Customer Reviews

Miles Davis & Horns

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard to understand all the talk about Miles's drug habit causing his playing to be inferior during the early 1950s. This is, after all, the period during which Miles was cementing his status as a major star in jazz, and the aural evidence simply doesn't support the conclusion that he was off his game somehow. On this lovely album, for instance, Miles is still developing his mature approach, and it's great to hear him playing these long, lyric lines in the style of Kenny Dorham, all on an open horn with a brassy tonality. In a few short years, he wouldn't be playing like this anymore, but you can still hear that melancholy, introspective quality to the playing that is purely Miles. The overall atmosphere on these sessions is a sort of relaxed, late-night version of hard bop, a hotter version of the cool, if you will. As for the supporting players here, pianist John Lewis is superb, and while I honestly can't tell if its Al Cohn or Zoot Sims playing, the horn ensembles are nice. That's really my only quibble with this record: the cuts tend to be far too short, with solos by Sonny Rollins, trombonist Bennie Green and Cohn/Sims kept to a single chorus. It puts the spotlight thoroughly on Miles' longer solos, however, and he's in fine fettle.

Hearing this recording makes me regret that I wasn't around in the 1950's to actually catch this music as it was happening. Miles Davis was truly a visionary and was able to capture moods like noone else. This is early Miles, and he performs with big names like Sonny Rollins, Al Cohn, Kenny Clarke, Zoot Sims, and John Lewis. The sound gives the vision of the 1950's urban jungles that came alive at night...Kerouac's American Night. This is a must have for any jazz fan.

I'm commenting on the four cuts from '53 -- what a great band and what a happy-sounding Miles! Zoot and Al are always a treat to hear and Cohn's four compositions are ear-catching and memorable. Good, solid swinging stuff recalls a more innocent time. I consider the other tracks a nice extra but I think the disc is worth buying just for the four nicely-arranged Cohn originals.

If you are a Miles Davis collector you want this release. I say it is essential because it contains the very first session Miles did for Prestige (in 1951); it also includes a later session from 1953. There is a big difference in Miles' sound between the sessions. I own probably close to 100 Miles Davis releases and this is one I purchased late (along with Blue Haze) in my collection because I'd heard so many negative things about Mile's years from 1950 to 1954. This music isn't as brilliant as the work he started with Bags' Groove but it is still good listening. I do enjoy it more than the two Blue Note release (Vol 1 and Vol 2) Miles did for that label (not counting "Something Else" by Cannonball which is really a Miles Davis release incognito for contractual reasons). I was VERY surprised by this recording, especially by the arrangements for the 1953 session. Anyone who writes this should be skipped and isn't worth owning isn't very serious about their Miles collection. Miles on a terrible day is actually better than most on an exceptional day, just remember that. Definitely worthy of your hard-earned pennies.

Although this album has its moments, I wouldn't recommend it. Miles is not at his best because of his drug habit. It still is good as hell, because of the songs like "Tasty Pudding", with the swinging drumming by Kenny Clarke. The two saxophone players are okay on these sessions. The other good tracks are "For Adults Only", "Floppy", and "Blue Room", but tracks like "Whispering" and "Morpheus" are not good performances from Miles. "Down" is a good song because of the great composition. Miles did that one, and he plays well on it, but "Whispering" is cluttered and unsure. "Morpheus" is just everywhere. This is worth four stars because of The strength of all tracks except for "Morpheus" and "Whispering".

this Album has Solid Instrumentation but it's not Among His Must Have's.but still their is Quality Material here.Tasty Pudding is the Cut.Miles is one of the few Artists Ever that can have 2 or 3 Great Songs on a Album and it still is Important.Why?Because He Puts so Much into that Performance.He was SOmething Else.

2 1/2

This early compilation spans heated passages to cold intonations, landing a little adrift of what the standard quality of standards bore back then but supplying enough fodder for completists to be grateful.