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| Miles Davis, 1960. |
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| Miles Davis backstage, 1971. |
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| Collage of the album covers for 9 of the 10 Essential Miles Davis albums I wrote about in this post. Sorry "Live in Europe 1967," your album cover was the one I decided was most boring. |
Miles Davis is one of the towering figures in the history of
jazz. I’ve written about some aspects of his music before, like a review of
Ashley Kahn’s excellent book about Davis’ classic 1959 album “Kind of Blue,”
and a
general overview of his music in the 1950’s and 1960’s. I also wrote
in-depth reviews of the three albums Davis recorded in 1961, when tenor saxophonist
Hank Mobley was in his band:
“Someday My Prince Will Come,” “In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk,” and
“Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall.” Because
Davis’ discography is so vast, it can be difficult to know where to start with
his music. Davis played many different styles of jazz throughout his career,
and just because you like one of his styles is no guarantee that you’ll like
all of his music. Here’s a list of what I consider to be 10 of Miles Davis’
greatest albums. This list is subjective, and there are many excellent albums
I’ve left off, but I’ve tried to pick the best of Davis’ various styles. No
matter which style of Miles Davis you prefer, you should find something you’ll
enjoy here. The albums are listed in the order they were recorded.
“Bags’ Groove,” recorded 1954. Davis started recording with
the great alto saxophonist Charlie Parker in November 1945, when he was just 19
years old. After several years in Parker’s group, Davis left to begin a solo
career. In 1949 and 1950, Davis was the leader for the influential “Birth of
the Cool” album, which helped to usher in a quieter, more subdued style of jazz
called "cool jazz" or "West Coast jazz." Miles was heavily
influenced by classical music, and the "Birth of the Cool" sessions
were the antithesis of frenzied bebop soloing. One of the featured members of
the "Birth of the Cool" band was Gerry Mulligan, who formed a group
with the trumpeter Chet Baker that achieved great success in the early 1950's.
Unfortunately, like many other jazz musicians of the period, Davis had developed
a crippling heroin addiction. Once he finally got clean in early 1954, Davis
began making an excellent series of recordings for Prestige Records. These
records pointed the way towards hard bop, which was in some ways a reaction to
the prevailing West Coast “cool” style that Davis himself had helped to usher
in. “Bags’ Groove” is a killer set of hard bop, recorded when Miles was finding
his own voice as a leader. The band Miles worked with on this record was
insanely talented. On the song “Bags’ Groove” the band was Davis, Milt Jackson
on vibes, Thelonious Monk on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Kenny Clarke on
drums. On the other tracks it was Davis, Heath, Clarke, Sonny Rollins on tenor
sax, and Horace Silver on piano. The album features three songs by Sonny
Rollins that would become jazz standards: “Airegin,” “Oleo,” and “Doxy.”
“Cookin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet,” recorded 1956. After
his triumphant comeback performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1955, Davis
put together a band of his own. He found one of the greatest rhythm sections in
jazz history; pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly
Joe Jones. And he took a chance on a journeyman tenor sax man from
Philadelphia: John Coltrane. Miles and Trane's partnership would change the
course of jazz history. This band was known as Miles's first "Classic
Quintet," and the recordings they made together set the standard for hard
bop playing. Davis was being courted by major record labels, and he worked out
a deal with Columbia Records where he could record for Columbia during 1956
while he fulfilled his remaining obligations to Prestige Records. “Cookin’” was
one of four albums he and the quintet recorded over two days for Prestige, and
it features Miles’ famous recording of “My Funny Valentine,” one of his
signature songs. Davis was crafting his trademark sound on the trumpet, and part
of that was his use of the Harmon mute on ballads, which gave his sound an
intimate, late-night feeling.
“Milestones,” 1958. Davis
released his first album for Columbia Records, “’Round About Midnight,” in
1957, and it proved to be the beginning of a relationship that would last until
1985. At the end of 1956, Davis had actually fired Coltrane because of his drug
problem, and had disbanded his quintet. Coltrane got clean and spent most of
1957 playing with Thelonious Monk. By the end of 1957, Davis had re-formed his
quintet, with the addition of alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, making it a
sextet. It is this group that recorded the classic album “Milestones.” “Milestones”
is inevitably overshadowed by the much more famous “Kind of Blue,” but it is a
fantastic album in its own right. Miles plays piano on “Sid’s Ahead,” as Red
Garland had left the studio in a huff. “Milestones” features some great hard
bop playing on the title song and “Straight, No Chaser.” The music on
“Milestones” points the way forward to the modal structures of “Kind of Blue.”
“Kind of Blue,” 1959. It’s not really a surprise this album would
make the list. “Kind of Blue” is a classic album that is actually worthy of all
the acclaim it has received. Regularly hailed as “the greatest jazz album
ever,” “Kind of Blue” found Davis and his entire group at a peak of creativity.
Davis’ band on “Kind of Blue” was Coltrane on tenor sax, Cannonball Adderley on
alto, Bill Evans on piano, (Wynton Kelly plays piano on “Freddie Freeloader”)
Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Evans had actually already left
Davis’ group by the time “Kind of Blue” was recorded, but he returned for the
album sessions, and he played a key role in helping Davis shape the music and
sound of “Kind of Blue.” Evans claimed that he co-wrote “Blue in Green” and “Flamenco
Sketches” with Davis, although he isn’t given co-writing credit. There was no
way that Davis could keep a group full of so many jazz superstars together for
very long, and within a year both Coltrane and Adderley had left to lead their
own groups. Miles never made another album exactly like this one. One of the
things I admire the most about Miles Davis is how he kept changing his music.
He never stood still; his sound was always shifting and evolving. He could have
taken the easy way out and tried to recapture the sound and magic of “Kind of
Blue,” but he didn’t. Davis’ sound on the trumpet was so gorgeous that he could
have made a ton of money by churning out smooth jazz albums where he just
played pretty ballads, but he never did that, and I admire that about him.
“Sketches of Spain,” 1960. Miles’ third collaboration on
Columbia with arranger Gil Evans produced this album that featured some of
Davis’ most beautiful playing. Davis’ albums with Evans are some of the most
successful albums pairing a jazz performer with a large orchestral ensemble. Their
previous collaborations were the highly esteemed “Miles Ahead” and “Porgy and
Bess.” I like Davis’ small group albums more than his work with Evans, but “Sketches
of Spain” is my favorite of their albums together.
“Miles Smiles,” 1967.
In the early and mid-1960’s Davis had a number of health problems, including
undergoing a hip replacement in 1965. When he entered the studio in October
1966 to record “Miles Smiles,” it was his first recording session since January
1965. The group he was recording “Miles Smiles” with was his “Second Classic
Quintet” featuring Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron
Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. “Miles Smiles” was their second
album together, and it showcased this group at the peak of their powers. Miles
was musically rejuvenated by his young sidemen, and “Miles Smiles” highlights
Shorter’s gifts as a composer, as he wrote “Orbits,” “Footprints,” and
“Dolores.” “Circle” is a beautiful song, and one of Miles’ last great ballads.
“Live in Europe, 1967: The Bootleg Series Volume 1,”
recorded 1967. Not released until 2011, this three disc set features Davis’
“Second Classic Quintet” live in concert and shows all of them stretching the
boundaries of jazz. The sets flow seamlessly, and the group has great chemistry
together. As usual with Davis’ groups, all of these players are excellent soloists.
The young, hyperkinetic drummer Tony Williams pushed the band to new heights on
uptempo songs. We’re fortunate these performances were recorded, and in such
good quality.
“In a Silent Way,” 1969. Miles Davis’ music changed very quickly
in the late 1960’s. His “Second Classic Quintet” made their last recording
together in 1968, as bassist Ron Carter left the group. Davis began to record
with electric instruments and experiment with more open song structures. He was
also starting to play music that was influenced by funk and soul. All of these
new developments would eventually lead to the “fusion” style of jazz. Davis
also started recording with larger groups, and the band on “In a Silent Way”
features three keyboardists. “In a Silent Way” was the first record of Davis’
featuring British guitarist John McLaughlin, who would be an integral part of
the sound of Davis’ music over the next few years. The music on “In a Silent
Way” is unlike anything else Davis ever attempted. It’s moody, ethereal music
that floats in the air. It’s an excellent late night album that slowly works
its spell on you.
“Bitches Brew,” 1970. You’ll either love it or hate it. But
whatever you think of “Bitches Brew,” it’s definitely one of Davis’ key albums.
“Bitches Brew,” Davis’ most famous jazz fusion album, may have alienated jazz
purists, but also appealed to fans of rock and roll. I resisted fusion for a long
time, not hearing anything but clutter in it. But a few years ago I finally
decided, “I need to buy this album and really listen to it.” I enjoyed “Bitches
Brew” more than I thought I would. It’s not my favorite Miles Davis album, but
it was a landmark album, and helped change the direction of jazz, for better or
worse.
“Jack Johnson,” also known as “A Tribute to Jack Johnson,”
1971. Recorded as the soundtrack to a documentary film about Jack Johnson, the
African-American heavyweight boxer, “Jack Johnson” is a rocking album that is
full of heavy funk. It’s a groovier ride than “Bitches Brew,” and I prefer it
to “Bitches Brew.” At the time it was not very successful commercially, but its
reputation has grown over the years. Filled with two side-long jams that
feature great guitar work from John McLaughlin, it’s perhaps Davis’ best fusion
album. Herbie Hancock’s appearance on the album was serendipitous, as he just
happened to be passing through the Columbia studios building and was recruited
by Davis to play organ.
There you have it, 10 essential albums by Miles Davis. Yes, there
are many classic albums not represented here. But these 10 albums will give you
a good idea of why Miles Davis was so important to music.
