Let's talk Miles Davis

[DaveyF]

Miles Davis had a long and fruitful career. Many great titles to choose from. I have recently decided to listen to all of his LP's. Interestingly, I am finding that I am not really that enthused by his fusion stuff--- starting with 'In a silent way". OTOH, I am listening again to "Someday my Prince will come"....All I can say about this LP is WOW!! I'm listening to an early "six-eye" stereo pressing and I suspect there are better one's out there. ( The MFSL comes to mind, although I do NOT own it).
I would like to know what others think of his various albums....which pressings are favored, which label ( Prestige, Blue Note, Columbia...none of these, etc), which title is your favorite, etc.
So, to our jazz experts, I say...Let's talk Miles Davis

 

[MylesBAstor]

Miles Davis had a long and fruitful career. Many great titles to choose from. I have recently decided to listen to all of his LP's. Interestingly, I am finding that I am not really that enthused by his fusion stuff--- starting with 'In a silent way". OTOH, I am listening again to "Someday my Prince will come"....All I can say about this LP is WOW!! I'm listening to an early "six-eye" stereo pressing and I suspect there are better one's out there. ( The MFSL comes to mind, although I do NOT own it).
I would like to know what others think of his various albums....which pressings are favored, which label ( Prestige, Blue Note, Columbia...none of these, etc), which title is your favorite, etc.
So, to our jazz experts, I say...Let's talk Miles Davis

I think George Kaye did Miles justice in one of his posts here about KOB.

 

[asiufy]

Not an expert, of course, but I find his late 60s-early to mid 70s phase (the "fusion" stuff) to be his best.
I like everything about it, the music itself, the sound, the production, the vibe, the album artwork. Nothing in his previous or future work would have the same effect on me...
"Bitches Brew" is that kind of album that I gotta have multiple copies in multiple formats

alexandre

 

[zztop7]

Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" - track 1 Concierto De Aranjuez - 16 minutes

Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" - track 1 Concierto De Aranjuez - 16 minutes

That will help a newbie understand Miles.

zz.

 

[rockitman]

I love all the era's of Miles including the early 80's stuff like Amandla, TuTu, Your under arrest. He is most prolific in my Jazz collection.

 

[hvbias]

I would like to know what others think of his various albums....which pressings are favored, which label ( Prestige, Blue Note, Columbia...none of these, etc), which title is your favorite, etc.

This is going to be a long thread

A quick summary before I head out for what I found the best sounding pressings:

Prestige:

First Great Prestige Quintet (w/ the man Coltrane) - the 45 rpm reissues. Available in a box set that collects all 5 albums. Original RVG mastered Prestige albums are also very good, but will set you back a lot for mint condition. In general I find the 45 rpm reissues mastered by Steve Hoffman will hold up very well with original pressings.

There are also 45 rpm versions of Walkin' and Bags Groove.

Capitol:

Birth of the Cool - Classic Records reissue isn't bad. It's a bit bright.

Columbia:

Round About Midnight and Milestones. If you have to have the best, original mono Columbia 6-eye pressings.

Kind of Blue I like the original stereo 6-eye, mono 6-eye, and Classic Records.

Second great quintet (Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock) again the original Columbia stereo pressings are very good. The Mosaic Complete 1965-1968 box set is just as good as the originals and includes many other takes and a couple of unreleased songs.

In A Silent Way- I listen to this from the Complete Silent Way Sessions Mosaic box set. Great sound, and a bunch of unreleased music

Bitches Brew- 40th anniversary vinyl sounds good for the original mix. I'd like to find a 1A/1A original. But the set I spin the most is the Mosaic Complete Bitches Brew Sessions put out by Mosaic. Again lots of unreleased music from those sessions present on that set. The album proper, Bitches Brew is remixed on this box.

On the Corner - original Columbia vinyl.

All those Mosaic sets are all analog, with the exceptions of some songs that say they were remixed digitally. Otherwise no digital delay, etc in the cutting chain which I've verified with Michael Cuscuna.

I left off a bunch of music that doesn't do much for me.

 

[DaveyF]

Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" - track 1 Concierto De Aranjuez - 16 minutes

That will help a newbie understand Miles.

zz.

zz, I don't think there is a lot to understand about Miles, but a lot to enjoy.
Personally, I prefer to listen to his older works....like I said the fusion ( while good....) isn't as preferable.
Thoughts on pressings..( BTW, I would like to hear which of the fusion pieces are preferred to others,not just his older stuff--- along with which pressings).

 

[DaveyF]

This is going to be a long thread

A quick summary before I head out for what I found the best sounding pressings:

Prestige:

First Great Prestige Quintet (w/ the man Coltrane) - the 45 rpm reissues. Available in a box set that collects all 5 albums. Original RVG mastered Prestige albums are also very good, but will set you back a lot for mint condition. In general I find the 45 rpm reissues mastered by Steve Hoffman will hold up very well with original pressings.

There are also 45 rpm versions of Walkin' and Bags Groove.

Capitol:

Birth of the Cool - Classic Records reissue isn't bad. It's a bit bright.

Columbia:

Round About Midnight and Milestones. If you have to have the best, original mono Columbia 6-eye pressings.

Kind of Blue I like the original stereo 6-eye, mono 6-eye, and Classic Records.

Second great quintet (Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock) again the original Columbia stereo pressings are very good. The Mosaic Complete 1965-1968 box set is just as good as the originals and includes many other takes and a couple of unreleased songs.

In A Silent Way- I listen to this from the Complete Silent Way Sessions Mosaic box set. Great sound, and a bunch of unreleased music

Bitches Brew- 40th anniversary vinyl sounds good for the original mix. I'd like to find a 1A/1A original. But the set I spin the most is the Mosaic Complete Bitches Brew Sessions put out by Mosaic. Again lots of unreleased music from those sessions present on that set. The album proper, Bitches Brew is remixed on this box.

On the Corner - original Columbia vinyl.

All those Mosaic sets are all analog, with the exceptions of some songs that say they were remixed digitally. Otherwise no digital delay, etc in the cutting chain which I've verified with Michael Cuscuna.

I left off a bunch of music that doesn't do much for me.

Thanks, hvbias... that's a great start. Any thoughts on the Blue Note pressings?

 

[Andre Marc]

Miles Davis had a long and fruitful career. Many great titles to choose from. I have recently decided to listen to all of his LP's. Interestingly, I am finding that I am not really that enthused by his fusion stuff--- starting with 'In a silent way". OTOH, I am listening again to "Someday my Prince will come"....All I can say about this LP is WOW!! I'm listening to an early "six-eye" stereo pressing and I suspect there are better one's out there. ( The MFSL comes to mind, although I do NOT own it).
I would like to know what others think of his various albums....which pressings are favored, which label ( Prestige, Blue Note, Columbia...none of these, etc), which title is your favorite, etc.
So, to our jazz experts, I say...Let's talk Miles Davis

I enjoy all his various periods. Maybe with the exception of the last few "jazz hop" records.

I do like the electric fusion stuff as well. But his mid 60's recordings are probably my favorite..with Shorter, Hancock, Carter...

I have roughly 100 GB of live recordings dating back to 1953, although the way until his final performances. A mix of FM and Soundboard recordings.

 

[RogerD]

Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" - track 1 Concierto De Aranjuez - 16 minutes

That will help a newbie understand Miles.

zz.

+1

I like all the regulars and Tutu also. I especially play the Columbia special edition with Blues for Pablo.....outstanding. I also like Miles work with Gil Evans....Porgy and Bess..ect.

I forget who said Miles had more music and expression in one note than most....paraphrasing...but I agree.

 

[NorthStar]

I would love to participate in this thread (Miles is one of my idols), but I can't; I only have few albums of him on vinyl. ...The bulk is on 'digital' CDs.

Anyway, there are roughly twenty CDs+ of him that I very highly love. Plus he's on another hundreds of more CDs, with other musicians.

* His entire musical odyssey is all interesting; from the beginning to the end.

 

[Jazzhead]

A mention of 'So What" from Kind of Blue is in order .. starting point for me on all things Miles . Now where's my Bitches Brew copy , time to get it spinning .

 

[DaveyF]

I would love to participate in this thread (Miles is one of my idols), but I can't; I only have few albums of him on vinyl. ...The bulk is on 'digital' CDs.

Anyway, there are roughly twenty CDs+ of him that I very highly love. Plus he's on another hundreds of more CDs, with other musicians.

* His entire musical odyssey is all interesting; from the beginning to the end.

Bob, even though re-reading my OP I can see that it does trend towards vinyl, I am actually not thinking that this should be a vinyl only thread. I am more interested in getting the member's thoughts on the various pieces that Miles put out. All of them....not just the more popular or well known titles, and the varying SQ of all of them. Clearly, KOB is his most famous...I would imagine most of us have heard it; BUT I am interested in all of his titles, particularly the more obscure. ( If you can call them that).
Andre, looks like you must have all of Miles' work; what do you think are the best recordings from a musical standpoint and also from a recording standpoint? I ask this question to the other member's as well.

 

[cjfrbw]

Got a copy several years ago of the Columbia SQ Bitch's Brew. My only recollection of the album had been some very unimpressive digital versions.

Playing it through my surround system was an "omigod" experience, so much spread, subtlety, texture, dynamics and separation that could not be discerned in any of the digital versions. I checked out a digital reissue from the library just to see, and was pretty impressed with how some digital versions managed to assassinate this music.

Can't say I am a solemn fan, but do like just about anything from Miles. I like his fusion period, and also the last albums after he came out of retirement. I found a copy of "On the Corner" at Goodwill for a buck, and was surprised that I like that one as much as Bitch's Brew. The outlandish cover art sort of belies the contents, and reading about Miles he was derided for its funk intonations.

I like to play my "world's worst copy" of Kind of Blue for guests sometimes, it is a raspy 20 bit Sony remaster, apparently made when the master tapes were deteriorating, but still manages to sound pretty impressive with a kind of smoky atmospherics that I like. In spite of being derived from the 20 bit digital master, the vinyl still sounds better than any digital version I have heard.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

One of my favorite artists. I like the fusion stuff, but listen to it less. Most of Myles catalog is pretty well recorded. It doesn't need to be fixed in mastering, and sounds good in all formats. Can I take a slight turn left? A comparisons of the LegendaryPrestige Sessions with Kind of blue -- recorded at the same time, literally in the same months, using very different recording and performance approaches, is much more interesting and revealing than comparing formats and pressings. Try...and I know it's hard...to listen past the music for a second. Which do you prefer the sound of?

Tim

 

[hvbias]

Thanks, hvbias... that's a great start. Any thoughts on the Blue Note pressings?

I only have a Japanese Toshiba record for Volume 1. It sounds steely and unnatural. Those Blue Note sessions were recorded at Van Gelder's Hackensack studio, so they should sound very good with the right pressing.

My list was comprised of what I feel constitutes good music and good sound. My preference for the former will always trump the latter.

Miles surrounded himself with great talent; from the musicians he worked with to the producers and engineers, so most of the studio material will sound good on some record or another.

Everyone will have their preferences when it comes to his various periods of music. My personal favorite era is from 1965-1970. I lose interest after Big Fun. My suggestion is to sample as much of it as you can. The vast majority of the studio recordings should be on the various streaming services.

 

[DaveyF]

Hi hvbias, the Blue Note Lex Ave pressings of Vol1 and 2 do sound great. Interesting that the Toshiba re-issue is lacking. I have several re-issues of KOB, they range from great to terrible. I suppose it is all in the particular engineer's handling of the tape, as to the end result.
Anyone have a favorite pressing of "Someday my Prince will come"...( I ask this, as this is the title that I am really enjoying right now. )

 

[microstrip]

Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" - track 1 Concierto De Aranjuez - 16 minutes

That will help a newbie understand Miles.

zz.

My preferred track of this great album (considered by some people as the more accessible of his recordings) is by far Saeta. This will help anyone to understand Miles and Spain.

 

[Ronm1]

There is little of Miles I don't have. As some members may remember I tend to go thru in seq of the "complete" releases I have periodically. I like doing that as the progression from the Porgy&Bess thru fusion, poly-rhythms almost seems to make sense. Almost
When I recommend to newbies if they lean to Classical it's Sketches of Spain, Rock I point to Jack Johnson, Jazz to Miles Smiles. My favorite has always been In A Silent Way a good primer for poly-rhythms to come and very accessible IMHO. The complete is really, really good.
If the pre-fusion is your bag try to find a soundtrack to a French film noir
"Ascenseur pour l'echafaud" it's from around this period but the twist is most musicians are European so there is a diff feel. Highly recommended.

 

[NorthStar]

The few albums (five or six) that I have from Myles sound real good; better than most crappy CDs of Myles that I have (25-30); no doubt.
Don't ask me the serial number of those albums, I won't go in my basement. ...So I'm speaking from my latest memories (roughly three or four years ago).

It's true that many CDs of Myles' music are simply awful. ...I replaced many of them (most) with newer remastered ones.
And on SACD Myles sounds fabulous.

BUT! Myles' music is so powerful that when it is well recorded and remastered, you notice and listen with full attention, waved in a sea of dreams.
Albums, CDs, and SACDs.

And from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s.