Another masterpiece from the Miles Davis sextet.
Tom W.C Oppenheim | Victoria, Australia. | 03/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I do not own this particular album with the alternate takes, but I have been listening to the originals now for nearly six years (I am now 21) and I have never and will never tire of them. Milestones, like the other great Miles Davis sextet recording, Kind of Blue, is a pure classic. Each member is genius in their own right. Miles, although I am not a fan, plays the most accessible music of all the recordings I have heard. Unlike his work on Kind of Blue, he plays faster and with more complexity, while his tone is clearer and brighter. This style of playing was to continue for several years into the early 1960s until the advent of his famous sixties quintet, when his playing took on a brittleness, which for my taste, is offputting. This album therefore offers, in my opinion, the best of Davis from any era. His playing is inventive and his sound is most deservant of the title 'cool'. Coltrane, too, is at his creative peak. The faster tempos on this album give him a greater opportunity to showcase his incredible technical facility than on Kind of Blue, where the only fireworks number was Freddie Freeloader. My first reaction to this playing was, 'god, that is beautiful'. For Coltrane, uptempo, mild grooves, or slow, it does not matter. The inherent beauty in his playing will always shine through. The period during which Milestones was recorded and directly after was when, for me, Coltrane had achieved the perfect balance in his playing, which unfortunately slowly descends into raw noise post 1964. Adderely, as always, is also in fine form, combining Parker inspired phrasing, with rhythm and blues undetones. The rhythm section, the best in jazz at the time, provides a solid backing and is even featured on a solo number, an old pop tune called 'Billy Boy', where Red Garland solos with a Bud Powell inspired flair. The only thing missing from Milestones is the pianist Bill Evans, the cornerstone of the Kind of Blue sextet. This is understandable, as the atmosphere of Milestones is far more conducive to a brighter, more uplifting sound, than the reflective nature of Kind of Blue, which suits Evans perfectly. Overall, Milestones stands alongside Kind of Blue as another masterpiece from that great Miles Davis sextet of the late 1950s."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1