the latter a formula the Chieftains have repeatedly employed), and you can’t go wrong. Here the Chieftains collaborate with everyone from Low Anthem to The Decemberists and The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and even feature an astronaut who took some of the Chieftains’ instruments along to record her part in space (a first?). You always know what you’ll get with the Chieftains: sometimes beautiful, sometimes stunningly energetic traditional Irish music. Their collaborations breathe new life into that old genre, especially as embodied in a rhythmically interesting, joyful piece with Carlos Nuñez. Voice of Ages sounds at times like a contemporary indie record with uilleann pipes, other times like a perfectly played version of timeless tradition. —James Heflin