Miles Davis (1926-1991)

[San Antone]

Due in March:
[asin]B00HSCDX70[/asin]

Excellent preview on the Miles Davis site:

http://www.milesdavis.com/us/news/miles-fillmore-miles-davis-1970-bootleg-series-vol-3-4cd-box-set-be-released-march-25

I'm in.  Thanks for the link.

[George]

I'm just getting into jazz, and I'm starting with Miles. (Hey, go big or go home, right?) I'm eagerly awaiting my copy of the multi-channel remastered SACD of this classic:

Can't wait until Mobile Fidelity gets around to doing Sorcerer. Their work as of late (Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (stereo), Dylan - Blonde on Blonde) has been superb!

[George]

Found this info tonight and thought I'd share it here: http://www.kind-of-blue.de/seiten/boxen/miles_original_jacket_collection_box.htm

[NJ Joe]

Enjoyable thread sanantonio, it's nice to get a concise overview of each album.  My favorite Miles period is '65-'75, and my favorite album is In A Silent Way...a desert island disc, quite possibly a top ten all time favorite.

I had the good fortune of seeing Miles live circa 1982-83, with the We Want Miles band.  An extraordinary experience.  I remember Miles kept doing this thing where he'd blow a few notes and then pull the horn away as though it tasted funny...as though he was sucking on a lemon.

[early grey]

I've recently found some more evidence for a proposal of mine re "Kind of Blue" which you will find detailed on the lower half of the page

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/vinyl2.php

and by the way the other page devoted to LPs, this one for Classical, has by chance just had Abbado's "Daphnis and Chloé" and "Trois Nocturnes" with the Boston Symphony added to it.

[Bogey]

Enjoyable thread sanantonio, it's nice to get a concise overview of each album.  My favorite Miles period is '65-'75, and my favorite album is In A Silent Way...a desert island disc, quite possibly a top ten all time favorite.

I had the good fortune of seeing Miles live circa 1982-83, with the We Want Miles band.  An extraordinary experience.  I remember Miles kept doing this thing where he'd blow a few notes and then pull the horn away as though it tasted funny...as though he was sucking on a lemon.

That was Miles being cooler than everyone else in the room because he was.

[Bogey]

If you haven't read it, start.  I believe the entire text is at the link below.:



http://yanko.lib.ru/books/bio/miles.htm

Maybe we could "book club" this one.

[torut]

If you haven't read it, start.  I believe the entire text is at the link below.:



http://yanko.lib.ru/books/bio/miles.htm

Maybe we could "book club" this one.

It is a must have for any Miles Davis fan, imo. It was great fun to read it.

For anyone who is interested in the period after his comeback, this is a nice book. It covers all the official albums released during the period. I used to neglect this period, mainly listening to the first quintet, but now I really love it.
[asin]0472032607[/asin]

This biography is a good supplement to the autobiography. I have a 1998 edition and don't know what had been updated in this 2006 edition.
[asin]1560259671[/asin]

[Mookalafalas]

The Ian Carr is a fun read.  The two volume Milestones is the way to go, though, IMHO.  [whoops, looks like it is one volume now, and updated]

[asin] 0306808498[/asin]

The "autobiography" was weird, I thought. Not much "music talk". Apparently Miles wasn't very cooperative, and Troupe had to "research" quite a bit from other sources and patch it in...you'll recognize parts of it as you are reading from the Chambers book, and even old Leonard Feather stuff...

[Ken B]

Who's Miles Davis?

Actually I am very slowly exploring jazz. I generally like older stuff, 20 s, 30s, Ellington. Some Brubeck. I have the Perfecy Jazz Collection 1 big box but most of it is too smooth for my taste. I think I might like Mingus.
Suggestions?

[kishnevi]

Who's Miles Davis?

Actually I am very slowly exploring jazz. I generally like older stuff, 20 s, 30s, Ellington. Some Brubeck. I have the Perfecy Jazz Collection 1 big box but most of it is too smooth for my taste. I think I might like Mingus.
Suggestions?

Similar to you, although for me it is the small group formations of the fifties and sixties that work best.  Early to middle Miles to put it in the context of this thread.  Bitches Brew I like but not as much as the earlier stuff.  (Ken, there is a dedicated jazz thread here.)

[Mookalafalas]

Who's Miles Davis?

Actually I am very slowly exploring jazz. I generally like older stuff, 20 s, 30s, Ellington. Some Brubeck. I have the Perfecy Jazz Collection 1 big box but most of it is too smooth for my taste. I think I might like Mingus.
Suggestions?

  This'll fix you right up

B001G8P3KW

Definitely try a Mingus.  I love all Miles' 50s stuff.  Kind of Blue is probably the album I've played most in my life.

[Ken B]

  This'll fix you right up

B001G8P3KW

Definitely try a Mingus.  I love all Miles' 50s stuff.  Kind of Blue is probably the album I've played most in my life.

I forgot to mention. Kind of Blue is exactly in the sweet spot of what I hate! I listened to some of it today, up to the point of longing for Klemperer's Bach, and quit.

[Ken B]

Similar to you, although for me it is the small group formations of the fifties and sixties that work best.  Early to middle Miles to put it in the context of this thread.  Bitches Brew I like but not as much as the earlier stuff.  (Ken, there is a dedicated jazz thread here.)

I'll check it out.

[Mookalafalas]

I forgot to mention. Kind of Blue is exactly in the sweet spot of what I hate! I listened to some of it today, up to the point of longing for Klemperer's Bach, and quit.

  Then I think what you want is Charlie Parker.  There is an excellent one disc sampler on Verve. 

[Mirror Image]

I forgot to mention. Kind of Blue is exactly in the sweet spot of what I hate! I listened to some of it today, up to the point of longing for Klemperer's Bach, and quit.

Oh dear. Well, we still can be friends.

[Ken B]

 

Oh dear. Well, we still can be friends.

[torut]

I forgot to mention. Kind of Blue is exactly in the sweet spot of what I hate! I listened to some of it today, up to the point of longing for Klemperer's Bach, and quit.

I cannot think of any Miles Davis album that can be recommended to someone who hates Kind of Blue. (I really tried. ) Probably Baklavaboy is right. How about this:
https://www.youtube.com/v/DEibWy5miBk

My favorite Charlie Parker recording. More relaxed.
https://www.youtube.com/v/Lr5WgLZBptQ

(sorry, this is off-topic...)

[torut]

The Ian Carr is a fun read.  The two volume Milestones is the way to go, though, IMHO.  [whoops, looks like it is one volume now, and updated]

[asin] 0306808498[/asin]

The "autobiography" was weird, I thought. Not much "music talk". Apparently Miles wasn't very cooperative, and Troupe had to "research" quite a bit from other sources and patch it in...you'll recognize parts of it as you are reading from the Chambers book, and even old Leonard Feather stuff...

This Amazon's description is very interesting. Thank you. (Although I don't like that it says "the musical lows of his final "Freaky Deaky" years.") Does your copy contain this section?

This invaluable biography of trumpeter and jazz-bebop-fusion innovator Miles Davis (1926–1991) includes a substantial new introduction that for the first time details Davis's turbulent last decade; the drawing and painting that became an additional creative outlet; the musical lows of his final "Freaky Deaky" years; the family warfare that has erupted over his last will and testament; and—in a long-awaited exposé—the truth behind Davis's so-called Autobiography, the book that "borrowed" gigantic portions from Milestones and passed them off as Davis's. Jack Chambers breaks his silence to discuss the extent of the "borrowing" and who was responsible. Here is the last word on the music and controversial life of Miles Davis.

[Mookalafalas]

I read it 20 years ago and haven't seen it since. I remember he wasn't a big fan of his whole electric era, but he still documents it very professionally.  The Ian Carr book is even older, and he agrees with Ken B: He says Kind of Blue is boring. 

  If Ken is still around, he would certainly like the first four 50s albums before he switched labels: Cookin', Workin', Steamin' and the other one.  He would probably like Milestones and Round About Midnight as well, although I personally am not as big a fan of those two...