Customer Reviews

The Essential Miles Davis

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ESSENTIAL's first disc takes the listener from the first session in which Davis was prominently featured (1945's NOW'S THE TIME) through 1961's SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME. In between these bookends are one or more examples of the late-1940s BIRTH OF THE COOL nonet sides, his early-1950s small group sessions (including the landmark blues WALKIN' from 1954), the late-1950s first great combo with John Coltrane (three tracks chosen), and the Gil Evans-arranged trio of classic albums (one track from each of the three key albums Evans and Davis collaborated on). By the end of disc one Davis was at a crossroads...whether to become a mainstream jazz artist who recycles his past, or an innovator who takes steps forward and continues to challenge himself.

As even casual listeners know, Davis opted for the latter, a bold and risky decision that some would debate but many fans are elated by. The first three tracks on disc two offer live and studio examples of Davis' second great mid-1960's combo. 1968's PETITS MACHINS offers a logical bridge between that combo and Davis' soon-to-follow electric-era music. That 1969-75 period is represented by three tracks, including BLACK SATIN from the 1972's ON THE CORNER. In late-1975, Miles left the music scene for a few years...the last three tracks sample his last decade of musical activity, ending with his death in 1991. Davis remained capable of brilliant, emotively-deep solos throughout his life, as the final track PORTIA (1986) indicates.

One can quibble about the choices: I would have liked to have seen Miles' brilliant solo from RIGHT OFF (1970/JACK JOHNSON) included. Furthermore, one or two more discs are needed to really create a 3-D overview of Davis' career. Unlike most artists--who are lucky to come up with a CD's worth of memorable material over their lifetime--Miles Davis' career gets shortchanged even by a two-CD set. Nonetheless, all of the music contained here is outstanding. I see ESSENTIAL benefiting listeners who just don't have the time to investigate Davis' career in detail, yet who want to touch bases on every stage of his eclectic career. Highly recommended: spend a few extra dollars and buy this set rather than the one-disc KEN BURNS overview.

The last thing I would want to do is put anyone off of getting into Miles, so if you're checking out this compilation as someplace to start, you could do worse, especially for the price. From the 1940s through the 1980s there's a lot of ground to cover, a lot of styles. The problem though is that you miss the depth on every one of them. So here are some recommendations as an alternative or as a follow-up to the compilation:

KIND OF BLUE (1959) goes without saying. The compilation gives you only the opening cut, "So What." I wonder how many people have never heard anything by Miles but this one record? Also from the Fifties, COOKIN' WITH THE MILES DAVIS QUINTET (1956) is one of several records with his first great quintet, the one with John Coltrane. For the Sixties, HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PLUGGED NICKEL (1965) captures his second great quintet live in Chicago -- amazing! (This is the one with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams.) And for the electric period, most would say start with BITCHES BREW (1969), but I prefer the last record he made before his temporary retirement, PANGAEA (1975), which is 2 discs of jazz-funk fusion, live in Japan.

I saw Miles at the Chicago Auditorium on his comeback tour in 1981 -- it was a great show, but on record most of his Eighties stuff was "Miles lite." Unfortunately, even on this brief sampler, you've got some of this late Miles at the expense of more of his magnificent earlier work.

To be quite honest...dont waste your money on this 2 cd set. But dont get me wrong, I love Miles Davis, and anything this man ever did was amazing. But to just have 20 some tracks of his work is a crime to yourself. Instead go and buy some of his classic albums to really get the "ESSENTIAL" Miles Davis. But if you want to be stingy buy this.

Buying THE ESSENTIAL MILES DAVIS was a brave purchase for me (even considering that I nabbed a used copy at a low price). Although I listen to a diverse selection of musicians, they all fit within the umbrella of "Rock n Roll". I don't always play it safe however, as I continously seek music that is bold and pushing new ground.

So it happened that I became intrigued with the music of Miles Davis. Although I was first introduced to Miles through a friend's copy of KIND OF BLUE (beautiful!), it was his jazz fusion period of the 70's that grabbed the Rock fan in me and wouldn't let go. Considering that I liked what I heard from both eras of Miles's music I decided to dive right into this collection.

I found that listening to the discs in quarter segments increased the pleasure of hearing each track for the first time. There were selections from each of Davis's stylistic periods that I took to immeadeately ("Compulsion", "Walkin", "Summertime", "So What", "Nefertiti", "Black Satin", "Time After Time"), some that grew on me with repeated listenings, and still others that haven't connected at all yet.

I can feel the emotion poured forth from Miles's trumpet as I do the vocals from some of my favorite Rock bands. Davis has brought me into an exciting new musical language and judging from his extensive back catalogue, there will be no shortage of Miles Davis recordings for me to explore anytime soon.

Hmmmmmmmm.... now, let's see, which one shall I dive into next?

If you enjoy jazz music at all, this is a must have. If you enjoy music at all, this is a must have. If you have ever heard a song before, this is a must have. From start to finish, this album is the most sweeping overview of Davis' career, and every song included is a must-have for any music lovers collection. Miles' songs present a bold lyricism and conjure up emotions that the listener may not have been aware were there, and are thankful were found. With his trumpet and always backed by a marvelous band, Davis' songs say more than 1,000 words, all without muttering a single syllable. If you don't have any Miles Davis or any Jazz for that matter, start here and build your way up.

If you don't have this album, pick it up. You will either a) become engrossed in jazz or b) hate it for the rest of your life, but it's worth buying just the same. Disc one is an example of Miles in his prime, with tunes such as Now's the Time, Walkin', 'Round Midnight, Bye Bye Blackbird, So What and Someday My Prince Will Come. Disc Two is also good. ESP, Petits Machins, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down, Jean Pierre and Portia are all examples of the wideness of jazz. But I hate Little Church and have to wonder why Miles covered a Cydni Lauper song.
I would've liked to see some material from Kind of Blue and Milestones. Kind of Blue is only represented by So What (Miles' best song) and Milestones isn't represented at all. They should've thrown on All Blues, Freddie Freeloader, Milestones and Straight No Chaser, not to mention the missing Dear Old Stockholm, Surrey with a Fringe on top of It, and Salt Peanuts. This may have involved a third disc, but Miles' career is too broad to be covered in two discs.
No compilation is perfect, but this is highly recommended.

I suppose I first was alerted to the wondrous and varied world of jazz - a world so many seem nervous of entering, for some reason (come on in, we won`t bite, and the water`s lovely, if a touch dark and deep at times) - when as a teenager I heard some of the 60s album ESP - still one of Miles`s best, most cohesive efforts, to my mind - coming out of someone`s radio. I was hooked.
The `Essential` series has so far been a sensible and worthwhile project from CBS. One thinks of the Leonard Cohen and Springsteen collections as exemplary. This one gives us about two-and-a-half hours of a musical journey one could compare to Dylan`s, Ellington`s or Van Morrison`s for its sheer diversity in contemporary music.
From his debut with Bird to his more minimalist utterings of the 80s, taking in such lovely numbers as Little Church (from the album Live-Evil), Generique (from a French movie soundtrack), So What (Kind of Blue`s opener) and the delightful Time After Time (from You`re Under Arrest) this is a musical odyssey as gripping as it is fascinating. This man rarely rested on any laurels, was always testing himself, and others, not content with the compromises that must surely have been suggested to him throughout his astonishing career. (One thinks, again, of Dylan as a comparable artist.)
Miles is not the only kind of jazz - and sometimes I need to bask in the beauties of Bechet or early Armstrong; or go into seclusion with Monk - but here is a reasonable introduction to a troubling genius of twentieth century music. Miles, we miss you.
Thankyou, as they say, for the music.

AN EXCELLENT COMPENDIUM OF VINTAGE MILES DAVIS. SHORT OF PURCHASING EVERY ONE OF DAVIS'S RECORDINGS, THIS IS A GREAT CONDENSED PACKAGE FOR MILES AFFICIANADOS AND NEWBIES TO THE WORLD OF CLASSIC JAZZ. THE DOUBLE CD SET SPANS 5 DECADES OF WHAT IS THE GENIUS OF MILES DAVIS.

This collection draws from the ASTONISHING recording career of the great Miles Davis when he was among the best cool jazz trumpet players of them all, performing with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Muligan and Gil Evans, among other great jazz like minded players of the day. His impressionistic colors and harmonies are very much like bandleader Claude Thornhill's sound, yet all his own, a very "cool" jazz sound indeed. The listener will be in for a treat on this CD as it showcases some of the best jazz players of the 50s: Philly Joe Jones (drummer), Lucky Thompson (tenor solo), Horace Silver (pianist) among the signature Davis quintet of Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. Davis liked to take his band through a 2/4 tempo on to a straight swing beat in its approach. This CD is a DOUBLE CD so the listener gets twice the jazz for their $$. In this CD one can hear how Davis was constantly redefining musical "possibilities and excellence". For people just getting in touch with jazz, this CD capitized on some of Miles Davis's BEST jazz creations. My favorites from this CD include "Walkin'", "'Round Midnight", & "Black Satin". On each cut, the sound and mood changes...and it's like walking into a new room open to the creative genius of Harlem in the 50s. Now's The Time to Take A Listen To Miles Davis. Add this CD to your collection. This CD will never grow old...Davis gave us a great gift in his musical creations -- music that has its own distictive emotions and a legacy that is meant to last. A BIG HIGH FIVE STARS!

I first read about Miles in Mojo (the UK music mag). Their article, "How To Buy... Miles Davis" noted that this was a perfect starting point for the curious. I made a note of this. Then, after scanning the net for suggestions for music that resembled early Chicago's jazz-rock, I ran across some tracks from Bitches Brew and Tribute to Jack Johnson. Man, that stuff blew my mind! I wanted to try out Miles' material. Rather than starting out by purachising his late 60s/70s electric work,I decided to begin with this set to get a better sense of the man's career.

Disc 1, in my humble view, is a rather conservative affair. It's jazz, and I can't particlarly fault that. But for someone yearning for electric disorderly conduct, it's like the calm before a storm. Disc 2 begins in the same vein as the first disc, but tracks get progressively jumpier (like "E.S.P."). For me, there real treasure consisted of the structureless romps that Miles toots over in the late 60s and 70s. After that rousing anarchy, its fitting that the set mellows out in a collected 80s manner.

After listening to the set, I concluded that this man had a career that encompassed a broad array of jazz styles. While I may not be able to differntiate hard bop from modal jazz, I can see a gradual shift within his sound. Although I'll end buying On The Corner before Sketches of Spain, at least now I know the breadth that a four decade-long career can encompass.

For neophytes with only a vague idea of Miles and his work, this set is a perfect starting point; you'll get a sample of what each period entails and you'll be able to see which phase best suits your tastes.