Customer Reviews

Musings of Miles

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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.

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.

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.)

The music on this album isn't bad, but compared to the heights Miles achieved before and after this (and why not compare?), Musings definitely represents a valley, not a peak. There's interesting music here, and hearing Miles in a quartet context (minus any other horns) is worth the price alone. That said, if you don't have his masterpieces (=almost every other album he made), get those first. This one can wait.