Musings of Miles

Miles Davis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000XZZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,198 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why was the Trumpet invented? Part 9, September 16, 2000

By 

TUCO H. "H. TUCO" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Musings of Miles (Audio CD)

For my money, "Musings" is the purest of all '50s Miles Davis records. This is the only saxophone-less small group Davis ever led, his first meeting with Red Garland and Philly Joe Jones, right before Coltrane came on board. At this point in time Coltrane's concept was still sloppy and rough whereas Miles' playing was at its zenith, which is why Coltrane's not being on this record is more of a plus than a minus. Davis die-hards are provided the unique opportunity to hear Davis and more Davis, extended trumpet improvisations without anything else breaking up the sustained voodoo save the perfect foil of Garland's Ahmad-Jamalesque piano.

"Musings" is a consolidation and coming to fruition of everything Davis was trying to do on his inconsistent recordings of the early `50s--the first fully elaborated and definitive `small group' statement of the original Davis/Mulligan/Evans `Birth of the Cool' anti-bebop concept that had already had widespread influence.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Miles, all of the time, November 21, 2002

By 

Micah Newman (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Musings of Miles (Audio CD)

This oft-overlooked Miles Davis outing features the master with most of his '56 Quintet, minus John Coltrane, and substituting Oscar Pettiford for Paul Chambers on bass. The lack of the additional lead instrument gives Miles tons of soloing space, which he uses to most excellent effect (isn't it always: Miles + space = golden music ? ). Pettiford's bass playing has lots of bounce and drive, and he's a quite adequate substitute here for the great virtuoso Paul Chambers. "Philly Joe" and Red Garland are impeccable as always, rounding out a most primo rhythm section for Miles to lay on. The result is all Miles, all of the time, and it's sweet, needless to say.

Highlights include some very nice choices of standards, a distinctive reading of "A Night In Tunisia" that this band makes all its own, and Miles's own compositions "I Didn't" (a quite humorous rejoinder to Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't") and "Green Haze." Don't stop with the Quintet LPs--you'll be missing out.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Miles Davis QUARTET, October 14, 2005

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Musings of Miles (Audio CD)

The story goes that the night before this session took place the musicians attended a party in Harlem for Adam Clayton Powell. They played until dawn, only a few hours before the recording was to begin. Oscar Pettiford was totally smashed, so everything was recorded in one take only.

That being the case, there is little in the music performed here to indicate anything was amiss. In fact, it's a terrific date. There's a consistency to what's going down, no major highs and certainly no lows - just solid, right-on playing. Tempos are varied, from the slow blues BLUE HAZE to the wailing up-tempo WILL YOU STILL BE MINE.

Davis finally found the Ahmad Jamal-like piano player he was looking for - Red Garland (who would play like Jamal if Miles asked him to). A GAL IN CALICO is played in tribute to Jamal. This is a very relaxed, almost carefree (but not careless) session for Miles. It's a great session and a great CD. (It's only a couple of months after this date that John Coltrane enters the picture.)