DAVIS MILES MILES AHEAD

DAVIS MILES MILES AHEAD

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The coup of this cd is that it has been properly re-mastered and restored to what it was in 1957. Several bad releases made this lp unlistenable for a long time (I have a mono lp copy that I got 15 years ago and it sounds terrible), but Columbia has finally solved that problem.

This lp can also be had as part of the superb Miles Davis/Gil Evans box set that covers this, "Porgy and Bess," "Sketches of Spain," and "Quiet Nights," as well as a few tracks they did in the late 60's. Highly recommended... and if you can't get that set, then of course, this lp is very much recommended.

25 of 25 found the following review helpful:

10 StarsAug 25, 2003
By Daniel Fineberg
What in god's name more is there to say about this recording to someone who has not listened to it, and listened to it all the way through? How about an anecdote from Miles' autobiography--the joy he felt when Dizzy Gillespie came knocking on his door and asked for another copy because he had worn the first one out. "It's the best," he said. I think I've listened to it more than any other CD I own. Miles on the flugelhorn is perfect. Gil Evans' arrangements are perfect. The choice of tunes--from Dave Brubeck's "The Duke" to Ahmad Jamal's "New Rhumba" to Evans' indescribably beautiful "Blues for Pablo"--are all perfect. Listen to it, and listen to it again.

22 of 22 found the following review helpful:

Miles Davis+19=BrilliantMay 06, 1999

This is one of those records that trancends time. It is unlike anything that a casual jazz fan may have heard. This record was recorded in bits and pieces and was heavily edited and overdubbed. Thus it has been difficult to transfer the album onto a cd. The original stereo issue of this cd was a butchered job that contained substantially different takes and passages than the original LP (which was released in mono). A second issue (in mono this time) was better, but still included substantial differences from the original. This definitive version restores almost everything in the original LP (but it is still not exactly the same as the 1957 LP). This is beautifully simple music recorded in tight complex arrangements by the great Gil Evans. But despite what you may read below, it is not a Big Band album. It is an album by an expanded small group that takes the ideas put forth by Evans and Gerry Mulligan in the Birth of the Cool sessions (which used a nonet) to the next step. It provides almost a perfectly textured background to Miles's flugelhorn.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:

His best album ever..A timeless masterpiece of sound...Dec 29, 1999
By historyone
After so many brilliant recordings by Miles Davis, this is the one that stands out among the rest. Miles Davis was at his peak of musicianship when this recording was released. Half of the praise should also go to Gil Evans, the best arranger, conductor of Jazz sound (except for Duke Ellington). Davis and Evan's orchestra compliment each other on this recording and this is the best collaboration that these 2 giants of jazz recorded, and this is no small feat due to the brilliance of their other collaborations (Sketches of Spain, Porgy and Bess, Quiet Nights). If I had to pick one introductory album to anyone interested in listening to Jazz, this would be the one. A timeless masterpiece of Miles Davis...

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Magnificently interwovenDec 25, 2001
By Don O.
In order to appreciate a piano concerto or a symphony, you must listen to it in its entirety. Each movement, although a complete piece in itself, is tied to the next and to the one before it. Together, they paint a musical picture of what the master had in mind.

Such listening approach rarely, if ever, applies to modern music. Album selections are usually not related to each other and vary only in tempo and mood. "MILES AHEAD" is one exception. Arranger Gil Evans has cleverly woven ten disparate tunes together so that to the appreciative listener, the entire album plays like a suite. Although the pieces were written by different composers and songwriters, they sound as if they were individual movements of a complete work. Each track segues seamlessly into another.

"My Ship," for instance, has a coda that leads quietly into the title track. This Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin gem features the pure, sweet singing tone of Miles Davis's flugelhorn. This is the most beautiful interpretation that I've ever heard.

"Miles Ahead" is one exquisite album. To understand and appreciate it completely, one should listen to it in its entirety . So, sit back and enjoy this magnificently interwoven album in all its glorious, remastered stereophonic sound.

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