Footprints

Miles Davis, The Columbia Years: 1955-1985 (four CDs).

Let's suppose you are a jazz neophyte. You would like to become familiar with this music, but you hardly know where to begin. Perhaps you recognize the names of a few of the acknowledged masters — among them, Miles Davis.



Performers:  Miles Davis, trumpet; John Coltrane, tenor saxophone; Wynton Kelly, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; and Jimmy Cobb, drums. The song is a shortened version of "So What", originally released in 1959 on Kind of Blue. There's another fine, live performance of "So What" on The Columbia Years: 1955-1985.

So far, so good. Miles Davis is absolutely a good choice if you want to explore jazz. But be forewarned:

• The Miles Davis catalogue is vast.
• Davis's style ranged tremendously, from early explorations of bebop with Charlie Parker, through The Birth of the Cool, through further bop innovations of the famous quintet with John Coltrane, through the orchestral settings arranged by Gil Evans, through the more abstract, sparer sound of the quintet with Wayne Shorter, into jazz/rock fusion, and beyond.
• Let me emphasize the point:  the music from one era in Davis's career is liable to be wildly different than the music from another era in Davis's career.
• Further complications arise because Davis's recordings have been repackaged so many times. Caveat emptor:  some of the compilations are dreck, not worth $5 from a bargain bin.

The point is, it isn't such a straightforward proposition for a jazz neophyte to pick out a Miles Davis CD. I once told a friend, "I love Miles Davis's music, except I loathe Bitches Brew, and I have very little interest in anything that followed it."

"Oh," he responded: "I always hated Miles Davis, but then Bitches Brew was the only disc we owned at our house."

(Your mileage may vary:  lots of people think Bitches Brew is downright awesome.)

Which brings us to The Columbia Years: 1955-1985. Because this four-CD package covers a thirty-year span, it provides a taster for the disparate dishes Davis cooked up while he was under contract with Columbia.

OK, the early explorations with Charlie Parker aren't represented here — if you want those, you'll need to buy a Charlie Parker disc. And The Birth of The Cool isn't represented here, aside from a later live recording of "Budo" — that highly influential set was recorded in 1949.

But the Columbia compilation covers the peak of Davis's career, in the company of his many outstanding collaborators:  John Coltrane, "Cannonball" Adderley, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones; Hank Mobley, George Coleman, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb; Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams; Chick Corea, Keith Jarret, John McLaughlin, and Jack DeJohnette. All of those musicians were renowned in their own right; many of them first came to public notice performing with Davis. And they are all represented in one or more tracks on The Columbia Years.

Sounds great, right? But I must admit, the compilation doesn't delight me.

The problem is twofold. First, I own approximately ten other Miles Davis CDs. Inevitably, some of the best tracks on this compilation ("All Blues", "Footprints", "My Funny Valentine") are songs I already own. You'll have to consider whether you're in the same position. (There's only one previously unreleased track on the compilation, and several alternate takes which you may or may not have.)

Second, as I've already indicated, the later stages of Davis's career leave me cold. I think his best work occurred when he was playing bop music:  not only during the Coltrane era, but also earlier (e.g., with Sonny Rollins and Horace Silver).

Davis's work with Wayne Shorter has some high points, but it's more abstract, emotionally remote, and therefore harder to relate to. After that, we're into the Bitches Brew era which, to my ears, is utterly cacophonous. Maybe Bitches Brew is a great artistic statement, but the bottom line is, I find it unpleasant to listen to.

Why then did I purchase The Columbia Years? I thought I should give those later recordings another chance to see whether I could warm up to them. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

My other reason for purchasing the compilation is that The Columbia Years includes tracks from some CDs that I don't intend to buy:  e.g., Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud and Circle In The Round.

All of the fusion tracks are grouped together on disc four. And who knows? — you might love Davis's fusion period, and decide that my inability to appreciate it outs me as a musical neanderthal.

Turning now to the sound quality:  It isn't entirely consistent, since the songs were recorded over a thirty-year span. But I'd say it's generally good and occasionally exceptional ("All Blues", "Miles").

Jazz recordings often impress me — even stuff dating from the late 50s. In part, I think it's because the instrumentation is relatively sparse:  often just one "soloist" playing over a rhythm section, with the (acoustic) bass much quieter than it is in the case of rock music. I think it must be easier to record a relatively simple arrangement, with just a few instruments. Ultimately, the recording is easier for your stereo to reproduce.

Yes, it's a sonic pleasure to fire up the these CDs on my stereo system.

Given the wide range of styles on The Columbia Years, it's hard for me to give the compilation an overall rating. For this purpose, I'll assume the fusion tracks are worth having:  i.e., that the problem is with my taste, rather than Davis's musical decisions.

Songwriting:  ★★★★☆
Performance:  ★★★★★
Sound quality:   ★★★½ ☆½
This compilation:  ★★★★☆
In a word: Exceptional.