Track Listing

1. Springsville
2. Maids Of Cadiz
3. Duke
4. My Ship
5. Miles Ahead
6. Blues For Pablo
7. New Rhumba
8. Meaning Of The Blues
9. Lament
10. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44836 in Music
• Released on: 1997-10-06
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
Miles Davis was part of a circle of musicians drawn to arranger Gil Evans' charts for Claude Thornhill's Orchestra--hislovely palette of woodwinds and deep brass, his way of voicing chords and accenting rhythms. Beginning with their innovative collaboration on BIRTH OF THE COOL, they created a luminous body of work, as Gil Evans played Billy Strayhorn to Miles' Duke Ellington.
Beginning with MILES AHEAD, and continuing through works such as PORGY AND BESS, SKETCHES OF SPAIN, AT CARNEGIE HALL and QUIET NIGHTS they cultivated a cool attitude that defined jazz in popular consciousness. This is the second CD release of MILES AHEAD (look for the Legacylogo), and this edition returns to the original mono mastertakes, proceeding as one uninterrupted work--a concerto forflugelhorn soloist and mixed brass, woodwinds and rhythm.
The jaunty brass counterpoint and contrary motion of "Springsville" launches Miles in full flight, descending into thegossamer Iberian shadings of "The Maids Of Cadiz". Shadowedby flutes, French horns and a dancing tuba, Miles celebrates Brubeck's lovely anthem "The Duke" with spacious lyric grace. The gorgeous soft chords of "My Ship" and the burnished deep brass of the title tune suggest how completely Evans transformed big band voicings (much as Ellington did), while the introspective manner in which Miles phrases suggests Billie Holiday. Evans' meandering "Blues For Pablo", which alternates between blues and flamenco-styled themes and the swinging stop time of Ahmad Jamal's "New Rhumba" form the emotional centrepiece of this otherwordly recital, concluding with a bracing brass cry so typical of earlier dance bands.

Customer Reviews

One of my favourites
And much of the credit for that should go to Gil Evans. The balance between Miles and the other musicians (a much larger group than he normally played with) is superb. Some may find the changes of tempo and tracks seemingly falling into one another a little disorienting, personally I find them intreaguing and delightful. There is so much going on here, such an intricate web of tone, melody and tempo that each time I hear this album it sweeps me away. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Proof (if it was needed) that Miles never made a bad record!
I've always believed that Miles' supposed 'comeback' (after, possibly, his worst brush with drugs) was his most fruitful period -- and this CD certainly represents some of the best work he ever produced in a recording studio.

There's also something purely magical about the work he did with Gil Evans; and, I feel, the larger ensemble seems, somehow, to support Miles in a way that, sometimes, a smaller group may not.

Anyone into Miles will already own this in some form or another... -- but, if you've always been intrigued by the myth that is Miles Dewey Davis III, then this (or the later 'Kind of Blue') is possibly the best introduction (...in my humble opinion!).

[A jazz fan dies and goes to heaven; and, when he gets to the Pearly Gates, St. Peter asks him where he'd like to go first -- so the guy says he'd like to go to a jazz club.

When they get to the one St. Peter recommends, there's all sorts of people sitting at the bar, listening to the music -- Dizzy, Duke, Bird, Cannonball, etc. -- but at the far end is a guy in a dazzling, well-cut suit, wearing shades and smoking.

"Who's that?" asks the guy.

"It's God," says St. Peter: "He thinks he's Miles Davis."]

So joyfull, relaxin' and wonderfull!
I'm 20 and my cd collection contains mostly of jazzy hip hop and rap cd's which I love and listen to all the time... But none of them can be compared to how this album makes me feel whenever i listen to it... I grew up with a trumpet in my left hand, and therefore this was my first album. It is very dear to me. I use it whenever I am in that "special" mood or if I am to do something creative. Because of the beautiful work by Miles on this and all of his other recordings (especially Kind of Blue, Porgy & Bess and Silent Way) i am able to kick back in my 1 roomed apartments sofa and let my mind wander of to places I rarely think of, whenever I want to... Now that is a Joy that I hope every man or woman will find in some record... If u havent found it yet, try this one out. His sound will amaze u it is top class, and he works perfect with the band on each an any track he has recorded. A Classic!!! Peace to my man Miles and ofcourse all the other pioneers of jazz; Ellington, Coltrane, Basie, Adderley etc. Without them I wouldnt be listening to the Hip Hop I'm listening to today...