Soon to be overwhelmed by Miles

In my stocking this year was a note that I would be receiving the Miles Davis Complete Columbia Album Collection, Amazon exclusive, limited edition box set to be released early January. From my father-in-law, no less. This was a complete and total surprise, and one for which many effusive thanks were issued.

I'm not sure how one goes about listening to 70 CDs. The set, it goes without saying, should be fantastic. How can it not be with all 52 studio albums inside. Amazon even has a video so you can see what's inside the thing. I currently have about 10 Miles disks, far from encyclopedic, and by and large, all I ever felt I needed. After I listened to the famous ones a bazillion times I figured, "Well, I think I know what Miles sounds like, time to go check out all the band members."

I'm not much on the 'learned' side when it comes to Jazz. I listen, I enjoy, I look for something new. I'm a bit concerned the comprehensiveness of this thing is wasted on me. But, I'm certainly not complaining.

I think I have no choice but to go through this set chronologically. Any advice? It's going to take me forever. Probably going to need to start my own blog...heh heh. Album by album.

Seriously. Any advice?

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Wow! Lucky you. Like most jazz greats, there'll be alot of revised tracks and repeats. I like the chronological approach, perhaps an album a day or every other day so you can take it in and reflect a bit.

Certainly wish I had your problems...

Holy ****. I like Miles Davis quite a lot, but that is some serious overload to deal with. Good luck.

I'd go at it album or two a week. You won't do yourself or the music any justice if you try to digest all of that too quickly. Have fun.

Wow. That's a lot of music. Nice gift from dad-in-law. He must like you. :)

I like 3LB's idea. There must be a book or good website that follows all the albums chronologically out there - might not hurt as a guide, perhaps offering suggestions on thing things to listen for, or neat tidbits of information.

That's a fantastic gift. I am jealous.

You are indeed the man!!!!! I love Miles. I have lots of his stuff on CD as well as on Vinyl. I suggest looking at the recording dates of the various recordings, and playing them in order. You will be impressed with the evolution of Mile's sound and playing styles. He always played with his trumpet tuned very sharp in the early days. As he matured, he played long flatted tones. He finally settled on the muted trumpet. He was able to play deep and dark tones with the mute, and later on bright tones still with the muted trumpet. To get an idea of what I am talking about, I suggest listening to his :Dingo" album, I think it is one of his best albums.
Enjoy !!! Dwayne
I am going to order that comilation as well. Thanks for letting me know it was out there.

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Originally Posted by dwayne.aycock

I suggest listening to his "Dingo" album, I think it is one of his best albums.

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I like to sometime look up artist or albums on allmusic.com. I had a gander at what it says about "Dingo" and well....

"In 1990 Miles Davis starred in a movie about a veteran trumpeter (talk about typecasting) and had a rare opportunity to play part of the time in a straightahead setting. Fellow trumpeter Chuck Findley performs the solos for a younger musician who befriends Davis and Michel Legrand arranged and composed the music. There are some good moments on these selections (Findley actually overshadows Davis in some places) but since this is a soundtrack, the music does not often stand up that well by itself. It's a worthy effort but is sure to become an obscurity."

You might want to ask to submit a kinder review.

dwayne.aycock - You are a lucky man. My good buddy got me the Led Zepplin "Mothership" vinyl box set. (not purchased from Amazon btw).

But dang if that Mile box set seem to beat it, cept it ain't on vinyl. :)

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Originally Posted by kexodusc

I like 3LB's idea. There must be a book or good website that follows all the albums chronologically out there - might not hurt as a guide, perhaps offering suggestions on thing things to listen for, or neat tidbits of information.

That's a fantastic gift. I am jealous.

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Actually, I hadn't considered searching for sites like this yet. There must be one somewhere. Maybe now that this beast is coming out they'll be a ton of them. I suppose I could search album by album for reviews. You hit the nail on the head though, suggestions and tidbits. That's what I think I need to get the most out of it.

I was traveling last week when the box arrived. This week I've been ripping and listening while I work, work being where I do most of my listening these days (albeit often interrupted listening). The box set is compact and imposing. All the paper sleeves are made to look like mini LPs shrunk down. I like that the artistic impression of the album is maintained. However, the text is tiny and the resolution not well preserved. I suppose its too much to ask that they redo the fonts so they're crisp. There's a nice CD sized booklet to accompany the set and the latter half of the book gives a paragraph about each album then some of the recording details about each track. The details mnake up for the lack of readability on the sleeves.

I figured I'd go through this chronologically and decided to commit to posting something on each album. As above, I'm no expert and certainly this much Miles is overkill for 99.8% of the population. I do not represent the remaining 0.2%. But, it is a cool collection and I think I'll get more out of it if I do this. Hopefully, there's at least one or two of you that might follow along and help me out.

Proceeding chronologically (with clickable album art for limited time sampling on each as I go) the first up is

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A 1949 recording that was first released in 1977. The jacket kind of sums it up. "We are of course aware of the fact that the technical quality of these recordings is somewhat below contemporary [1977 -n0] professional standards and that no doctoring could possibly restore the beauty of the live sound of the Quintet those nights. Yet we like to think that the listener will overlook the shortcoming in view of the very high musical standard of the performance "

There's some very good performances here. Certainly tunes that are getting dated by now, but it would've been fun to be there even today. I've always liked "All the things you are" and "Embraceable You" and some of the other tracks. I didn't think Miles himself stood out much. The jacket notes makes a deal about how Miles took the audience by surprise playing forte instead of mezzo forte. I wonder about the constitution of the crowd. What I enjoyed the most was the spirit of [looks at liner notes] James Moody on tenor and Tadd Dameron on piano. However, it's clear that this is a highly functional group and they really played well together. I'll admit that I probably won't come back to this album much simply on the basis of less than stellar recording quality.

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Originally Posted by noddin0ff

I'll admit that I probably won't come back to this album much simply on the basis of less than stellar recording quality.

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This will be a problem on much of the 50's sessions, particularily live stuff.

...and I'm glad I did. Have to say the show was more about his band at that point. He did some cool stuff, but he was clearly past his prime.

Kind of Blue still gets all the hype, and deservedly so for many reasons, but check out 'Round About Midnight that was recorded about 1955 when his band included John Coltrane. Stellar stuff in my opine.

Swishaddy - Kind of Blue tonight.

Actually, 'Round About Midnight' is next up. I got to see him around that time too, maybe 1988 in Seattle. Mostly saw his back. Concert turned me on to Chick Corea who (I hope I remember correctly) was keyboard for that gig. Kind of Blue and Round About Midnight was most of my Miles exposure at the time so fast forward past Amandla was a bit of a shock to my Jazz noob ears. Good show though.

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'Round Midnight
Ah-Leu-Cha
All Of You
Bye Bye Blackbird
Tadd's Delight
Dear Old Stockholm
Two Bass Hit*
Little Melonae*
Budo*
Sweet Sue, Just You*

I got my first CD player in 1986. Kind of Blue was one of the first CDs I bought. Shortly after, I picked up ‘Round About Midnight. I’m pretty sure ‘Round About Midnight was in the first handful of CDs I owned. I listened to this so many times it’s a little hard to hear it fresh. It may very well have been my second jazz album and the one that got me to explore jazz. I loved the title track and from studying the liner notes went on to start purchasing T. Monk albums. Since Coltrane was on both Miles albums I had, I picked up Blue Train…and so it started.

The highpoint of the album for me has always been when Coltrane enters in on ‘Round About with this languid and free solo half way into the piece. It’s a classy album, bluesy, swingin’ and easy on the ears. Nice contrasts with Miles on the muted trumpet and the brighter sax and piano. Bye Bye Blackbird also fixated me for a long time. I remember going to the concert mentioned in my above post hoping he’d play that one. Um, no. There are 4 tracks (*) on this release that I didn’t have on my version. They’re not as lushly produced as the original tracks but they are more ‘jazzy’ in the lively sense. Two Bass Hit shows up on the next album in this series in a more produced form. The bonus tracks seem a little more risky than the original cuts. Maybe because the originals sound so much like standards now.

The text in the box set comments on how its production was well planned. And, it does sound smoothly produced. Wiki comments on this being a pinnacle of hard bop. The liner notes bring up words like rich and breathy and intimate. All of this is apt.

This album made a big impression on me when I first heard it and for years after. It’s not as iconic as Kind of Blue but it’s a logical next step from there and on into Jazz in general. It’s a keeper.

Next up: Circle in the Round

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Originally Posted by noddin0ff

Actually, 'Round About Midnight' is next up. I got to see him around that time too, maybe 1988 in Seattle. Mostly saw his back. Concert turned me on to Chick Corea who (I hope I remember correctly) was keyboard for that gig. Kind of Blue and Round About Midnight was most of my Miles exposure at the time so fast forward past Amandla was a bit of a shock to my Jazz noob ears. Good show though.

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...which is the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA (used to live on the outskirts of that city) and they confirmed he played there in May of 1987. It was after he released Amandla, but Corea wasn't with him for the show I saw. I remember he had an 18 year old hot shot on lead guitar though, and he allowed the kid to show off quite a bit. As I recall, I saw a lot of Miles's back too. When I saw Bill Frisell a few years ago, our seats were directly in front of him, but he stood sideways, facing the drummer (Jack DeJohnette) the entire time. As a frustrated guitarist, it drove me crazy that I couldn't see his hands moving up and down the fretboard. I guess he has some type of stage fright and won't face the audience?

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Originally Posted by Swish

...and I'm glad I did. Have to say the show was more about his band at that point. He did some cool stuff, but he was clearly past his prime.

Kind of Blue still gets all the hype, and deservedly so for many reasons, but check out 'Round About Midnight that was recorded about 1955 when his band included John Coltrane. Stellar stuff in my opine.

Swishaddy - Kind of Blue tonight.

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This post from the heathen Swish ****s with my reality...

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Originally Posted by Swish

I remember he had an 18 year old hot shot on lead guitar though, and he allowed the kid to show off quite a bit. As I recall, I saw a lot of Miles's back too.

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I remember that kid. I wonder if he's a somebody now? It rather bugged me at the time. There was a good 20 minute stretch where Miles wandered off into the dark somewhere and this kid on guitar sat front and center, legs dangling off the stage, soloing around. I'm thinking I paid all this money to hear Miles and this unknown dude is all I get? Would it have killed Miles to come out an blow a note every couple of minutes? Anyway... who was the kid?

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Two Bass Hit - 1955
Love For Sale - 1958
Blues No. 2 - 1961
Circle In The Round - 1967
Teo's Bag - 1968
Side Car I - 1968
Side Car II - 1968
Splash - 1968
Sanctuary - 1968
Guinnevere - 1970

Circle in the Round is placed at #3 in the chronological box set but was released in 1979. Apparently in 1979, Miles hadn’t released anything for several years so Columbia put out an album of unreleased material. The tracks span 1955 (hence the #3 position) to 1970, but the bulk of the album is 1967-8. Starting 1955 off is Two Bass Hit, a track added as a bonus on ‘Round About Midnight. Better production here.

Track 2, Love for Sale (1958) is very nice and one can’t complain about the lineup (Cannonball Adderley, alto sax; Coltrane, tenor; Bill Evans, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Jimmy Cobb, drums). I bring this up because Love for Sale is also a stand out track on Cannonball Adderley’s album Something Else, released 1958 and recorded 10 weeks earlier (w/ Miles, trumpet, Hank Jones, piano; Sam Jones, bass; Art Blakey, drums). With Miles and Adderley on both, and 10 weeks between recordings, there’s a lot that is similar. On Something Else, Blakey adds more interesting rhythms and Cannonball really floats the sax. On Circles, you get more solos from everyone and additional 5 minutes on the track, great piano with Evans, Coltrane shining, less muted Miles. As much as I like Something Else, I’m going to give a strong nod of preference to the cut on Circles. This track is a winner.

Blues No.2 continues in the hard bop theme. Bouncy and lively. Miles plays strong and assertive.

And then…Circle’s in the Round. This is a really good track, weighing in at over 26 minutes. The line up, and the instrumentation here is completely different than that of the preceding tracks. Miles, trumpet, chimes & bells; Wayne Shorter, tenor; Joe Beck, electric guitar; Herbie Hancock, celeste; Ron Carter, bass; Tony Williams, drums. I don’t know how it fits into the larger chronology of album releases; I’ve got about 25 more to go before I get to 1967 albums. The album liner notes wax, “The jewel of this collection. ‘Circle in the Round’ links three luminous spheres in the galaxy of Miles Davis –Sketches of Spain, Nefertiti, and In a Silent Way.” Which, on a bad day could sound like a recipe for total disaster. But, yeah, that hits it about right, and this was clearly an excellent day. A really absorbing piece--Bass and drums walking circles around each other (side note” an effect I also dug in my favorite jazz album of 2008, Petite Oiseau by William Parker Quartet). Mediterranean flourishes and chords, trancelike vibes and ethereal soundscapes. It might take a few minutes to let it pull you in. I find that around 6 minutes I start to lose myself in it. This track apparently marks Miles step into the electric and step out of ‘standard’ jazz. It’s a bold and successful step. A standout for sure.

No comment really on Teo’s Bag and Side car. Splash made me think of Sonny Rollins' Next Album. Happy rollicking juicy music.

And the closer, Guinnevere. Another really good track, and 18 minutes too. Unlike Circles in the Round, this one pulls you in from the get go with hypnotic gentle sitar and a low walking bass and vibes. This is a cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Youngs tune. After a bit of youtube-ing, I’m thankful that I never really knew the CSNY version. It’s pretty, to be sure, but the lyrics are so…I don’t know…the way a bunch of the music of the time was, giving the impression of being deep with mystical-tinged lyrics that now seem naive and dorky. Anyway, Mile’s version blessedly has no lyrics. Not being familiar with CNSY’s version, I really liked this track. This may be the same cut that’s on the Complete B1tches Brew Sessions. It has smoldering sensuousness and some quality keyboard noodling. 18 minutes of my day well spent.

Summation on Circles in the round - 3 great tracks, Love for Sale, Circles in the Round, Guinnevere. Splash and Blues No 2 are pretty good. There others didn’t stand out much for me. Odd album because it spans too much time, but the tracks are good.

Next up at #4 – Miles Ahead (1957).

Could've been John Scofield, John McLaughlin or Sonny Sharrock...geniuses all...

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Originally Posted by bobsticks

Could've been John Scofield, John McLaughlin or Sonny Sharrock...geniuses all...

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Nope. The kid had to of been born in the 70's, he was young.

You all know the cover art is clickable for a short time only...

Noddin, just so you know I have been DL'ing from this thread. Thanks so much!

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Originally Posted by noddin0ff

Nope. The kid had to of been born in the 70's, he was young.

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...Pete Cosey, Larry Coryell? Mebbe, mebbe...

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Originally Posted by poppachubby

Noddin, just so you know I have been DL'ing from this thread. Thanks so much!

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Tnx. I always wonder. I see only 2 DLs per album so far. Not that I wanna promote piracy. I really want to promote discussion and exploration. I only ripped to 192kbps MP3, a resolution that to my ears falls a tad short of the CDs buit not so much you can't get great enjoyment. I know the lovers of music that frequent here will purchase what they like. PMs accepted, but this threads going to go on for some time so I'm not looking to become a bargain outlet, if you get my drift. Happy listening.

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Originally Posted by bobsticks

Could've been John Scofield, John McLaughlin or Sonny Sharrock...geniuses all...

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McLaughlin was born in 48, Scofield in 51 and Sharrock in 1940. This kid was 18 in 1987, so he would have been born in 1969-70. He's probably a session player somewhere, but I'm going to do a little research and see if I can't figure it out.

Swishdaddy - younger than all three of those guys...by a mile!

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Originally Posted by noddin0ff

Tnx. I always wonder. I see only 2 DLs per album so far. Not that I wanna promote piracy. I really want to promote discussion and exploration. I only ripped to 192kbps MP3, a resolution that to my ears falls a tad short of the CDs buit not so much you can't get great enjoyment. I know the lovers of music that frequent here will purchase what they like. PMs accepted, but this threads going to go on for some time so I'm not looking to become a bargain outlet, if you get my drift. Happy listening.

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I own every album I would want to listen to by Miles on vinyl. Never bothered to digitize. Nice to have the convenience of mp3. I just wanted you to know that your efforts are appreciated.

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Originally Posted by Swish

Swishdaddy - younger than all three of those guys...by a mile!

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...Couldn't tell by the way you kept *****ing about "Senior Discount" in C-Town...

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Originally Posted by bobsticks

...Pete Cosey, Larry Coryell? Mebbe, mebbe...

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Cosey was African American and played with Miles from '73 to '75. The kid I referred to is white and was on tour with the band in '87. Coryell is a geezer, born in '43.

I was wondering if it might have been Foley, but he was playing bass at the time, as best I can recall, although he did some really will synthesized stuff that created the illusion of lead guitar.

Miles had some many different people playing on his records and on tour that I may never figure this out. Dang.

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Springsville
The Maids Of Cadiz
The Duke
My Ship
Miles Ahead
Blues For Pablo
New Rhumba
The Meaning Of The Blues
Lament
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)
Springsville (Alternate Take)*
Blues For Pablo (Alternate Take)*
The Meaning Of The Blues/Lament (Alternate Take)*
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Alternate Take)*


This was a hard one to write up. I’m making myself give each album multiple listenings until it seeps in. Unfortunately, I found Miles Ahead so vanilla that it took me a long time to pay attention to it. It’s a big band sound (20 piece), Miles plays flugelhorn, although he’s so mellow on trumpet anyway I didn’t really notice.

I couldn't help thinking that this album is jazz for people that are afraid of jazz---dress it up in the comfort of well-composed big band. Although, the blossoming Spanish fascination is very apparent on the obviously titled tracks. As an album everything just runs together very smoothly. The notes point out that transitional bits we added in production to blend it all together. Again, they probably didn’t want to scare anybody with a sudden leap to jazz. I find it hard to name to any high points (or low points for that matter). It’s nice and mellow, some nice lyrical bits, vaguely interesting if your mind doesn’t wander off.

A little unfair to listen to this after #03 Circle in the Round. It's a time warp back to a less adventurous sound.

Next up: Milestones

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Originally Posted by Swish

Cosey was African American and played with Miles from '73 to '75. The kid I referred to is white and was on tour with the band in '87. Coryell is a geezer, born in '43.

I was wondering if it might have been Foley, but he was playing bass at the time, as best I can recall, although he did some really will synthesized stuff that created the illusion of lead guitar.

Miles had some many different people playing on his records and on tour that I may never figure this out. Dang.

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Knuckle-head.

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Originally Posted by bobsticks

...Couldn't tell by the way you kept *****ing about "Senior Discount" in C-Town...

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...and they ain't Merry Christmas!

Speaking of Miles, I just picked up the soundtrack of "The Hot Spot". I saw this little known Dennis Hopper film recently on cable and was intrigued with the unusual combination of musicians on this track. It doesn't get much better than Miles, John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal all playing together.

The CD insert reads as follows: "To Miles Davis, who I have known since I was seventeen, who punched out the heroin dealer and said he would kill me if I ever did it again. I've wanted him to score every movie I've made and we finally got it together man." - Dennis Hopper

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Originally Posted by Poultrygeist

"To Miles Davis, who I have known since I was seventeen, who punched out the heroin dealer and said he would kill me if I ever did it again. I've wanted him to score every movie I've made and we finally got it together man." - Dennis Hopper

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Having Miles Davis keep you off of drugs, wicked. Not taking drugs hasn't been cooler since...

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Dr. Jackle
Sid's Ahead
Two Bass Hit
Milestones
Billy Boy
Straight, No Chaser
Two Bass Hit [Alternate Take]*
Milestones [Alternate Take]*
Straight, No Chaser [Alternate Take]*


1958

Interesting title. Mile's Tones? It is a jazz milestone. I hadn’t heard this album before; right away this sounded like a classic. It’s clearly a lineup that I very much enjoy. We have Cannonball Adderley on alto, Coltrane on tenor. Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers, bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Specifically, I like the Adderley/Coltrane pairing.

Looking at the notes from the box set…Coltrane just came out from detox and had spent some time with Thelonious Monk (it was hearing Monk’s stuff that really got me hungry to listen to more jazz, btw). I’ll quote a few sentences that have some bearing on the significance

“Red Garland, however, was tiring of Mile’s demands to increase the piano’s entrances and exits. One day he got up in the middle of a session on “Sid’s Ahead” and left the piano to the trumpeter. At the height of his instrumental art, Miles was searching for a way to free himself from the harmonic constrains imposed by the piano. This is the significance of the composition “Milestones” in which a single alternation of two harmonic colors replaced the tortuous progression of bop. Miles had entered the world of modal jazz.”

I’ve tried a few times to understand what modal is. I can read about it, sure. But I can’t translate it into sounds, or the reverse. Yes, Kind of Blue is modal…

Anyway, this is clearly a great album. One I would’ve liked to have heard long ago when I was more into Miles. Not much piano on this one, seems more relegated to the rhythm section rather than a melodic instrument. I noted the void in my listening experience.

Song by song, my thoughts.

Dr, Jackle: Spirited. Starts of with Miles laying/leading out a complex phrase that the rest of the composition orbits around. Fast and bouncy. Certainly shows of Mile’s skill. But what I like most is the sax interplay. Adderley comes in fast, smooth and confident, bluesy and lyrical. But before he finishes his riff, Coltrane muscles in. At one point I had the [rather corny] image of a lion chasing a gazelle through the brush. You have this finesse and grace and speed of the alto dodging left and right, followed forcefully by the hard charging, totally in control, master of the jungle, tenor, eyes locked on the prey and not missing a beat. Winner? It’s a draw. Miles comes in and resets the chase. Enjoyed the drum and bass, missed the piano.

Sid’s Ahead: Toning it down with cool and sultry. Long solos. I though Miles really shined here. The solos are so long that if you’re not up to the game you sound like you’re running out of ideas. Miles filled his time as did Coltrane nicely. Adderley, seemed to resort to more standard phrases, which on the one hand wake you up with their familiarity and provide memorable landmarks in the middle of the piece. But, on the other hand...it just seemed like he doesn’t think that far out. Something like that, anyway.

Two Bass Hit: Starting to get tired of this song. Hard bop, I presume. It’s nice an fire-y. Some nice drums.

Milestones: This track is touted as being the first foray into Modal Jazz. I find the opening staccato phrases a bit sterile feeling but you can hear how this would lead up to Kind of Blue. Again nice singing solos from Miles, Coltrane, and Adderley.

Billy BoyWe have some piano now, a welcome change that keeps the album going, and more prominent bass solos. The track is more standard. Good for toe tapping.

Straight, No ChaserNice swinging version of this classic. Go Coltrane! His time with Monk was well spent. And, finally, Red Garland demonstrates some good stuff soloing.

Bonus tracks: Not bad. Straight, No Chaser is pretty good, but album release is better.

Any thoughts from the AR folk?

Next up: 1958 Miles Davis

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On Green Dolphin Street
Fran-Dance
Stella By Starlight
Love For Sale
Fran-Dance (Alternate take)

1958
Line up
Miles (trumpet), Cannonball Adderley (alto), John Coltrane (tenor), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums)

This is a wonderfully pleasant and sweet album. The kind you want to play on a gentle, sleepy Sunday morning or a romantic dinner. I particularly liked Fran-Dance. Mile’s plays muted. Coltrane romances. Adderley charms. Drums are often brushed (Jimmy Cobb). Delicate colors from piano (Bill Evans) and warm and patient bass (Paul Chambes.

The whole album romances. I think a lot of the gentleness of the album comes from Bill Evans joining the lineup.

The most uptempo track is [i]Love for Sale[i]. I’m a bit tired of that song now. Fortunately the Alt. take of Fran-Dance follows and closes this album nicely for me.

I don’t really have much to say on this album. I liked it. Because it’s so pretty it will likely get more causal and background play. I have a small set that I pull out for pleasant/romantic occasions and this will be added to that group.

Next Up: At Newport 1958

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Introduction By Willis Connover
Ah-Leu-Cha
Straight, No Chaser
Fran-Dance
Two Bass Hit
Bye Bye Blackbird
The Theme

July 3,1958
Line up
Miles (trumpet), Cannonball Adderley (alto), John Coltrane (tenor), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums)

A live one this time. I’ll quote from the CCAC booklet:
“Miles Davis’ 1958 concert in Newport was part of one of the finest programs of the legendary festival. Notably, the night of July 3rd was organized around Duke Ellington, whose big band-with special guests Gerry Mulligan and Mahalia Jackson-shared the stage with Rex Stewart, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, and Miles’ sextet. Caught in traffic jams on his way from the ferry to Newport, he arrived just in time to play, and John Coltrane had to be asked to reduce the length of his solos. During “ah-Leu-Cha,” the first piece, Coltrane jumped into the two choruses attributed to him and blew the harmonics to pieces. In the course of the concert, he asserted himself as the true start of the quintet. In contrast, Cannonball Adderley-at first welcomed with prolonged applause-seemed to fade into the background. A few months later, fascinated by his tenor’s development, Miles nailed down the alto’s more traditional style: “Why play all those notes that don’t mean anything?”

Yeah. It’s pretty clear that Coltrane was in the house. It’s almost comical (in hindsight) how little ‘recognition’ applause he received at the introductions. Same with Bill Evans. Coltrane solos with authority. Bye Bye Blackbird especially. Miles leads of the first track really nicely. I note that I don’t tend to notice Miles all that much when I listen. Maybe because he so seldom blows wrong. but possibly also because he always seems so in control that it’s hard to get excited. That said, I liked Miles on Straight, No Chaser. Although not flashy or technical (not like I would know, btw) , he seemed to show some soul there.

The introduction is interesting. Bold statements about Miles and people in the background yelling at the band to not touch stuff.

Would’ve been great to be there.

Next Up: Porgy & Bess

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Buzzard Song
Bess, You Is My Woman Now
Gone
Gone, Gone, Gone
Summertime
Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
Prayer
Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Corb
My Man's Gone Now
It Ain't Necessarily So
Here Come De Honey Man
Gershwin: I Loves You, Porgy
There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York
I Loves You, Porgy [Take 1, Second Version]*
Gone [Take 4]*

1959
Line up
Miles (trumpet) and a bunch of other people

Right after I go and say, “I don’t tend to notice Miles all that much…” Porgy & Bess is next up. This is another of the oft cited albums that I had never heard. I can now see why it is oft cited—Miles is good, really good. And he's front and center through the whole show.

This is another Gil Evans arranged/directed album. I didn’t care for #04: Miles Ahead (above) and there are still elements of this that I don’t care for, e.g. the screechy first 15 seconds of the first track. But this is an adaptation of a Gershwin opera, and opera being what it is, I can forgive most of the things I didn’t like. I’ve never seen or heard the opera, maybe I should.

But Miles, throughout, is really good. The voices he gives the trumpet are great. He’s musical and engaging throughout. The large ensemble backing him is also good. It was the tuba and drums that stood out most for me. Really, really good tuba (Bill Barber, btw).

I don’t have anything faux insightful to me. Miles’ playing would certainly make this a landmark album. And, it’s a good listen.

Next Up: Jazz at the Plaza

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If I Were A Bell
Oleo
My Funny Valentine
Straight, No Chaser/The Theme


Recorded Sept. 9, 1958. Plaza Hotel, NYC. Released 1973
Line up:
Miles (trumpet), Cannonball Adderley (alto), John Coltrane (tenor), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums)

I’m finding it hard to get very excited about this one. I make myself listen to each album (in order) 5-10 times before I go to the next. So, I’ve listened to this easily 8 or 9 times, often fragmented listenings. Good cans at work, iPod, home system, but seldom the whole thing end to end.

My basic impression is that it’s a band looking for something fresh and not quite finding it. Some of the things that struck me: 1) You get to hear Miles’ penchant for walking away from the mike. 2) There’s some lively, uptempo playing with some staccato rhythms. (the booklet refers to rhythmic feints, that’s a better way to put it) 3) Everyone plays well, it just sounds like they could have used some more time to gel. 4) Tracks are all long enough that you can seep into them; they all seemed to start off rough to me, but got better as they found the groove. e.g. I liked Bil Evans on My Funny Valentine, he seemed to set the direction.

After writing this, I decided to look up and see if wiki had an entry for this album. It does; it’s short but says “The musicians did not know they were being recorded at the time. The event was a party thrown by Columbia to celebrate the healthy state of their jazz division”. There you go. They weren’t particularly rehearsed. In that case, you might look to this as an example of what jazz greats can do fairly spontaneously.

Next Up: Kind of Blue

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So What
Freddie Freeloader
Blue In Green
All Blues
Flamenco Sketches
Flamenco Sketches [Alternate]*

1959
Line up
Miles (trumpet), Cannonball Adderley (alto), John Coltrane (tenor), Bill Evans (piano), Wynton Kelly (piano, track 2 only), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums)

Listening to these albums chronologically, one can’t help but notice the huge departure Kind of Blue represents from Mile’s earlier albums, aside from being nearly perfect. No wonder it’s a landmark. I certainly began much of my jazz exploration with this album as a starting point. I wish that I’d known when I first heard Kind of Blue the stamp that Bil Evans put on this. I chased down Miles and Coltrane for years and failed to chase Bil Evan’s. Many albums later, I list Bil Evans' Live at the Village Vanguard, which came out two years after Kind of Blue, at the top of my desert island must haves. [get The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings if you go a purchasing, it's well worth it over the original release].

I can’t imagine anything I could say about this album that could add to the volume of text you can google for. If you’ve never heard it, you must, even if its not your thing. If you don’t have the remastered CD, you should upgrade, the sound improvement is dramatic and the alt take of Flamenco Sketches is worth listening and comparing.

Two quotes from the booklet that I thought were worth repeating:

“What is this strange blue glow-as mysterious as Mona Lisa’s smile? Miles said that he had wanted to draw closer to African and Gospel music as well as the blues, but admitted that he had failed his intentions.”

“Wynton Kelly, the groups new pianist, only appeared once, on Freddie Freeloader, and was stung sharply by the affront: the ultimate touch of bright red to heighten the depth of blue.”

The Wiki entry on Kind of Blue is really very good and worth reading.

Next Up: Sketches of Spain

Oddly enough, I am listening to Kind of Blue right now. It really never seems to get old for me. Then again, I don't over play it either, so that helps.