Miles Davis was, without doubt, one of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the post-war era.
His landmark debut for Capitol, The Birth Of The Cool, is seminal in the history of jazz, a pioneering exploration of harmony and texture.
This 2CD set comprises his studio recordings in small ensembles, in which he is the only trumpeter, from his studio debut in 1945 through to the end of 1948, just weeks before the first of the Birth Of The Cool sessions in January 1949.
As a bonus, it concludes with a ‘live’ recording with Charlie Parker’s All Stars in December 1948. It features performances with Charlie Parker's Reeboppers, the Charlie Parker Septet, Charlie Parker All Stars, Coleman Hawkins All Stars, Miles Davis All Stars, Charlie Parker Quintet & Charlie Parker Sextet from eleven different recording sessions during these years .
Charlie Parker was his primary collaborator on these sessions, but among the musicians featured in the various line-ups were Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Kai Winding, Coleman Hawkins, Lucky Thompson, Hank Jones, John Lewis, Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, Al Haig, Curly Russell and others. It’s a fascinating insight into the development of his music during these key formative years.
REVIEWS
"These 'apprenticeship years' recordings naturally in no way match what was to come later but they are invaluable in charting his development. At the same time, this is enjoyable jazz, which in the light of all that has happened in the intervening years, proves to be much easier to listen to than perhaps it was when these recordings were first released." – Gerry Stonestreet (In Tune Issue 347)
"Newcomers to Miles' later more acceptable work should view this set as essential listening, for it is very palpably his Old Testament, as he feels his way to what is to come." ***** – Steve Voce (Jazz Journal February 2021)
"Here's another of Acrobat's double-CD tutorials, just right for these dreary lockdown days." – Peter Vacher (Jazz Rag Issue 164)
"What we have is the tried and true classics in which Davis played second fiddle to Bird." **** – Brian Priestley (Jazzwise Issue 259)
TRACKS
Disc 1 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Billie's Bounce |
Charlie Parker's Ree-boppers |
2 |
Now's The Time |
Charlie Parker's Ree-boppers |
3 |
Thriving From A Riff [Anthropology] |
The Be-Bop Boys |
4 |
Moose The Mooche |
Charlie Parker Septet |
5 |
Yardbird Suite |
Charlie Parker Septet |
6 |
Ornithology |
Charlie Parker Septet |
7 |
A Night In Tunisia |
Charlie Parker Septet |
8 |
Donna Lee |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
9 |
Chasin' The Bird |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
10 |
Cheryl |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
11 |
Buzzy |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
12 |
Bean-A-Re-Bop |
Coleman Hawkins All Stars |
13 |
Isn't It Romantic ? |
Coleman Hawkins All Stars |
14 |
The Way You Look Tonight |
Coleman Hawkins All Stars |
15 |
Phantomesque |
Coleman Hawkins All Stars |
16 |
Milestones |
Miles Davis All Stars |
17 |
Little Willie Leaps |
Miles Davis All Stars |
18 |
Half Nelson |
Miles Davis All Stars |
19 |
Sippin' At Bell's |
Miles Davis All Stars |
20 |
Dexterity |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
21 |
Bongo Bop |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
22 |
Dewey Square [Prezology] |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
23 |
The Hymn |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
24 |
Bird Of Paradise |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
25 |
Embraceable You |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
Disc 2: |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Bird Feathers [Schnourphology] |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
2 |
Klactoveesedstene |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
3 |
Scrapple From The Apple |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
4 |
My Old Flame |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
5 |
Out Of Nowhere |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
6 |
Don't Blame Me |
Charlie Parker Quintet |
7 |
Drifting On A Reed |
Charlie Parker Sextet |
8 |
Quasimodo |
Charlie Parker Sextet |
9 |
Charlie's Wig |
Charlie Parker Sextet |
10 |
Bird Feathers [Bongo Beep] |
Charlie Parker Sextet |
11 |
Crazeology |
Charlie Parker Sextet |
12 |
How Deep Is The Ocean? |
Charlie Parker Sextet |
13 |
Another Hair-Do |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
14 |
Bluebird |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
15 |
Klaunstance |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
16 |
Bird Gets The Worm |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
17 |
Barbados |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
18 |
Ah-Leu-Cha |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
19 |
Constellation |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
20 |
Perhaps |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
21 |
Marmaduke |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
22 |
Steeplechase |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
23 |
Merry-Go-Round |
Charlie Parker All Stars |
24 |
Groovin' High |
Charlie Parker All Stars |