Miles Davis John Coltrane - Miles Coltrane (7 tracks) +Album Reviews

It Don't Get Any Better!

Adam Koslofsky | Key Largo, Fl. United States | 03/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While this album is titled "Miles and Coltrane",a more appropiate one would be "Live At Newport"Five of the seven tracks were recorded on July 4,1958 at the legendery Newport Jazz Festival with the "Kind of Blue" sextet.The other two are quintet studio sessions from 1955 sans Cannonball.The most important thing to notice on this album is the complete difference between Trane's style in 1955 and 1958.Trane, on the 1955 tracks, plays straight ahead bebop while his innovative and unique style is clearly formed on the 1958 tracks.
This album is a MUST for any jazz library."

One of the great live jazz albums

Bert vanC Bailey | Ottawa, Canada | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Another Amazon reviewer of 'Miles & Coltrane' says: "This album is a MUST for any jazz library." I'll back that, and would even call it one of the great live jazz albums ever, right up there with Blakey's Live! At Slug's N.Y.C. (see my review). Yet I arrive at this from a very different starting point.

Not much of Miles rises for me to the level of appeal of post-bop. I don't warm to the Miles of the muted trumpet who's fond of savouring the notes, fixated on sonic textures. I'm more partial to not-so-cool, more boisterous, racier interplays and improvisation of small-combo hard-bop jazz from the mid-50s to the early 60s - the most exciting period in jazz, to me. No accident, then, that 'Trane was my big draw to this recording.

But what a find this is! The first five tracks (Ah-leu-cha; Straight, No Chaser; Fran-Dance; Two Bass Hit; Bye Bye Blackbird) are stereo recordings from a 4 July '58 show in Newport, RI. The last two (Budo; Little Melonae) are in mono, and hark to a 27 October '55, New York performance. The first set has Bill Evans doing his modal thing, along with Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Cannoball Adderley on alto sax, and Trane on tenor. The last two tracks have Red Garland on piano, not Evans, Philly Joe Jones not Cobb on drums, and there's no Cannonball adding oomph.

There's plenty of raucous hard-bop on this, plus a share of what I regard as the milder Miles - though of a very high order. On the closing 'Budo,' the mute doesn't stymie the music's pulse one bit: both 'Fran-Dance' and 'Bye Bye Blackbird' have lots to recommend them. And when the mute comes off for the other numbers, Miles sets the trumpet's talents on the wild side, and with his musical mates shows he can bop with the very best. Evans's unusual addition to the mix is also worth a close look; Coltrane's pretty much on fire here too, and as for rhythmic core Miles never got much better than Mr PC, Philly Joe and Cobb.

Good, critical liner notes, too. In all, a CD not to be missed by fans of great jazz."

Hotter Than A $50 Rolex!

El Lagarto | Sandown, NH | 04/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pistol hot. Two giants of jazz for the price of one, up close and personal. These guys are whipping up a storm furious enough to blow the spots off a leopard. Davis and Coltrane are in total telepathic touch with each other, particularly remarkable when you realize that most of this CD consists of concert performances, no studio sweetening, just the real deal. If you like spicy cooking, you'll be back for seconds."

I grabbed this CD off my local used record store's shelves s

R. Kyle | USA | 05/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My heart was hammering when I opened the case. The CD is pristine. I'm told this is a fairly hard to find re-digitalized reissue. The music is from the Newport Jazz Festival 1958. What amazes me is how simpatico these guys are for a live jam. Miles and Trane are consummate performers and it shows here.

If you can find this CD, grab it. 47 minutes and 7 songs and every note is mind blowing.

Rebecca Kyle, May 2008"

And Julian and Bill

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 04/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are compelling reasons to have this date (see all five of the preceding reviews). For me, it came down to the relatively limited documentation of Bill Evans' tour with Miles' group before the pianist formed his own seminal trio. The recorded sound has been enlivened and reissued under "Miles at Newport 1958" (which also includes some "off-mic" comments by Cannonball as well as a sound man admonishing Chambers for messing with the mics), but you may find more attractive pricing by Amazon sellers of this earlier reissue.

The only other recordings by this sextet are "Kind of Blue" (Bill Evans had left the ensemble, but at Miles' behest came back for the recording session), half an album ("Jazz Track," with the essential "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Stella by Starlight"), and "Live at the Plaza," a recently issued date with sub-standard audio. There's also a version of "Love for Sale" with an admired solo by Evans, though I'm unsure of the album source. All the more reason to make sure you have this recording, whether the "Miles & Coltrane" edition (which tacks on two tracks by Miles Prestige Quintet from 1955) or "Miles at Newport 1958." The former has more "refined" sound, bringing out individual solos with greater clarity; the latter places you on the bandstand to feel the full force of Cobb's ride cymbal and Coltrane's and Cannonball's onslaughts. As a result, the latter edition helps a listener understand Evans' eventual decision to seek refuge in his own trio.

For a striking contrast, compare this expanded "first great quintet" of Miles with the "2nd great quintet" on "Miles at Monterey ' 63." The former is as no-nonsense, hard-driving, forceful yet economical as the latter is playful, at times leisurely if not self-indulgent, and not about to sacrifice individual expression to a time-table. There's a younger generation that's drawn to the freedom of the 2nd group with Shorter, Hancock and Williams, but the argument can be made that the creativity of the first group is at an even higher level because the boundaries, or limits--of the standard 32-bar song format, the length of solos, the constant rhythmic pulse--absolutely required it."

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	Miles Davis, John Coltrane Miles & Coltrane Genres: Jazz, Pop Track Listings (7) - Disc #1 A-Leu-Cha Straight, No Chaser Fran-Dance Two Bass Hit Bye Bye Blackbird Little Melonae Budo
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