The Bebop Shop : Miles Ahead: Miles Davis & John Coltrane : Miles Davis: Radio Broadcasts & Other Concerts
The sessions on this disc took place at : Café Bohemia, New York, May 17, 1958; Spotlight Lounge, Washington D.C., June 30, 1958, and November 1, 1958; and Birdland, New York, January 3, 1959. Other musicians involved were : Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones & Jimmy Cobb. The two later sessions occurred immediately prior to the sessions for the classic album “Kind of Blue”. (Discovery Records) Price: £11.99
Coltrane would leave Miles shortly afterwards to form his own celebrated quartet. As a bonus, a quartet set by Coltrane with Miles’ rhythm section recorded in Dusseldorf during that same tour (Miles didn’t play for contractual reasons).
Coltrane’s playing in1960 was very different from that of his studio recordings with Miles. He seems to be playing in a very exploratory way, more for himself than for the quintet, which was surely enhanced by the fact that Miles would leave the stage when he played his long solos.
Personnel : Miles Davis trumpet; John Coltrane tenor sax; Wynton Kelly piano; Paul Chambers bass; Jimmy Cobb drums. On bonus tracks: same personnel except Miles Davis omitted; Stan Getz (ts) added on “Moonlight in Vermont” only. (Discovery Records) Price: £19.99
These live recordings must be considered treasures. Primarily for their rarity. as Coltrane left Miles to form his own group soon after this brief early 1960 tour, and was soon to record his famous ‘My Favorite Things’ album. But, secondly, for the manner in which Coltrane plays - seemingly more for himself than for the quintet, and certainly very different from that of his studio recordings with Miles. (Discovery Records) Price: £12.99
Miles Davis’ music was (as almost always throughout his career) going through a transitional period in 1966. His quintet, featuring Shorter, Hancock, Carter and Williams, was on the verge of removing standards from the repertoire, to make room for Miles’ compositions, and the group itself would soon change from an acoustic to an electric format.
Personnel : Miles Davis, trumpet; Wayne Shorter, tenor sax; Herbie Hancock, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Tony Williams, drums - live at the Newport Jazz Festival, Festival Field, Newport, Rhode Island. recorded by VOA Radio Broadcasts (Willis Conover, announcer). Bonus tracks: same personnel. Yleisradio broadcast, Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland, November 1, 1967. (Discovery Records) Price: £10.99
The recordings from their 1967 European tour are some of the only existing documentation of the band performing compositions from the extraordinary series of studio albums they made between 1965-1967 -- E.S.P., Miles Smiles, Sorcerer and Nefertiti. (Sony Music) Price: £23.99
