Miles Davis - Miles Davis, Volume 1 & 2 (1956/1985/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Miles Davis' recordings from the years of 1951-1954 are often overlooked for a number of reasons. Davis had a somewhat erratic lifestyle at the time, and these recordings do not feature the first 'classic' quintet. Even though Davis did not record nearly as often as in later years, what was recorded is quite outstanding.

Volume 1:
Miles Davis' recordings of 1951-1954 tend to be overlooked because of his erratic lifestyle of the period and because they predated his first classic quintet. Although he rarely recorded during this era, what he did document was often quite classic. The two sessions included on this CD (which includes three alternate takes) are among the earliest hard bop recordings and would indirectly influence the modern mainstream music of the 1960s. The first session features Davis in a sextet with trombonist J.J. Johnson, altoist Jackie McLean, pianist Gil Coggins, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and drummer Kenny Clarke; highlights include "Dear Old Stockholm," "Woody 'n You," and interpretations of "Yesterdays" and "How Deep Is the Ocean." The remaining six numbers showcase Davis in a quartet with pianist Horace Silver, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Art Blakey, really stretching out on such numbers as "Take Off" and "Well, You Needn't." However, on "It Never Entered My Mind," Davis' muted statement (his only one on this set) looks toward his treatments of ballads later in the decade.

Volume 2:
Like Miles Davis, Vol. 1, this set features arrangements in the order that they were recorded. (Vol. 2 contains the second Blue Note session, while Vol. 1 focused on the first and third.) This 1953 date was the most inspired, overtly beboppish of Davis' three Blue Note sessions – an ambitious showcase for modern jazz's greatest composers (J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Bud Powell, Jimmy Heath, Walter Fuller, and Dizzy Gillespie), and a remarkable rhythm section (drummer Art Blakey, bassist Percy Heath, and the obscure pianist Gil Coggins). A dynamic front line of Davis, trombonist J.J. Johnson, and the bassist's brother Jimmy Heath on tenor saxophone, gives each tune big-band weight and texture. J.J. Johnson's lilting "Kelo" and tragic "Enigma" proceed from the orchestral tradition of Birth of the Cool, and his taut, velvety, tenor trombone counterpoint contrasts nicely with Davis' burnished mid-range and brassy cry. Tenor man Jimmy Heath seems to take the Basie and Gillespie big bands as the jumping-off point for his jazz classic "C.T.A.," and ends his own solo with an affectionate nod to Lester Young. Davis' ballad turn on "I Waited for You" is one of his most alluring performances, while his effortless swing on "C.T.A." and "Ray's Idea" sums up his innovations in blues phrasing. But his solo and arrangement on "Tempus Fugit" are simply transcendent. This Bud Powell anthem for modernists generates a challenging set of symphonic variations, driven along by the emotional intensity of Art Blakey. The joy with which Davis and Blakey morph between swing and Afro-Cuban rhythms, blues, and bop phrasing, is what jazz is all about.

Tracklist

Volume 1:

01 - Tempus Fugit
02 - Kelo
03 - Enigma
04 - Ray's Idea
05 - How Deep Is The Ocean?
06 - C.T.A. (Alternate Take)
07 - Dear Old Stockholm
08 - Chance It
09 - Yesterdays
10 - Donna
11 - C.T.A.
12 - Woody'n You

Produced by Alfred Lion. Engineered by Doug Hawkins.
Recorded on May 9, 1952 ("5, 7-10 & 12") & April 20, 1953 ("1-4, 6 & 11") at WOR Studios, New York.
Originally released in 1956 (Blue Note # BLP 1501).

Musicians:
Miles Davis - trumpet
J.J. Johnson - trombone
Gil Coggins - piano
Jackie McLean - alto saxophone on "5, 7-10 & 12"
Jimmy Heath - tenor saxophone on "1-4, 6 & 11"
Oscar Pettiford - bass on "5, 7-10 & 12"
Percy Heath - bass on "1-4, 6 & 11"
Kenny Clarke - drums on "5, 7-10 & 12"
Art Blakey - drums on "1-4, 6 & 11"



Volume 2:

01 - Take Off
02 - Weirdo
03 - Woody 'N You
04 - I Waited For You
05 - Ray's Idea (Alternate Take)
06 - Donna
07 - Well You Needn't
08 - The Leap
09 - Lazy Susan
10 - Tempus Fugit (Alternate Take)
11 - It Never Entered My Mind

Produced by Alfred Lion. Engineered by Doug Hawkins & Rudy Van Gelder.
Recorded on May 9, 1952 ("3 & 6"); April 20, 1953 ("4, 5 & 10") & on March 6, 1954 ("1, 2, 7-9 & 11") at WOR Studios, New York.
Originally released in 1956 (Blue Note # BLP 1502).

Musicians:
Miles Davis - trumpet
J.J. Johnson - trombone on "3-6 & 10"
Jackie McLean - alto saxophone on "3 & 6"
Jimmy Heath - tenor saxophone on "4, 5 & 10"
Gil Coggins - piano on "3-6 & 10"
Horace Silver – piano on "1, 2, 7-9 & 11"
Oscar Pettiford - bass on "3-6 & 10"
Percy Heath - bass on "1, 2, 4, 5, 7-11"
Kenny Clarke - drums on "3-6 & 10"
Art Blakey - drums on on "1, 2, 4, 5, 7-11"


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