Jazz Articles about Miles Davis

About Miles Davis

Building a Jazz Library

For those dipping a first toe into jazz, the Miles Davis classic Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959) is a common initial purchase or listen for many plausible reasons. Web searches for “best jazz albums of all time," or the like, bring up numerous lists that put it at the top and on newcomers' radars. Prominent placement on the Amazon (US) page for jazz CDs and vinyl--with high sales continuously propping it up--almost begs people to try it. The frequency with ...

Radio & Podcasts

Miles Davis, Return To Forever, Tony Williams Lifetime, Niacin and Al Di Meola

by Len Davis
May 22, 2022

We go back to a few classics with Miles Davis from Decoy, Return To Forever, Tony Williams Lifetime, Niacin and Al Di MeolaPlaylist JK Special “Crossfire" from JK Special (Lipstick) 00:00 Miles Davis"That's Right" from Decoy (Columbia) 08:05 Return To Forever “Senor Mouse" from The Mothership Returns (Eagle) 16:00 Tony Williams Lifetime"Million Dollar Legs" from The Collection (Columbia) 24:02 Niacin"Panic Button" from Deep (Magna Carta) 32;05 Paradox Trio “Late Night" from Paradox (Tip Toe) 40:10 Al Di Meola"Crusin'" ...

Multiple Reviews

Miles Davis & Don Cherry: Which One Is The Grifter?

by Chris May
April 25, 2022

The Swiss-based ezz-thetics label's Revisited strand of reissues is a jazz connoisseur's dream. The label identifies outstanding albums of the 1960s, sets one of its gifted audio engineers to mastering them and makes them newly available. Earlier editions of many of these albums are hard to find and the sound on all of them is substantially improved by the mastering process--on occasion, the improvement is so marked it is almost like hearing an album for the first time. Recent releases ...

Radio & Podcasts

Miles Davis, Hank Mobley, Sonny Clark and Sonny Rollins

by Joe Dimino
February 20, 2022

We start the 739th Episode of Neon Jazz with a collection of classics from Miles Davis (and Birth of the Cool) followed by Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans and Sonny Rollins. Enjoy this wonderful hour of jazz in honor of Valentine's Day! Playlist Miles Davis “Venus De Milo" Birth of the Cool (Capitol Records) 00:00 Host talks 3:34 Hank Mobley “Early Morning Stroll" The Flip (Blue Noe Records) 5:08 Eric Dolphy “Hat and Beard" Out to Lunch (Blue Note) ...

Radio & Podcasts

Yes, Yes Nonet

by Patrick Burnette
February 17, 2022

We've made it nine years—four years more than Ziggy Stardust promised us, thank you very much—and to celebrate we're once again discussing ensembles the numerical size of which matches our anniversary. That means, my friends, nonets, and of course we'll start with the most famous jazz nonet of all, that one that birthed a hundred West Coast groups.Playlist Discussion of Miles Davis' album Birth of the Cool (Capitol) 8:55 Discussion of Lee Konitz's album Nonet (Chiaroscuro) 32:30 Discussion ...

History of Jazz

The Roma: The Roots of Flamenco, Gypsy Jazz, and Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain"

by Martin McFie
February 12, 2022

In 1959, a magical year for jazz albums, Miles Davis, inspired by some flamenco performances he had heard, recorded Sketches of Spain (Columbia, 1960) at Columbia's 30th Street studio. Half of the album is a beautiful orchestral interpretation of the classical guitar piece “Concierto de Aranjuez," written twenty years before the Davis recording, by Joaquin Rodrigo, which is about the gardens in the royal palace at Aranjuez. Davis was drawn to strong melodies, and the melodies here are certainly powerful, ...

What is Jazz?

A Tale of Two Genres: The Surprising Similarities in the Development of Jazz and Classical Music

by Kurt Ellenberger
January 7, 2022

Jazz and classical music are two of the most monumental achievements in human history. Together, they encompass a range of expressive capabilities that is simply astounding, giving voice to the human experience from centuries past to the present and in doing so, enriching our lives immeasurably. This is more remarkable when one considers that they have nothing to do with our survival as a species, but rather serve to nurture our emotional and intellectual needs, occupying a place in our ...