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Miles Davis: Walkin'
by Douglas Payne
This bop-era classic finds trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-91) leading two groups from two sessions in April 1954: a superb sextet and a compelling quintet. Both groups center on a blue-chip rhythm section consisting of pianist Horace Silver, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Kenny Clarke. But despite the rock solid foundation and substantial decoration these three provide, Walkin' is all about the horn players. Trombonist J.J. Johnson and tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson (returning to music after the first of ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: Cookin'
by Douglas Payne
During the early 1950s, trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-91) recorded for both Prestige and Blue Note, the most distinctive independent labels in jazz at the time. Davis himself was developing and perfecting a style that was beginning to gain notice, popularity and substantial influence. By 1955, he had formed such an exemplary quintet of musicians, it came to be known as the quintet. Featuring the bursting torrents of John Coltrane, which perfectly balanced the spare romanticism of Davis's trumpet, the quintet ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: Miles Davis And The Modern Jazz Giants
by Douglas Payne
Hyperbole aside, this disc's title could hardly be more accurate. Miles Davis. Milt Jackson. Thelonius Monk. John Coltrane. That doesn't even count the legendary rhythm sections (Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke in one, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones in the other). Miles Davis And The Modern Jazz Giants is made up of two sessions, with four tracks from an all-star group with Jackson and Monk from 1954 (which also yielded the title track to Davis's ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: The Prestige Records Story
by Douglas Payne
From 1949 through 1971, Prestige Records was among the most famous and successful of the independent jazz labels. Perhaps only Blue Note, which had its reign during roughly the same period, provided Prestige with significant competition. Both maintained strong, unique identities--even shared many of the same musicians and, in most cases, engineer Rudy Van Gelder. But Blue Note lavished more money on rehearsals and their albums sounded more planned than those that came from Prestige. Still, it was the spontaneous ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: The Prestige Records Story
by Robert Spencer
This is much more than the history of just one label: this is a primer of modern jazz. The sweep of Bob Weinstock and Prestige Records, particularly in the Fifties and early Sixties, was so broad that this collection encompasses a large part of the jazz that mattered in those days. There is a stunning roster of the biggest names possible, including Miles Davis, Gil Evans, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Eric Dolphy, and Dexter Gordon. There's ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: Kind of Blue
by Philip B. Pape
Very few albums can match this Miles Davis's 1959 classic, often considered the greatest album in the history of jazz. Backed by an exquisite combo, this is an essential recording even for those who don't listen to jazz. With Davis himself on trumpet, Julian “Cannonball" Adderley on alto saxophone, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums, we hear every creative counterposition imaginable.This recording was ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: The Complete Birth of the Cool
by Larry Koenigsberg
With the reissue of the Miles Davis BIRTH OF THE COOL sessions, accompanied by recordings of this seminal nonet’s slightly earlier live dates at New York City’s Royal Roost, we now have as complete as possible an account of this still fresh sounding and beautiful music. The array of talent alone is startling: Miles Davis in transition between his earlier bebop stylings, and his later gorgeous tone and sparer choice of notes; Lee Konitz on alto sax playing startling melodic ...
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