Milestones

Artist: Miles Davis
Label: Sony
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Original recording remastered
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 696998520325
EAN: 0696998520325
ASIN: B00005B58Y

Release Date: 2001-04-17

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Tracks:

Dr. Jackle
Sid's Ahead
Two Bass Hit
Milestones
Billy Boy
Straight, No Chaser
Two Bass Hit (Alternate Take)
Milestones (Alternate Take)
Straight, No Chaser (Alternate Take)

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'Round About Midnight
Miles Ahead
Miles Smiles
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Kind of Blue

Customer Reviews:

The Master in Transition.......2006-07-08

MILESTONES was both the musical and chronological bridge between trumpeter Miles Davis' great mid-fifties quintet (John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums), with its postbop sensibilities and emphasis on fresh interpretations of standard material, and the more personalized and transcendent vision Davis would realize so brilliantly on his next album, KIND OF BLUE. By augmenting the quintet with Cannonball Adderley's matchless alto saxophone chops, Miles added tonal variety to a signature sound which, for all its beauty, had started to grow a bit predictable; and by redirecting his own compositional bent from harmonic to modal centers he literally wrote an entire new chapter in jazz history. All of this is excitingly evident on this crucial 1958 recording.
Taking numbers by Thelonious Monk ("Straight No Chaser"), Jackie McLean ("Dr. Jekyll") and John Lewis ("Two Bass Hit") on rides which even the composers themselves could never have envisioned, Davis and Company here set a new standard for small group improvisation. If anyone still had any doubts, MILESTONES certainly announced that the bebop era was over. Further leavening the proceedings, a hornless workout on "Billy Boy" allows Davis' excellent rhythm section (often obscured by the playing and reputations of this legendary front line) to sing and shine on its own while the leader takes a breather. But it's the two original compositions herein - "Sid's Ahead" and even more so the title track - which really point the way forward. The former is an epic-length jam balancing control and freedom in a manner almost unprecedented, with improvisational statements of consummate logic effectively becoming the structure of the piece over its thirteen minutes and change. "Milestones" itself is a sort of first stab at KIND OF BLUE, and could easily have fit on that album were it a bit lengthier - as it would subsequently become in concert. Miles' lightheartedly reflective melody is now a classic, and the permutations through which he and his band take it proclaim the advent of a powerful new approach to the genre. Great stuff, and a definite must-have for any serious jazz enthusiast!

Classic.......2006-05-16

I love this album. The first Miles Davis I ever heard was Kind of Blue. But I actually heard "Milestones" on a Buddy Rich tribute CD that had been organized by Neil Peart of Rush. Billy Cobham (of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra) played drums with Buddy Rich's band and they'd done a fantastic cover of this song. This inspired me to seek out the album, and am I ever glad I did.

As one other reviewer said here, as brilliant as Kind of Blue is, it can meander somewhat. I think Milestones is more succinct and to the point. While all the songs are great (understatement of the year), and musicianship on the entire album is second to none, I do have some favourites. Obviously, "Milestones" is at the top. As much as I liked Miles' work with a Harmon mute, I loved the tone he got from his straight trumpet. The soloing is great, but the rhythm section is really the glue that holds this song together.

And speaking of the rhythm section, "Billy Boy" has to be my other favourite. Philly Joe's transition from brushes to sticks is smooth as glass, and I love that Paul Chambers plays his bass solo with a bow. Unique. You can definitely see how the foundation was laid for later rhythm sections such as the fantastic Herbie Hancock/Ron Carter/Tony Williams team.

Do yourself a favour and grab this album.

THE best Jazz Album .......2005-11-09

I have been listening to Jazz for 31 years now, and have not discovered a better album than this.

You get Miles in his prime, Trane AND Cannonball, and a rhythm section that was just SICK.

Every track swings. Every note is ON.

Do yourself a favor: GET THIS CD RIGHT NOW!!!

Milestones.......2005-07-24

Milestones should be part of anyone's jazz collection. You'll get some of the best music money can buy here. The title track is my favorite, great catchy melody and Trane's solo. Straight No Chaser is another winner, again with a catchy melody. Two Bass Hit is also good, though I, as a bassist, wish it had two basses. Billy Boy is pretty much a seven-minute piano solo, but by a great pianist. Doctor Jackle is really fast and catchy, and Sid's Ahead is a really long song with a good solo by Miles. The alternate takes are okay, but I listen to the regulars more.
You want Miles at his best? Buy this, Kind of Blue and 'Round About Midnight.

Underrated Gem; First Miles w/ Modal Experimentation.......2005-07-18

This is an amazing Miles record I find myself constantly listening to. It features the same line-up from KIND OF BLUE, and we get to hear the true potential of this sextet.

There are three tracks that really stand out for me on this release. First of all, we hear a clean, crisp recording of Dizzy Gillespie's 'Two Bass Hit' - I enjoy this version a lot more than the bonus track on the ROUND BOUT MIDNIGHT remaster. There's a little reverb on the recording and it features some of the most well constructed soloing I've ever heard from Miles.

This is also a landmark album because of the title track. This is the first time Miles experimented with the modal playing that would turn KIND OF BLUE into the highly acclaimed masterpiece it is today. On the flip side, we can hear a hesitant Coltrane who would not develop that style of soloing until later releases. However, once Coltrane would learn to master modes, it would prove vital in later trane works like GIANT STEPS.

Another favorite track of mine is 'Sid's Ahead', clocking in at over 10 minutes in length and featuring some beautiful solos from Adderly and Coltrane.

If you're looking for more Miles featuring the KIND OF BLUE lineup, look no further than MILESTONES. I actually prefer this to the latter simply because of mood. I find KIND OF BLUE to be stagnant and bland at times, especially when comparing it to this record, which is more energetic and upbeat.

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