| | |  | Music | Home » » Seven Steps to Heaven | | | | | | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| March 15, 2005 | | Studio:
| Columbia Records | | Number Of Discs:
| 1 | | Format:
| Original recording remastered | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 11 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | 1. | Basin Street Blues | | 2. | Seven Steps to Heaven | | 3. | I Fall in Love Too Easily | | 4. | So Near, So Far | | 5. | Baby Won't You Please Come Home | | 6. | Joshua | | 7. | So Near, So Far [*] | | 8. | Summer Night [*] | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 11 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 4 1/2 stars-- Davis in transition.Nov 02, 2005
By Michael Stack
In 1963, Miles Davis was reeling a bit-- the Wynton Kelly Trio (Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb) had just quit, leaving the trumpeter without his stellar rhythm section, and with both John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley breaking ties the band, there was no one left from the band that recorded the triumph of "Kind of Blue". "Seven Steps to Heaven" tracks the evolution of Davis' working band over three sessions in early 1963-- the last studio work he'd do until early 1965.
The first two sessions recorded here find Davis in the company of tenor saxophonist George Coleman, pianist Victor Feldman, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Frank Butler. The pieces from this session are primarily standard ballads-- "Basin Street Blues", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" and "Summer Night" (a bonus track originally issued as part of "Quiet Nights". All four feature Davis superbly lyrical-- he seems particularly inspired by the somewhat underrecognized Feldman, whose lovely and emotive frameworks set up simply fantastic environments for Davis to solo and the ever-brilliant Carter to counter. This is all particularly obvious on the stunning reading of "I Fall in Love Too Easily", destined to stay in Davis' live repetoire for over seven years (extraordinarily rare for Davis, he tended to play songs live no more than a couple years, sometimes even less) and still featured into his "fusion" period. Coleman's only appearance from this session is the performance of "So Near, So Far" (again a bonus track originally issued on the odds-and-ends album "Directions"). The performance is pretty lifeless, with neither Davis nor Coleman particularly inspired.
A month later, Davis entered the studio, again with Coleman and Carter, but with two steps closer to forging his next great band, with pianist Herbie Hancock and drummer Tony Williams. The change at the drum seat is obvious-- Williams, a young prodigee at this point, is explosive, powerful and yet never in the way. They perform three pieces-- another reading of "So Near, So Far" and two originals-- Victor Feldman's "Joshua" and the Feldman/Davis-penned title track (interestingly enough, all three were attempted at the previous session). Again, Davis seems inspired, but this time with an ecstatic energy-- his playing on the title track (a bouncey hard bop piece) is agile and mercurial, leading into a brief, stunning drum break and a frantic solo by Coleman reminiscent of Coltrane's work in the Davis band. "So Near, So Far" gets a vastly superior reading-- the theme statement split around the two horns is fluid and intriguing, and Davis pours his heart into his horn on his solo-- exploring his horn's registers and expressiveness (and listen to Carter behind him who is fantastic enough to nearly steal the show, and he is perhaps even moreso under Hancock's solo). "Joshua" gets an intriguing reading-- it's bizarrely lryical and yet maintains a sort of exciting frantic energy, and again the performances are superb throughout.
Something stops me from thinking of this one among Davis' best, but it's an awfully good album, with great performances throughout. This remaster adds great sound to the mix as well-- could have been recorded yesterday. Highly recommended.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Essential '60s Miles DavisMar 13, 2007
By J. Rich
Miles Davis was one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of our time. His need for change, exploration, and experimentation will remain his legacy. I think anyone who plays or listens to jazz owes it to themselves to check out Miles Davis. That being said, "Seven Steps To Heaven" is a one of his greatest recordings of the 1960s.
Recorded in 1963 in Los Angeles and New York, this recording remains a somewhat overlooked album in Davis' vast discography. The reason I think it is overlooked is because it features Miles playing more ballads. I believe ballads are what made Miles Davis great and that's why if anyone loves ballads, then "Seven Steps to Heaven" would be a great purchase. Of course, tunes like the title track and "Joshua" are both uptempo and feature some really swinging rhythms and hot soloing. "Seven Steps To Heaven" also feature three of the greatest musicians from contemporary jazz: Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. This is the first time they played with Miles Davis on record.
The musicians on this album are all stellar and are given plenty of room to stretch out. Here is the lineup for this album:
Miles Davis - trumpet
George Coleman - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - piano (tracks 2, 4, and 6)
Victor Feldman - piano (all other tracks)
Ron Carter - bass
Tony Williams - drums (tracks 2, 4, and 6)
Frank Butler - drums (all other tracks)
Despite what people say and what they feel is the greatest Miles album, I feel that "Seven Steps To Heaven" is right there with some of his best work. I own 35 albums by Miles Davis and I can't believe I waited so long before I bought this album. Hearing albums like "Workin," "Relaxin," "Cookin," "Round About Midnight," "Miles Ahead," and "Kind of Blue," made me a fan, but nobody should overlook anything Miles did in the mid 50s to mid 60s. It was an amazing period for Miles and when listening to "Seven Steps To Heaven" makes me appreciate him even more.
To the reviewer who said this record was a "transitional" record, all I really have to say is that every album Miles made was a transitional record. That's just apart of his music. Miles was always looking towards the future and that's evident in everything he has done.
Buy this album and don't let mixed reviews scare you. This is a classic jazz album that deserves to be heard.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Heading in the right direction...Nov 23, 2008
By J. R. Davis
This album is a great collection of songs from two different collctions of good musicians. Over the years, I have always preferred Miles' era with Gil Evans (Miles Ahead, Porgy & Bess, Sketches of Spain), but this album, in 1963, brings a more crisp & refined sound. The opening cut ('Basin Street Blues') is absolutely marvelous, and Victor Feldman shines on a soft, emotional piano solo about midway through the song. All the songs (including the bonus cut: 'Summer Nights') are thoroughly enjoyable with peaceful melodies. This album is a winner, and should be considered as one Miles Davis' best... very close to being 'heavenly'.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Seven Steps To MilesJan 04, 2010
By Andre S. Grindle
"Andre' Grindle"
Upon reading the autobiography Miles I was more than a little bit interested to hear this album,particularly the presense of George Coleman in the band. If you read that book you'll discover how Coleman left the group and was suceeded by Wayne Shorter very shortly thereafter. That was far from the only change that Miles was making to his band,the very same who would become his famous 60's quintet. What makes this album so historically AND musically fascinating is that Victor Feldman and drummer Frank Butler were transitioning out of the band as Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams were working their way in. And if you ask me there is no better way to bring about the birth of a band than with music like this. "Basin Street Blues" isn't lying when you hear Miles,Victor,Ron and Frank lay down some of the leanest,meanest blues licks you'll find in early 60's jazz. Also you can hear some changes in the way Miles is playing:his horn playing is moving from his heavy on easy style into a sound that I suppose is an early form of "freebop" where the tough beauty of his playing starts to get just a little louder than one might expect. The title track is of course of of Miles classic but you could call it the first full introduction to Miles's 60's quintet as Miles,George,Herbie,Ron, and Tony really give this free swinging number a big workout. Wayne isn't onboard yet but,despite what some might think George Coleman was a guy who could sure have done really big things with Miles had he not left so soon:his solo on this tune is one of it's big highlites. "I Fall In Love Too Easily" is a great rhythmic calypso rhythm that actually owes a lot to the influence of Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie in a lot of ways. The rest of the album is really good too but that's where things get slightly murkey. "So Near,So Far","Baby Won't You Please Come Home","Joshua" and the bonus cut "Summer Night" all have the effect of being excellent musically but not only don't they represent anything Miles hadn't done before but they aren't among his more memorable songs. Maybe it's because of that predictability that this happens. Miles apparently has similar feelings because he apparently didn't have much more of a high opinion of this than he did for Quiet Nights which as of this writing I have yet to hear. Not long after this Miles' New Quartet would emmerge with E.S.P. and change the face of jazz yet again. So this has several excellent cuts and ones that are merely good. Opinions might vary in this area but regardless this is great for the Miles fan but,if your just getting into his music this is probably not the place to begin doing that.
Seven Steps to a minor classic collection of fine ballads from Miles' `transitional' periodJul 22, 2011
By Archer Books
"Archer Books"
Following the departure of Jimmy Cobb, Trane, Julian Adderley and others in the early 1960s after the KoB period, `Seven Steps to Heaven' was recorded in LA and in NYC in 1963 and is often described as a `transitional album' for Miles. Others point out that everything Miles ever recorded was in some way `transitional', as he never let the grass grow under his feet and was always on his way to somewhere new.
What is certain is that `Seven Steps to Heaven' is one beautiful album full of cool, stretched-out ballads. It usually fails to make Miles' defining discography of `milestones' only because no new ground was broken, no definitive new style established. However the music is absolutely first class, ambient and repeat-listenable in the way of KoB and `In a Silent Way'.
The musicians:
* On tracks 2, 4 & 6 Herbie Hancock plays piano and Tony Williams is on drums (both destined to become members of Miles' great quintet in the mid-sixties)
* All remaining tracks feature Victor Feldman on keyboards and Frank Butler on drums
* George Coleman plays some fine sax
* Ron Carter plays bass on all tracks
All in all a great album and a fine, mellow mood-piece from the period preceding Miles' move towards jazz-fusion resulting in the great defining masterworks `In a Silent Way' and the seminal `Bitches Brew'.
It's good. If you like Miles Davis, and particularly the more mellow ballads, you'll love it.
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