Miles Davis - Round About Midnight
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Free Music Notes for Round About Midnight
Free Music Review: One of the best, if not the best
Hit: 5 Stars
This record is one of those rare records that you can put on from the first song and to the last and never get bored or want to skip a song. 'Round Midnight is a perfect song, from start to finish. Both Miles and Trane express what they want with gorgeous melodies and tone.
Ah-Leu-Cha is a great rendition of the classic Charlie Parker tune, especially with the intertwining melodies at the beginning.
All of You shows the depth of Miles' Harmon mute, and is the best take of this song I've heard (better than the Blackhawk recording or some of the Plugged Nickel stuff).
Bye Bye Blackbird contains what I think is Miles' best solo ever. His use of the Harmon mute is gorgeous and the entire song is unbelievable. Listen specifically to Philly Joe Jones brush strokes and Garland's comping skills on this one.
Tadd's Delight is a great bop-style tune with one of Coltrane's best solo's on the disc. Jones' drumming is also unbelievable on this track.
Dear Old Stockholm is the baddest jazz track ever. Period. That track is just bad as sh*t, from the first note to the end. And the highlight of this track is Paul's rare extended solo and Coltrane's solo. If there is a "best" song on this album, this is it. And Miles probably put it at the end purposely to make sure every listener knew that his band was the baddest there was and will ever be.
Although there are extras which are great, I'm not going to talk about them because they weren't in the original album (even though Budo is awesome).
If you should get anything out of this album, it should be this: this group was the tightest group there ever was and listening to this album proves it. Everyone is right in time and right on top of the music--no one one this record even though about doing a half-ass job when it came to producing some of the best music ever laid down on record. Enjoy
Free Music Review: A Miles Davis Masterpiece (Review Based On Original Tracks Only)
Hit: 5 Stars
There are great Miles Davis records (Milestones, E.S.P, Sketches of Spain), and then there are unforgettable ones. Along with Kind of Blue, 'Round About Midnight falls into the "unforgettable" category. Why? First and foremost, the title track, while very good performed by Monk, is found in its definitive version on this record. Miles' brooding muted trumpet sets the melody. Suddenly, the track explodes in a burst of energy and Trane completely steals the spotlight with ione of those solos that make him the best saxophonist in history. After that, it's back to the unforgettable melody. Ah-Leu-Cha picks the pace up severely, some very interesting chord progressions on that one. A fine reading of one of Bird's best. Things slow down again with the ballad All of You, again Miles plays the melody expressively, and Trane solos furiously during his spots. Standard Bye Bye Blackbird comes next, and I can say without a shred of doubt in my mind it's the best song on the album. If you can't tell it's a classic by the opening piano solo, you're beyond all help I can give you (which, to be fair, isn't much). Tadd's Delight is the closest this album comes to a weak song, and even then it has a nice melody. Dear Old Stockholm closes things out, and though normally I'm not a fan of Stan Getz, I love the group's reading of this tune (particularly that harmony part... it will stay in your head forever!) The CD reissue comes with four bonus tracks (Two Bass Hit, Little Melonae, Budo and Sweet Sue Just You), which range from brilliant (Little Melonae) to average (Sweet Sue).
One last thing I'd like to comment on is the album's remaster. Up until a few days ago, I had only heard this album on a scratchy old vinyl. And while normally I don't really notice sound quality (except if it's painfully obvious), the remastering job for 'Round About Midnight is excellent.
Free Music Review: The Beginning of a Long and Fascinating Journey.
Hit: 5 Stars
This is Miles Davis' debut with Columbia records, and since 1955, the year in which "Round About Midnight" was released, neither Columbia nor the world of jazz would remain the same. While others point to "Kind of Blue" as his classic, some of Davis' most thrilling work can be found here. On this album, Davis ropes in John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones to form a quintet that would stand as a tremendous force to be reckoned with. "Ah-Leu-Cha" bristles with energy, and it brilliantly shows the interplay between Davis and Coltrane throughout the track. There's also the relaxed cool of "Bye Bye Blackbird" and the uptempo bounce of "Tadd's Delight," which has nice piano work from Red Garland and head-bobbing bass from Paul Chambers. But, of course, the CD's towering moment is the title track, brilliantly adapted by the quintet. It would serve as one of THE greatest pieces of work in Miles' catalogue. I can seriously listen to this CD fifty gazillion times and never tire of it. And that's the way all great albums should be. After each listen, "Round About Midnight" reveals something new that I didn't catch before. This is the remastered version, and while the term "remastered" gets bandied about very casually when marketing releases, I can assure you that the folks at Sony did a great job here. The bass projects more fully, the drums sound crisp, and Davis sounds like he entered the studio last year. Very little of the recording sounds like it was done in the 1950s. The disc also has 4 bonus tracks; my personal favorite is the terrific 7-minute "8 Little Melonae." Those who are new to jazz or Miles Davis should definitely make this historic masterpiece among their first purchases.Free Music Review: 'ROUND MIDNIGHT: start here
Hit: 5 Stars
for people who have a spark of curiosity about the legendary music of Miles Davis, knowing where to begin the search can be a frustrating issue. with a back catalogue as vast as a small continent, figuring out where to start and where to go can be tricky. especially considering the many phases of Miles' long and adventerous career. he spawned many folowers and imitators and made many enemies along the way. a larger than life figure who would dominate the jazz scene for decades and whose music still holds power and brilliance even to this day. Personally, i have been such a big John Coltrane fan for so many years, that i somehow blindly overlooked Miles Davis' recorded output for a long time. it's just been in the past 4 years or so that i have gotten the opportunity to dig into Miles' absolutely stunning and quite frankly, overwhelming music. whereas Coltrane was the master of melody, Miles is the master of the mood. a true genius whose musical impact and influence is felt even stronger today than it was when he was alive.
"Round Midnight" is probably the album that i would recommend as the first Miles Davis album to buy. simply, because it is such a solid and stongly realized set of music from beginning to end. there are no loose ends to tie up, no stray melodies and absolutely no throwaway tracks. you will be humbled when you hear the opening sounds of Monk's tune "'Round Midnight" softly floating from your stereo speakers. it's a sound so lovely that it's breathtaking. supposedly it took Miles years and years to perfect this song. the moods evoked from these songs are genuinely beautiful moments of time captured in audio and meant to be played again and again. there's not much more to say about this wonderful album. Classic!
Free Music Review: Quintet plays it cool
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the only album Miles Davis's 1st Great Quintet recorded for Columbia. Unlike the four classic LPs it cut for Prestige around the same time (Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' and Steamin'), which were recorded in two marathon sessions to capture a semi-live feel, 'Round About Midnight has a more polished and relaxed sound. Each approach has its advantages and fans will want all five LPs; the Prestige albums benefit from better sound quality and more spontaneous performances. But this reissue of 'Round About Midnight may be the place to start for several reasons. First, the recordings stretch from the Quintet's first recordings (October 1955) to about a year later, so you can track its progress. Second, at about one hour it contains more music than any of its Prestige counterparts. And third, it contains an absolutely classic rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" as arranged by Gil Evans; this performance brilliantly exploits the contrast between the soft lyricism of Davis's trumpet and the rougher playing of budding tenor star John Coltrane. This brilliance is matched or at least approached on each of the next five tracks, including a superb version of "Dear Old Stockholm". Three of the bonus tracks come from the first session the quintet ever recorded, all in the bop style: "Two Bass Hit" (an early feature for Coltrane and recorded more effectively for the Milestones album), "Budo" (also featured on Birth of the Cool), and Jackie McLean's quirky "Little Melonae". Pick up 'Round About Midnight and Cookin', and you'll find out why many considered this quintet to be the best of its time.