Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Miles Davis: At Newport 1958

Miles Davis: At Newport 1958

Item: At Newport 1958
Rating: 0
Author: Jim Santella

By Jim Santella
October 1, 2001
View read count

This is a different Miles Davis. He's playing much better than he had when bebop was in its infancy. Accuracy and tone had always meant a lot to the trumpeter, and he worked hard to get it done just right. During the fifties, he kept getting better and better. Here, he's using both Harmon mute and a natural, open tone to get his message across. This is also a far cry from the Miles Davis who later took his trademark Harmon into the electronic studio to add echoes and reverberation. It's natural, acoustic jazz. This was shortly after Bill Evans and Jimmy Cobb had joined the band. It's interesting to note the audience reception given each band member, as Willis Conover introduces them at the start of the album. Jimmy Cobb and Paul Chambers are met with enthusiastic applause. Then, Bill Evans and John Coltrane receive only polite, token handclaps. They were relatively unknown at that time. Julian "Cannonball" Adderley and Davis, of course, are recognized with wild cheers. This was just eight months before they would record Kind Of Blue. "Bye Bye Blackbird" serves to introduce the talents of Coltrane to the public. His solo runs for nearly four minutes and demonstrates his desire to get all the notes in. This contrasts with Evans' ensuing minimalist solo. Originally issued on Miles And Monk At Newport, and Newport Jazz Festival Live, these seven selections were recorded on one July night in 1958 at Newport, Rhode Island. They're something special in the history of jazz.

FOLLOW Jim Santella and get notified whenever a new article published.
Jim Santella has been contributing CD reviews, concert reviews and DVD reviews to AAJ since 1997. His work has also appeared in Southland Blues, The L.A. Jazz Scene, and Cadence Magazine.

Personnel

Miles Davis

trumpet

Album information

Title: At Newport 1958 | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Sony Records

About Miles Davis

PREVIOUS / NEXT

A Fireside Chat With Jason Moran
< Previous

Expositions of Freedom...Now!
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.