From: gidi@Hilbert.Stanford.EDU (Gidi Avrahami)
Subject: Re: Miles' best work?
Organization: Brotherhood Of Breath
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 19:31:20 GMT

mlindholm@cc.helsinki.fi writes:
>
>    I was thinking of byuing some Miles Davis records.
>    Which ones would you recommend?


I have posted the following several times, and it may be useful to the
novice:

=======================================================================
The following is an annotated discography of Miles Davis.  It lists
almost all the official U.S. releases, and points to some of the
rare/bootleg/europeans.  The records are grouped by the major musical
styles and periods, in order to provide an immediate answer to the
question ``which records sound like X?''  At the end, I suggest
starting points for each of the major styles.

The comments are all mine, and they are biased.  Hey, I took the time
to make this list up -- the least I should get is the opportunity to
voice my opinion, no?

Record labels are in [brackets], and the default is [Columbia/CBS].

---------------- with Bird (1945-1947)
((various Charlie Parker recordings, mainly on [Savoy] and [Verve]))
	Miles was still learning the trade.  I like his sound on the
	slow ballads, e.g., Bird Of Paradise.
---------------- The Cool (1948-1949)
Birth Of The Cool [Capitol/Blue Note]
((some live/radio recordings))
	Classic stuff, with arrangements that are still fresh and
	exciting by Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans and others.  Short,
	definitive solos by Miles.  At 22, he demonstrates surprising
	maturity as a player and leader.
---------------- Bopping (1950-1953)
Dig [Prestige]
And Horns [Prestige]
Blue Moods [Prestige]
Blue Haze [Prestige]
Chronicle ((12 CD box)) [Prestige]
	Many different lineups with the likes of Sonny Rollins,
	Jackie McLean, Charles Mingus and many others.  Some great,
	some weaker stuff, as Miles was hovering between bebop and
	cool, and his personal life racked by a heroine habit.
	The Prestige box (Chronicle) also covers the next two groups:
---------------- Hard Bop is born (1954-1955)
Vol. I & II [Blue Note]
Walkin' [Prestige]
Bags' Groove [Prestige]
And The Modern Jazz Giants [Prestige]
	In the Blue Notes, Miles starts to play ballads on his muted
	horn in a voice all his own (e.g., It Never Entered My Mind)
	and put a cool/bluesy twist on Bebop.  In Walkin', the blues
	makes a reappearance, which some credit with the invention of
	Hard Bop.  Bags' Groove, with Thelonious Monk and Milt Jackson,
	is another seminal session where very different soloists merge
	(or clash) to create tension and beauty.
--------------- The First Great Quintet (1955-1956)
The New Miles Davis Quintet [Prestige]
Workin' [Prestige]
Steamin' [Prestige]
Cookin' [Prestige]
Relaxin' [Prestige]
Round About Midnight
	With John Coltrane (tenor), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers
	(bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums).  Perhaps the most important
	group in jazz history.  The quintessence of hard bop.
--------------- With Gil Evans (1957-1962)
Miles Ahead
Porgy And Bess
Sketches Of Spain
Quiet Nights
At Montreux ((?)) [Warner Bros.]
	The first three are huge classics.  Evans orchestrated for
	and about Miles Davis's horn, creating a soloist/ensemble
	situation unparalleled in jazz.  Sketches touches on a rare
	flamenco/blues connection.
	The Montreux performance, recorded in 1991 and scheduled for
	realese in Automn 1992, is Miles' first (and last) return to
	the Gil Evans charts after almost 30 years.
--------------- Modal Etc (1958-1959)
L'Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud [Fontana]
Milestones
Kind Of Blue
1958 Sessions
Jazz At The Plaza
Miles & Monk At Newport ((one side))
((Cannonball Adderly:)) Somethin' Else! [Blue Note]
	L'Ascenseur is a moody soundtrack, recorded with a mostly french
	group, and it sets the stage for the great Sextet: Modal writing
	and soloing; the introspective Bill Evans on piano; the joyful
	Julian ``Cannonball'' Adderly on alto.  Kind Of Blue established
	a new highmark for small group jazz. Live, they play with fire
	and excellent compatibility.
--------------- Post-Trane, Pre-60s (1960-1962)
Someday My Prince Will Come
At Carnegie Hall 1961
Live Miles ((more from the Carnegie Hall concert))
In Person, Friday Night At The Blackhawk
In Person, Saturday Night At The Blackhawk
Seven Steps To Heaven
	A transition period.  With Hank Mobley instead of Coltrane, Miles
	seemed to be treading water.  The live records, however, are still
	excellent. The Carnegie Hall concert also features a 19 piece Gil
	Evans orchestra, helping on material from Miles Ahead and Sketches.
	Seven Steps has new material and leads to the next band:
--------------- The New Quintet: Old Material (1963-1965)
My Funny Valentine
In Europe
Four And More
In Tokyo
In Berlin
Live At The Plugged Nickel
Cookin' At The Plugged Nickel
((live recordings: Stockholm, Manchester, Paris... [various Euro labels]))
	Ron Carter (bass), Herbie Hancock (piano) and Tony Williams
	(drums) bring new blood and fresh attitudes.  They rework and
	revitalize the standards and modal hits of the previous bands.
	On sax there's George Coleman, Sam Rivers and finally Wayne
	Shorter.  Most of these live versions are long and really
	magnificent, e.g. Valentine.
--------------- The Second Great Quintet (1965-1967)
ESP
Miles Smiles
Nefertiti
Sorcerer
	New compositions, especially by Shorter.  A new post modal,
	somewhat soulful sound.  New approach to the relationship
	between rhythm section and soloists.
--------------- Electricity! (1967-1969)
Miles In The Sky
Filles De Kilimanjaro
Water Babies
In A Silent Way
Bitches Brew
	Seminal steps towards fusion. New rhythms, new instruments,
	new sounds.  Brew opens up a new world, full of percussion,
	electric ostinatos, wah-wahs and magic.
-------------- Free/Electric/Fusion (1970-1971)
At Fillmore
Jack Johnson
Live-Evil
	Some of fusion's greatest moments, with John McLaughlin high-
	powered guitar, Jack DeJohnette and Airto Moreira on percussion,
	Chick Corea on electric piano, etc.  Sometimes the band is
	very out (on Fillmore) but usually, there's a strong pulse and
	an urgent feeling of purpose.  (e.g., What I Say on Live-Evil).
--------------- For Completeness Sake (1955-1971)
Basic Miles
Blue Xmas
Directions
The Circle In The Round
	"Basic" has some odds and ends, including some that were unavilable
	until the "1958 Miles" CD.  "Blue" is a French version of "Basic",
	maybe one more track.  It has 2 of the 3 bossa tracks from a forgotten
	1962 session, whereas "Basic" has only one...  The other two are
	strong on the 1968-1970 era, as well as all kinds of earlier outtakes.
	Some of the stuff is great, some just interesting.
------------- Fusion-Funk? (1972-1975)
Get Up With It
Big Fun
In Concert
Agharta
Pangaea
Dark Magus
Black Beauty
	A strange period.  A lot of texture (percussion, guitars,
	organs) and sometimes not enough substance.  Get Up With It,
	for example, contains a beautiful 30 minute dirge to Duke
	Ellington (He Loved Him Madly) but also some very pedestrian
	sounds (Red China Blues).
------------- The Eighties (1980-1986)
The Man With The Horn
We Want Miles
You're Under Arrest
Star People
Decoy
Aura
Dingo [Warner Bros.]
	Uneven combinations of muzak and electric blues/funk. My favorites
	are: Star People, about half of which is quite bluesy; the rare,
	live return to Gershwin (My Man Is Gone) on We Want Miles; and the
	high octane Decoy.  Miles is the featured soloist on Palle
	Miklenborg's Aura and on the Michel Legrand's soundtrack Dingo.
------------- Marcus Miller Etc. (1987-)
Tutu [Warner Bros.]
Siesta [Warner Bros.]
Amandla [Warner Bros.]
Doo Bop [Warner Bros.]
	Miller does a Gil Evans-like job of creating canvases over which
	Miles paints with his horn.  Some come out bland, some strong.
	Doo Bop, his latest is more naturally Hip Hop and the trumpet 
	playing is very strong.
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Where to start?

Classic: Relaxin', Walkin', Steamin', Bags' Groove
Modal: Kind Of Blue, My Funny Valentine, Milestones
Orchestral: Porgy And Bess, Birth Of The Cool, Miles Ahead
Pre-Fusion: Filles De Kilimanjaro, Miles Smiles, ESP, Miles In The Sky
Fusion: Bitches Brew, Live-Evil, In A Silent Way, Jack Johnson
Eighties: Star People, Tutu, Decoy