Mahavishnu Orchestra – Live At Montreux 1984/1974 (Eagle Vision DTS DVD Set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C Concerts: B-
Even if
you have never heard of The Mahavishnu Orchestra, you may have heard their
music casually on the radio on an off channel or if you were one of the few who
saw Atom Egoyan’s Where The Truth Lies
(2005) or if you are a diehard Jazz fan.
The band existed for two periods: 1971 – 6 and 1984 – 7. Both times, they were at the Montreux Jazz
festival and both performances were taped.
They are now available in a new DVD set from Eagle Vision from their
ongoing, extensive set of Montreux concerts.
The 1984
concert includes Billy Cobham in the line-up, while the 1974 version includes
Jean-Luc Ponty and Narada Michael Walden.
Both are progressive jazz works with some Rock edge to them and are
pretty impressive overall. My only
complaint is that unless you love Jazz, you may find yourself out of your
elements with their extended jams.
Otherwise, these are exceptionally talented groups of musicians in
action and all are worth a look.
The 1.33
X 1 image on both concerts are from analog video sources with good color and in
clean, good shape. The older stereo
audio has been upgraded to Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 mixes that are not bad,
but cannot hide the age of the material.
The PCM 16/48 2.0 Stereo is not bad.
The only extra are four audio-only bonus tracks that are as lively as
the on camera material.
- Nicholas Sheffo
