Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings, 1955-1961 won two Grammys
Jazz / Hard Bop; Jazz Blues; Cool; Bop; Modal Music
Recorded: Oct 26, 1955-Mar 21, 1961
Miles Davis
John Coltrane
Cannonball Adderley
Hank Mobley
Bill Evans
Red Garland
Wynton Kelly
Paul Chambers
Philly Joe Jones
Jimmy Cobb
Mile Davis and John Coltrane
Two truly magical names, betters known to jazz lovers the world over as, simply, Mles and 'Trane.. Born four months apart in 1926 (Coltrane died in 1967, Davis in 1991), they formed one of the most powerful pairings in all of music. Trumpeter Davis and tenor saxophonist Coltrane worked together, on and off, during the six crucial years captured in this 6-CD set, intially in Davis' first "great quintet" and then in his equally brilliant sextet. Together they brilliantly essayed show tunes and ballads, bebop and hard bop, and made modality the lingua franca of American improvisational music.
The twosome recreated, and advanced, the sound of jazz in their own images. Davis's terse, middle-register lyricism provided a dramatic counterpoint to Coltrane's upper-register torrents. Miles and 'Trane innovate their way through 58 selections - including 19 previously unreleased alternate takes - on six CDs. Originally released in October 1999
These milestones performances, a high point in 20th century American music, will endure for centures to come.
Including: 72-page booklet with essay by "Kind of Blue" drummer, Jimmy Cobb
As the fourth (fifth, if you count the Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel) entry in Columbia's celebrated series of Miles Davis box sets, The Complete Columbia Recordings: Miles Davis & John Coltrane was perhaps the most anticipated set, and it's easy to see why. The push and pull between Miles and Coltrane resulted in dynamic recordings that set the standard for modern jazz -- and this was for their Prestige recordings, before they even moved to Columbia. Once Miles relocated to Columbia, he began to push the boundaries of his music. The progression from the sublime, after-hours 'Round About Midnight to the modal Milestones is remarkable -- all the more so when Kind of Blue, the culmination of Davis' modal direction, is taken into the equation. Over the course of six discs, The Complete Columbia Recordings traces this progression, including the entirety of 'Round About Midnight, Milestones, and Kind of Blue, plus selections from Someday My Prince Will Come, live album cuts, and 18 unreleased tracks, all alternate takes. Even if you're familiar with this music -- and any jazz fan will be -- the chronological, session-order sequencing keeps it fresh, and it's possible to marvel at how quickly their talents deepened. For neophytes, this isn't really an ideal way to dive into these remarkable recordings, since there's not only too much, but it's arranged in a way that doesn't ease the listener into the music. It's designed to be a library piece for collectors, fans, and historians that have already absorbed the music fully. After all, the original album covers are not reproduced anywhere in the notes, and the discs themselves are cryptically identified with dots that parallel the numbers on a clock. For anyone who knows and loves this music though, this is an essential addition to a comprehensive jazz library. [This set was reissued in essentially the same format in 2004.]
---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic
Disc 1: 72:52 min.
Disc 2: 68:13 min.
Disc 3: 75:01 min.
Disc 4: 68:55 min.
Disc 5: 58:56 min.
Disc 6: 40:25 min. |
