Help me find Miles

I have been noticing Miles Davis' name popping up here and there in recent topic and have been provoked to inquire more concerning his music. I do like jazz and yet, not every strain. With some, though I know the musicianship is incredible, I lose interest.

" Got no kick against modern jazz, until they play it too darn fast, and lose the beauty of the melody, until it sounds just like a symphony..."
                                    Chuck Berry

Emotion, color, melody, it is what I'm looking for...

I know that he has to be a master of music, so please, if you can, direct be to some Miles Davis that you think I would like....

From the first Quintet:

• Relaxin'
• Steamin'
• Workin'
• Cookin'

Anyone of this four is outstanding, I'm going to upgrade them to CD because the old albums my Grandpa left me (My father -serious Frank Sinatra follower-  and his  younger brother -former hippie who lives in a farm- hate Jazz, so being his only Grandson in Perú, I got them) are almost impossible to listen anymore.

From the Fusion era:

• Bitches Brew
• A Tribute To Jack Johnson

Incredible is the right word, he plays with great musicians like John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Billy Cobham and Herbie Hancock (The last two only in Tribute to Jack Johnson if I'm not wrong, but Chick Corea and John Mc'Laughlin in both albums).

Iván

Edited by ivan_2068

• Birth Of The Cool (1944 to 1955)
• 'Round About MIdnight (1955)
• Milestones (1958)
• Kind Of Blue (1959)
• Sketches Of Spain (1960)
• E.S.P. (1965)
• Miles Smiles (1966)
• Sorcerer (1967)
• Nefertiti (1967)
• Miles In The Sky (1968)
• Filles De Kilimanjaro (1968)
• In A Silent Way (1969)
• Bitches Brew (1969)
• A Tribute To Jack Johnson (1971)
• On The Corner (1972)
• Big Fun (1974)
• Agharta (1975)
• Pangaea (1975)
• Tutu (1986)
• Amandla (1989)

ivan_2068 wrote: From the first Quintet: Relaxin' Steamin' Workin' Cookin' Anyone of this four is outstanding, I'm going to upgrade them to CD because the old albums my Grandpa left me (My father -serious Frank Sinatra follower-  and his  younger brother -former hippie who lives in a farm- hate Jazz, so being his only Grandson in Perú, I got them) are almost impossible to listen anymore.

Ivan,

Did you know that these 4 albums came from just 2 recording sessions in May and October of 1956...

I own them all on cd...you owe it to yourself to get them asap! Btw, I think they're mono.

If this is your favorite Miles period, then I'd also give the highest recommendation to 2 others, Round About Midnight, and Milestones...both were released on Columbia. RAM features the same line-up, and Milestones makes the group a sextet with the addition of Cannonball Adderly on sax. Both are must haves.

In 2005, Columbia released a "Legacy Edition" of RAM which features a second live disc to go along w/the studio album. It's on my immediate wish-list.

Joe  

 

Edited by arnold stirrup

 

kind of blue is usually considered the all-time classic. very good album. i also quite enjoy birth of the cool and sketches of spain.

 

 

• Birth Of The Cool (1944 to 1955)
• 'Round About MIdnight (1955)
• Milestones (1958)
• Kind Of Blue (1959)
• Sketches Of Spain (1960)
• E.S.P. (1965)
• Miles Smiles (1966)
• Sorcerer (1967)
• Nefertiti (1967)
• Miles In The Sky (1968)
• Filles De Kilimanjaro (1968)
• In A Silent Way (1969)
• Bitches Brew (1969)
• A Tribute To Jack Johnson (1971)
• Live Evil (1971)
• On The Corner (1972)
• Big Fun (1974)
• Agharta (1975)
• Pangaea (1975)
• Tutu (1986)
• Amandla (1989)

 

My advice from Andrew's list  are the ones I highlighted in different colours.

But I am  notoriously difficult on his second Quintet (from ESP to Killimandjaro) that stuff is simply too cold for me.

Sean Trane wrote: Birth Of The Cool (1944 to 1955) 'Round About MIdnight (1955) Milestones (1958) Kind Of Blue (1959) Sketches Of Spain (1960) E.S.P. (1965) Miles Smiles (1966) Sorcerer (1967) Nefertiti (1967) Miles In The Sky (1968) Filles De Kilimanjaro (1968) In A Silent Way (1969) Bitches Brew (1969) A Tribute To Jack Johnson (1971) Live Evil (1971) On The Corner (1972) Big Fun (1974) Agharta (1975) Pangaea (1975) Tutu (1986) Amandla (1989)   My advice from Andrew's list  are the ones I highlighted in different colours. But I am  notoriously difficult on his second Quintet (from ESP to Killimandjaro) that stuff is simply too cold for me.

 

Sean have you heard the full recordings from which Live Evil was effectively cut'n'pasted. Curious to know whether it is worth buying at 42 quid on Amazon?

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Directions 2. Yesternow 3. What I Say

4. Improvisation #1 5. Inamorata

Disc: 2

1. What I Say 2. Honky Tonk 3. It's About That Time

4. Improvisation #2 5. Inamorata 6. Sanctuary

Disc: 3

1. Directions 2. Honky Tonk

3. What I Say

Disc: 4

1. Directions 2. Honky Tonk 3. What I Say

4. Sanctuary 5. Improvisation #3 6. Inamorata

Disc: 5

1. Directions 2. Honky Tonk

3. What I Say

Disc: 6

1. Directions 2. Improvisation #4 3. Inamorata

4. Sanctuary 5. It's About That Time

A great point to start and sample the best of MD

 

Miles' biggest selling album and probably the biggest selling jazz album ever. Essential to all discerning music fans

Precursor to Bitches??? First time I heard it about 4 or 5 years ago, hit me harder than Bitches Brew.

Get the box set, if you can afford.

Mike Stern sounds better here than most of his solo  albums - Miles at his funkiest, and a real energy in this real recording

 

 

Free jazz/improv album - Jarrett and Corea really cook - for more advanced listeners????.

 

The above to compliment what has gone before with some emphasis on the excellent and numberou live recordings from the 70's

arnold stirrup wrote: Dick Heath, Regarding Live At The Fillmore East (It's About That Time) March 7, 1970: Bitches Brew was recorded in August, 1969, around 7 months before. The Fillmore East recording was Wayne Shorter's final gig with Miles. The night of that recording, Miles was opening for the Grateful Dead.

Thanks for the correction - writing these things from my office desk during a lunchtime break without the proper resource near to hand lead to the error. Still I only need to have minor mood changes to swop from Bitches to It's About That Time as favourite by Miles from that period. Coincidently, found the local record shop had a display cover of Live At the Cellar Door on their counter last night, and discovered the 6 CD set has only just been released - hence the shop is debating whether to buy it in, is the wholesale price is over 40 quid - meaning retail price will be over 50 quid............

I sort of came to Miles in a roundabout way...I think I got into him because of the soundtrack to Siesta or something peripheral like that, came into the 80's stuff like Tutu and finally got around to the fusion stuff from the 70's that I like the most. There is soooo much material available from him, you could go broke just buying everything from any one period, especially the 70's, with all those live albums.