MAN WITH A HORN (180 GRAM) - 

The Man With The Horn was Miles Davis's first comeback record after his almost six-year hiatus from performing and recording. With Davis, Bill Evans on soprano, and electric bassist Marcus Miller forming the core of his band, Miles Davis was ready to embark upon the next juncture of his career. T

THE LP IS A in the dreary funk of the
vintage "Fat Time",the hard rocking "Back Seat Betty",the
galvinizingly contemporary "Shout" and the artful "Aida" that
assures Miles was back and back to stay.

E.S.P. (180 GRAM) - 

E.S.P. is an inventive post-bop treasure that finds Miles Davis totally re-energized by the young guns of his second quintet. Davis's first album of new material in six years (most of it written by the band), E.S.P. is a brilliantly-executed treatise on the workings of tension and release. The songs are predominantly modal and the structures themselves are different, with a minimalist bent and more emphasis placed on melodies that are repeated, fractured, improvised upon, and released into the ether of total, free sound.

The supple rhythm section--powerhouse drummer Tony Williams and bassist Ron Carter--provide ample room for Davis, Hancock, and Shorter to explore interlocking melodies, notably on the jaunty "Eighty-One" and the sweet lullaby "Iris." On "Agitation," Williams brings the noise, grafting the rhythmic freedom of the day's free-form music to the group's tuneful and "out" playing.

Tracks include: E.S.P-. Eighty-One -. Little One -. R.J. - Agitation - Iris - Mood

SORCERER (180 gram), - 

Released between 2 of the quinetet's greatest efforts ("Miles Smiles," and "Nefertiti") is "Sorcerer," one of the band's most underrated efforts, but no less amazing.

Music that is dark, powerful, dignified.

The power of the album starts with Wayne Shorter and his compositions (he wrote all but the oddly out of place "Nothing Like You," the title track, penned by Hancock, and "Pee-Wee," a Tony Williams effort). Shorter's skills have blossomed during his tenure with Miles- especially his lyrical sensibilities. "Limbo," for example, is both a lyrical wonder yet still a powerful forum for Tony Williams, who was on fire. "Masqualero" is one of Shorter's darker pieces, with its recurrent theme. The soloists are allowed to explore as Herbie and Ron play around with the tempos, changing them as they go. "Vonetta" is much the same way. "Prince of Darkness" is a rather conventional song structure but with this band, nothing remained conventional for long, as the results show....

Hancock and Williams each contribute a number for the lp, and in the case of Williams' "Pee Wee," a rarity- a quartet setting on his ballad, as Miles chooses to not play. Known as the driving force of the group, "Pee Wee" (his first songwriting contribution to the group) shows a softer side of Williams that is refreshing...

The collection shows a work in progress. The band is by this time fully integrated, on the loose, and, as always, restless, eager to try new things, grow. The picture of Tyson on the cover also shows that- she is free and not afraid to show it. The band has yet to reach its pinnacle with "Nefertiti," but shows great progress on this underrated gem

An amazing effort.

Track Listings

JAZZ AT THE PLAZA -

Miles Davis's KIND OF BLUE is nothing if not legendary, and this live date captures most of the classic Kind of Blue band in concert. Recorded at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan in 1958 and originally released in 1973, this live set superbly spotlights Davis's "walking on eggshells" melodicism. Pianist , alto and tenor saxophonists and , drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist , and Davis blow the blues on 's "Oleo" and 's "Straight No Chaser." Davis's warm, Harmon-muted trumpet melodically shoots Cupid's arrow on "If I Were a Bell" and "My Funny Valentine," with Evans's piano lines sounding equally footed in Ravel and modal bop. Add the flights of Adderley and the spooling energy of Coltrane and you have one of the top groups at the top of their game. This is a marvel, a hot and cool preview to the band's landmark 1959 KIND OF BLUE exploration.

BASIC MILES (180 GRAM) - A COLLECTION OF MILES DAVIS STANDARDS FROM 1955 - 1962

Track Listings

6. ON GREEN DOLPHIN STREET

7. ROUND MIDNIGHT

8. FRAN-DANCE

9. DEVIL MAY CARE

DECOY (180 GRAM) - No matter who backed him up, Miles always played in his own way and one could always tell it was him. The trio of songs that begin the album-the title cut,"Robot 415" and "Code M.D." are pulsing electro-funk hip/hop numbers that stand as the beginnings of jazz-hop and are therefore a precursor to what music would be doing a decade later. "What Is It" and "That's What Happened" are organic, white-hot, live-in-the-studio jams where Miles blows like a siren. The moody "Freaky Deaky" and "That's Right" add enough change of pace to make this one of Mile's better 80's albums by far!

FILLES DE KILIMANJARO (180 GRAM) -

Filles de Kilimanjaro has an odd pedigree for an "album" -- it was recorded in two different sessions, featuring two different lineups. As a result Sony/Legacy split this album across two sets. These recordings really work well together, and as an ALBUM this is one of the highest peaks in Miles Davis's career.

The three middle tracks ("Tout de Suite", "Petit Machins", "Filles de Kilimanjaro") were the last recordings of the 2nd Quintet with Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock. These five musicians played great on nearly all their recordings, but here they are really incredible. And the MVP has to be Tony Williams, who supplies the music with lots of extra juice. "Tout" combines mellow, Gil Evans arranged outer sections with an explosive rock middle section; Miles and Wayne play off the fireworks of Tony's drumming. "Petit Machins" is the most conventional melody here, but the improvisation afterward is open-ended. The title track has a gorgeous, dreamy melody a la "Footprints" or "Masqualero".

"Frelon Brun" and "Mademoiselle Mabry" were recorded three months later with Chick Corea and Dave Holland replacing Herbie and Ron. "Frelon Brun" is surely one of the best boogaloos ever recorded: intense solos by Wayne and Miles, Chick's spiky comping behind them, and Tony Williams going completely crazy underneath. "Mademoiselle Mabry", on the other hand, initially seems like a bunch of languid, bluesy phrases (including a nod to Jimi Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary") played by Chick and Dave under Miles's statement of the melody. But eventually you realize that these phrases form the frame of the song, repeated over and over while Miles, Wayne and Chick paint beautiful, unhurried solo statements over it. Tony doesn't "drum" here, instead commenting irregularly but respectfully when the music merits it. And then the tune ends just like it started, with Miles playing the melody.

This is a major masterwork, a collection of five magical experiences captured in the studio. It's an album that maintains jazz's approach to improvisation, but fuses it with electric piano and rock and soul grooves in a way that's rarely been done since. Miles moved in the rock and soul direction more decisively with In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew (both wonderful albums) but unfortunately never explored the peaks of Kilimanjaro again

Track Listings

IN EUROPE LIVE (180 GRAM) - 

The recordings of Miles' 1964 Philharmonic Hall concert have acquired a reputation for being Miles' best live recordings from the '63-'64 period. As an avid Miles fan, I agreed with that assessment. That was before I had ever heard this concert from the Antibes jazz festival.

This album is AS GOOD if not in some ways better than Miles' justly famous "My Funny Valentine" and "Four and More" albums. Miles himself plays as intensely as in the 1964 Phil. Hall concert, and his trumpet technique itself is often crisper in the Antibes concert. George Coleman's playing may be more adventurous and intense here than on the 1964 concert, which makes him a better fit with the Hancock/Carter/Williams rhythm section. All through this recording, the quintet's interaction has a giddy, at times playful tone, and the musicians' excitement can be easily heard.

Track Listings

FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE BLACKHAWK - (180 GRAM) - DIGITALLY REMASTERED DIRECT FROM ORIGINAL ANALOG TAPES

It's commonplace for Miles' followers to dismiss the groups between Coltrane and Shorter. By his actions on the stand and his comments away from it, Miles made it clear that he was unhappy with Coltrane's immediate replacements--Sonny Stitt, George Coleman and, most pointedly of all, Hank Mobley. But Miles' own insistence on the progressive, the revolutionary, the newest thing, should not be confused with the actual musical statements by his groups. No player was more welcome in a Van Gelder recording studio than Hank Mobley who, though hardly an innovator or trend-setter, was one of the most soulful, melodically inventive players on the scene. It's especially refreshing to hear him away from the Blue Note stable of players and in the company of Miles' rhythm section on this Columbia recording, which captures Hank's inspired lyricism at its best (his solo on "Blackbird" eclipses even Coltrane's on the same tune from the "'Round Midnight" session). In the case of this "transitional" group, Miles' proclaimed loss is the listener's gain.

Track Listings

SATURDAY NIGHT @ THE BLACKHAWK - (180 GRAM) - DIGITALLY REMASTERED DIRECT FROM ORIGINAL ANALOG TAPES

This LP is the second of 2 that chronicle Miles' stay at the Blackhawk in San Francisco in 1961.

Both dates of the Blackhawk shows are prime examples of the greatness of MILES working group.

While the Friday night show contained mainly ballads, Saturday night finds the band taking on more up-tempo numbers, and with it the band relaxes into a wonderful groove. Even the slower numbers, like "So What," are sped up during this particular evening. The band was definitely up for the change of pace.

Hank Mobley is the major recipient of the up-tempo nature of the show. His time spent with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers proved that he had the chops needed to play quickly and confidently. Mobley at his best within Miles' group comes with his solo on Sonny Rollins' "Oleo." While the solo lasts a mere minute or so, Mobley took the tension created by Miles' calculated, reserved, mute solo, and blows it out of the water with his frenzied attack, which is certainly akin to what both Rollins and Coltrane were playing at the time. Mobley's attack is what the rhythm section of Kelly, Chambers, and Cobb needed. It allowed them to pick up the pace, and led to Kelly's tasty solo after Mobley's. Kelly's solo is a bit more refined, but no less impressive. The piece showed off prime solo chops by 2 of jazz's legends.

The rest of the lp is no less impressive. The pieces are up-tempo, with all parties involved bringing their "A" games to the table. Miles' playing is wonderful, and dominated by his harmon mute. As always, his solos are short, conpact, very to the point. Mobley's playing throughout is inspired. One can sense that Mobley was on that night, and that he KNEW it, as well. Kelly's solos are always a delight to hear. His playing moves a lot, taking on octaves, arpeggios, and more of a lead character even when he's playing accompanying block chords. Chambers and Cobb were as tight a low end rhythm section as jazz had, and the lp allows them to dominate the proceedings in an up-tempo way.

Both BLACKHAWK SHOWS (Friday night & Saturday night) are recommended to hear the full scale of what this short-lived working band could accomplish.

Track Listings

QUITE NIGHTS (180 GRAM ) -

Quiet Nights is a project like Sketches of Spain, with a softer, more sensual, and darker (night-time) feel. The cover expresses the mood of the album well. Feels like stepping into a Jobim cocktail party onto a night patio overlooking the lights of Rio de Janeiro .

Whatever its liner note details, this is an album made by Miles in his prime, and Gil Evans in his prime, and it doesn't matter that it's twenty-seven minutes long -

There is no softer or warmer Miles album than this. Don't be afraid of this album. Miles doesn't have to sound "cool" all the time.

SMILES - The most satisfying sort of audacity was the rule with Miles Davis's second great quintet. One of six studio albums cut by the group between 1965 and 1968, MILES SMILES finds them executing three Wayne Shorter compositions and one by the leader, along with Eddie Harris's "Freedom Jazz Dance," former Davis cohort Jimmy Cobb's "Gingerbread Boy," and the usual mix of finesse and barreling momentum.

Even when nodding toward the then-burgeoning hard-bop movement on the Harris piece, the group makes its own mark in a hundred different ways, from Herbie Hancock's spare touch to the thoroughly declarative solo Davis lays down. It's hard to pick the most exceptional cut on such a top-flight disc, but certainly Shorter's deceptively simple "Orbits" and "Footprints" deserve mention; on the former, the players take turns stating the melody and then rumbling over it. The latter's echoes of "Caravan" make way for an improv performance that not only hangs tough in itself, but seems to have provided a template for the entire early career of Wynton Marsalis

SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME (180 GRAM) - DIGITALLY REMASTERED DIRECT FROM ORIGINAL ANALOG TAPES

During this period, Miles had a slight creativity draining after having released intense classics like Round About Midnight, Miles Ahead, Milestones, Porgy & Bess, Kind Of Blue and Sketches Of Spain. However, that is not evident on this LP.

Made in 1961, Miles played with a solid group consisting of Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Also, John Coltrane and Philly Joe Jones stop by for an excellent reunion. John Coltrane is on fire on the famous title track while Miles uses his trademark harmon mute. Miles is also muted on the breathy ballad "Old Folks", which is really a pretty, haunting melody.

"Pfrancing", a song dedicated to his wife, is great playful blues with Miles stealing the show with an outstanding solo. Everyone really swings here, with Wynton Kelly supplying a piano solo. Miles puts the harmon mute back in on "Drad-Dog", which is Goddard spelled backwards. The song is named after former Columbia Records executive Goddard Liberson. There is no melody to this tune, it's basically just Miles and the band playing off of each other in a ballad form. It's very beautiful.

On the Spanish-tinged "Teo", Miles and company recall Kind Of Blue and Sketches Of Spain with an interesting latin tune. Coltrane shows up on this one and goes insane again. Miles plays a risky solo and keeps everything interesting, with Wynton holding everything together. The final song is yet another ballad, "I Thought About You". Here, Miles proves why he helped make this one of the most often recorded standards following this album.

SEVEN STEPS TO HEAVEN (180 GRAM) - 

In 1963, the Kelly/Chambers/Cobb rhythm section packed up and left, leaving Miles Davis without a band. Despite being at an age when most musicians would rather sit on their laurels and play on some giants of jazz tour, he decided to assemble a new working band.

This LP shows that assembly in progress. The three ballads were recorded in LA with George Coleman (tenor sax), Victor Feldman (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Frank Butler (drums). "Basin Street Blues" is very different from Louis Armstrong's version -- Davis's trumpet playing is much sadder, merging abstraction and the blues.

But the real treasures in the set are the three tunes recorded one month later with Carter, Coleman, and two younger musicians: pianist Herbie Hancock and drumming prodigy Tony Williams. Williams, only 17 years old here, generates an incredible level of excitement on "Joshua" and the title track. These may be the most exciting up-tempo tracks Davis had recorded since "Two Bass Hit" and "Straight, No Chaser". The quintet with Coleman, Hancock, Carter and Williams would soon evolve into one of the trumpeter's greatest groups, and this is where they got started.

Tracks include: 1. Basin Street Blues 2. Seven Steps to Heaven 3. I Fall in Love Too Easily 4. So Near, So Far 5. Baby Won't You Please Come Home

STAR PEOPLE (180 GRAM) - 

Recorded in 1983 featuring sidemen such as: Bill Evans (saxes), Al Foster (drums), Marcus Miller (bass), John Scofield (guitar) and Mike Stern (guitar). Includes the songs: 'Come Get It', 'Star People' and ' Star on Cicely'. Great electric fusion album which also contains a long awaited collaboration by jazz legend Gil Evans and Miles on several arrangenments. 

Track Listings

Water Babies was one of the first albums to be released durings Miles's retirement in the late 70s. Columbia was digging through the archives and they packaged together two very different sessions. They used Corky McCoy's cartoons as cover art, but this music has very little in common with On the Corner.

The first three tracks are from June 1967 and feature the 2nd Great Quintet (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams). All 3 themes are by Shorter, and feature the same dry, exploratory style that this group perfected on its other LPs. If you like the albums Sorcerer and Nefertiti, you'll enjoy this stuff as well. 

The next TWO tracks were recorded in November 1968. By this time Dave Holland had replaced Carter on bass. Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock both play electric piano, giving the music a similar feel to Filles de Kilimanjaro excellence. "Two Faced" is a haunting Shorter composition that runs for 18 minutes and features beautiful playing by Wayne and Miles. "Dual Mr. Anthony..." is a typical late 60s boogaloo -- funky,  really distinctive for Tony Williams's explosive drumming and Wayne Shorter's fierce blowing.

Track Listings

YOU'RE UNDER ARREST (180 GRAM) - 

No harsh words of criticism for Miles' 1985 pop-soft jazz effort. While so-called die hard fans of Miles or jazz used adjectives such as "flop", "poor quality", and "worst", it is anything but...The only slight unstable choices he made was to do cover instrumentals of Michael Jackson's Human Nature and Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time at a time when the original songs were still fresh. Instead, he should have opted for writing a couple of original tunes himself (even if they were only going to be filler material---the key word being original).These two tracks ended up being played as light elevator music tunes in department or grocery stores. The rest of the album, however, showed that Miles could adapt to the changing times and styles of music in order to reach younger listeners as well. No longer was his music exclusive to hardcore jazz purists...Miles Davis is for the entire world !

Tracks include: One Phone Call/Street Scenes - Human Nature - MD1 Something’s On Your Mind - MD 2 - Ms. Morrisine - Katia Prelude - Katia - Time After Time - You’re Under Arrest - Medley

GREATEST HITS -  Unlike jazz contemporaries Dave Brubeck and bandmates Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Hancok, Miles Davis never had a Top 40 hit single. This collection is an excellent sampler of Miles Davis first 15 years on Columbia Records. Two KIND OF BLUE tracks are heard - wider versions than on that legendary LP. Miles’ influential ballad style shows up on the haunting “My Funny Valentine”. And “Walkin” here is from a live Antibes, France Concert LP featuring a young Tony Williams on drums. Thos unfamiliar with Miles’ music should use this as a springboard to Miles’ most accessible music. Those owning KIND OF BLUE, but no other Miles albums, should get this to sample other Miles’ moods and styles. Other Tracks include: “Seven Steps To Heaven“- “All Blues“ - “Someday My Prince Will Come“ - “Round Midnight“ - “So What“.