Jazz at the Plaza
Miles Davis'sKind of Blueis nothing if not legendary, and this live date--never before released on CD--captures most of the classicKind of Blueband in concert. Recorded at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan in 1958 and originally released in 1973, this live set superbly spotlights Davis's "walking on eggshells" melodicism. PianistBill Evans, alto and tenor saxophonistsCannonball AdderleyandJohn Coltrane, drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassistPaul Chambers, and Davis blow the blues onSonny Rollins's "Oleo" andThelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser." Davis's warm, Harmon-muted trumpet melodically shoots Cupid's arrow on "If I Were a Bell" and "My Funny Valentine," with Evans's piano lines sounding equally footed in Ravel and modal bop. Add theBirdflights of Adderley and the spooling energy of Coltrane and you have one of the top groups at the top of their game. This is a marvel, a hot and cool preview to the band's landmark 1959Kind of Blueexplorations.--Eugene Holley Jr.