"The complete Miles & Trane Columbia Sessions" |
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MILES DAVIS WAS A CANNY BUSINESSMAN AS WELL AS A GREAT ARTIST
The difference in the approach to recording sessions for Prestige and Columbia underlines that point. The first Columbia session was made on October 26, 1955, while he was still under contract to Prestige and it marks the inaugural recording of the great quintet with John Coltrane , Red Garland , Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. Despite the session's artistic success, it only yielded four quintet tunes, two of witch he would remake in 1958. Listening to the alternate takes on this session and throughout this set, it is evident that Miles is working hard to achieve truly great and beautiful performances.
At Prestige, he was generating whole albums in a single or double session, often with personnel that was assembled only for the date. And once he had this quintet in place and a Columbia contract in hand, he was able to records thirty-one tunes , five albums worth , during three recording days over the next year, to complete his Prestige obligations.
His entire studio output at Columbia, from his first session until the spring of 1959, consisted of two albums with Gil Evans and the equivalent of four albums with his small group. And the tunes he recorded for Columbia were most often the ones that he played live.
In lesser hands , this careful , conscious approach to recording could create music stiffer than Guy Lombardo. But in the hands of the artist of this caliber who understood the weight of a note and impact of space, the results are astonishing.
The first three sessions on this set (October 26, 1955, June 5 and September 10,1956) are by the original quintet and parallel the group's sessions for Prestige (November 16,1955,May 11 and October 26, 1956). Of the ten tunes for Columbia , six made up the first Columbia album "Round About Midnight" ,while two were issued on anthologies of the time and the remaining two did not appear until the seventies.
In 1957 , the Quintet disintegrated through a series of departures and firings. But Miles was concentrating on recording Miles Ahead with Gil Evans and made no small group recordings during this year of flux. He reformed the original quinet in December , adding Cannonball Adderley on alto saxophone.
The nxt February and March , he recorded Milestones with this sextet. Available only on mono or electronically rechanneled stereo four decades, it makes its first appearance in stereo (along with an unissued "Little Melonae" and three magnificent alternate takes) in this box set.
The fact that Red Garland showed up so late to the March session and that he appeared only on the third and last tune certainly contributed to his dismissal later That month. Philly Joe quit in May. Bill Evans and Jimmy Cobb were their replacements and the sound of the band began to change.
The new edition of the Sextet went in the studio in May and recorded four tunes, three of which were used to fill out Jazz Track, an album with Miles' score to the French film "L'Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud."
Live gigs at the Newport Jazz Festival and a Columbia Records Jazz Party at the Plaza Hotel were taped, but shelved until 1964 and 1973 respectively. (To preserve the flow and development of the studio material by the Davis band with Coltrane, these live sessions appear out of chronological sequence at the end of this set.) Between those gigs, Miles would record Porgy And Bess with Gil Evans.
By the end of that year, Bill Evans had left to form his own trio. Wynton Kelly would replace him. However, Evans would return in March and April, 1959 as pianist (on four tunes), composer ("Blue In Green") and liner note writer for the ground-breaking modal masterpiece Kind Of Blue.
John Coltane , who'd recently left Prestige to sign with Atlantic Records, left the nab in May to start developing his own group. But he was drafted back in several times before his final stint, a European tour in March and April, 1960. His last professional appearance with Miles was the trumpeter's first small-group recording studio since Kind Of Blue . Trane played on two pieces during whose March 1961 sessions that produced Someday My Prince Will Come.
This set charts development of two of the most influential and ever-evolving artists in American Music. Their growth from take to take , session to session and year to year is an astonishing to behold. Despite , or perhaps because of, their drastically different approaches to improvisation, they made one of the more magnificent teams in Jazz
MICHEAL CUSCUNA
MILES & TRANE
the Complete Recording
DISC ONE
1. TWO BASS HIT (ALTERNATE TAKE) 3:18 A* (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)
2. TWO BASS HIT 3:42 A
3. AH-LEU-CHA (ALTERNATE TAKE) 5:49 A* (Charlie Parker)
4. AH-LEU-CHA 5:50 A
5. AH-LEU-CHA (TAKE 5) 5:22 A*
6. LITTLE MELONAE 7:19 A (Jackie McLean)
7. BUDO (ALTERNATE TAKE) 5:01 A (B. PoweIl-M. Davis)
8. BUDO 4:14 A
9. DEAR OLD STOCKHOLM 7:48 B (Traditional; Arranged by Stan Getz)
10. BYE BYE BLACKBIRD (ALTERNATE TAKE) 7:48 B*(M. Dixon-R. Henderson)
11. BYE BYE BLACKBIRD 7:54 B
12. TADD'S DELIGHT 4:26 B (Tadd Dameron)
13. TADD'S DELIGHT (ALTERNATE TAKE) 4:18 B*
DISC TWO
1. DEAR OLD STOCKHOLM (ALTERNATE TAKE) 6:39 B* (Traditional; Arranged by Stan Getz)
2. ALL OF YOU (ALTERNATE TAKE) 7:29 C* (Cole Porter)
3. ALL OF YOU 7:O1 C
4. SWEET SUE, JUST YOU (FIRST VERSION) 4:21 C* (W.J. Harris-V. Young)
5. SWEET SUE, JUST YOU (FALSE START WITH DISCUSSION BY
LEONARD BERNSTEIN & MILES DAVIS) 1:56 C*
6. SWEET SUE, JUST YOU (ALTERNATE TAKE) 3:29 C*
7. SWEET SUE, JUST YOU 3:39 C
8. MILES DAVIS COMMENTS 0:27 C*
9. 'ROUND MIDNIGHT 5:55 C (Thelonious Monk-Bernie Hanighen-Cootie Williams)
10. TWO BASS HIT (ALTERNATE TAKE) 4:30 D* (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)
11. TWO BASS HIT 5:10 D
12. BILLYBOY 7:1O D (Traditional)
13. STRAIGHT, NO CHASER (ALTERNATE TAKE) 10:27 D* (Thelonious Monk)
DISC THREE
1. STRAIGHT, NO CHASER 10:35 D
(Thelonious Monk)
2. MILESTONES (ALTERNATE TAKE) 5:59 D* (Miles Davis)
3. MILESTONES 5:42 D
4. SID'S AHEAD 12:59 E (Miles Davis)
5. LITTLE MELONAE 7:51 E* (Jackie McLean)
6. DR. JACKLE 5:46 E (Jackie McLean)
7. ON GREEN DOLPHIN STREET 9:48 F (B. Kaper-N. Washington)
8. FRAN-DANCE (ALTERNATE TAKE) 5:50 F* (Miles Davis)
9. FRAN-DANCE 5:47 F
10. STELLA BY STARLIGHT 4:44 F (V. Young-N. Washington)
DISC FOUR
1. LOVE FOR SALE 11:46 F (Cole Porter)
2. FREDDIE FREELOADER (FALSE START) 1:25 I* (Miles Davis)
3. FREDDIE FREELOADER 9:43 I
4. SO WHAT 9:21 I (Miles Davis)
5. BLUE IN GREEN 5:34 I (Miles Davis)
6. FLAMENCO SKETCHES (ALTERNATE TAKE) 9:31 J (Miles Davis)
7. MILES DAVIS COMMENTS 0:41 J*
8. FLAMENCO SKETCHES 9:22 J
9. ALL BLUES 11:32 J (Miles Davis)
DISC FIVE
1. SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME 9:02 K (F.E. Churchill-L. Morey)DISC SIX
1. IF I WERE A BELL 8:31 H (Frank Loesser)
2. OLEO 10:39 H (Sonny Rollins)
3. MY FUNNY VALENTINE 10:19 H (R. Rodgers-L. Hart)
4. STRAIGHT, NO CHASER 10:56 H (Thelonious Monk)
*PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACK
LES MUSICOS
AMILES DAVIS (trumpet), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), RED GARLAND (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), PHILLY JOE JONES (drums)
Wednesday 7 October 26, 1955 (3:30 to 8:30 pm) Columbia Studio D, NYC
B
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), RED GARLAND
(piano), PAUL CHAMBERS
(bass), PHILLY JOE JONES (drums)
Tuesday, June 5, 1956 (5 to 9 pm) Columb~ 30th Street Studio, NYC
Producer: George Avakian Recording Engineer: Frank Laico
C
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), RED GARLAND (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), PHILLY JOE JONES (drums)Monday, September 10, 1956 (5 to 8 pm) Columbia 30th Street Studio, NYC
Producer: George Avakian Recording Engineer: Frank Laico
D
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (alto saxophone), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), RED GARLAND (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), PHILLY JOE JONES (drums)Tuesday, February 4, 1958 (2 to 6:30 pm) Columbia 30th Street Studio, NYC
Producer: George Avakian Recording Engineer: Harold Chapman
E
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (alto saxophone), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), RED GARLAND (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), PHILLY JOE JONES (drums)
Tuesday, March 4, 1958 (7 to 10 pm) Columbia 30th Street Studio, NYCF
MILES DAViS (trumpet), CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (alto saxophone), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), BILL EVANS (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), JIMMY COBB (drums)Monday, May 26, 1958 (7 to 10 pm) Columbia 30th Street Studio, NYC
Producer: Cal Lampley Recording Engineer: Harold Chapman
G
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (alto saxophone), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), BILL EVANS (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), JIMMY COBB (drums) ~
Thursday, July 3, 1958
Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island Recording Supervised by George Avakian original Release Produced by Teo Macero
Recording Engineers: Adjutor Theroux and Buddy Graham
H
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (alto saxophone), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), BILL EVANS (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), JIMMY COBB (drums) ~
Tuesday, September 9, 1958 (6 to 7 pm)
Persian Room, Plaza Hotel, New York City Produced by Teo Macero and Irving Townsend
Recording Engineer: George Kneurr
I
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (alto saxophone), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), WYNTON KELLY (on "Freddie Freeloader"), BILL EVANS (on "So What" and "Blue In Green") (piano); PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), JIMMY COBB (drums)
Monday, March 2, 1959 (2:30 to 5:30 and 7 to 10 pm) Columbia 3oth Street Studio, NYC
Producer: Irving Townsend Recording Engineer: Fred Plaut
J
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), CANNONBAL~ ADDERLEY (alto saxophone), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), BILL EVANS (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), JIMMY COBB (drums)
Wednesday, April 22, 1959 (2:30 to 5:30 pm) Columbia 3oth Street Studio, NYC
Producer: Irving Townsend Recording Engineer: Fred Plaut
K
MlLES DAVIS (trumpet), HANK MOBLEY, JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), WYNTON KELLY (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), JIMMY COBB (drums)
Monday, March 20, 1961 (3 to 5:30 pm) Columbia 30th Street Studio, NYC
Producer: Teo Macero Recording Engineer: Frank Laico
L
MILES DAVIS (trumpet), JOHN COLTRANE (tenor saxophone), WYNTON KELLY (piano), PAUL CHAMBERS (bass), JIMMY COBB (drums)
Tuesday, Marcn 21, 1961 (2:30 to 5:30 pm) Columbia 30th Street Studio, NYC
Producer: Teo Macero Recording Engineer: Frank Laico