Miles Davis - Round About Midnight
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.67 You Save: $3.32 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.49 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Round About Midnight
Free Music Review: One of the best of the quintet recordings
Hit: 5 Stars
The quintet which Davis led in the fifties, featuring Miles on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, and a superb rhythm section, has rightly been acclaimed as one of the best - some argue THE best - bands of this kind. It is not as though the music which the group produced was necessarily "faultless"; although Davis himself sounded great whatever he did, the others were not quite of his stature, in that for example Garland was a very good but not truly exciting piano player, and Coltrane, though excellent when at his best, was more uneven than the leader. But it is a bit ungracious to quibble when so much of superior merit was offered. The brooding, haunting title song is performed with beautiful expressive power - it has a seething intensity which is sometimes understated, and at other times wholly explicit. The range of timbre and emotion on this record is exceptional. "Bye Bye Blackbird", for example, is quite different: a typical "pop" tune is performed with delicate grace as well as thunder. This record was certainly among those to "put Coltrane on the map". His best work here is on a par with Miles's, but entirely different: where Miles is "minimalist", Coltrane is "baroque": and the contrast between them provides one of the most exciting experiences in jazz, provided as it is by two of its greatest artists. I don't myself think that the record is quite as "perfect" as "Kind of Blue", but it often comes close, and it is certainly both memorable and enjoyable.Free Music Review: Major label-funded evolution/revolution begins here!
Hit: 5 Stars
Freshly remastered and now with bonus tracks, ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT launched an unmatched three-decade run of musical productivity by Miles Davis for Columbia. The label consistently managed to package Davis' restless musical nature in a manner that resulted in a string of albums that sold well despite the lack of compromise. Perhaps Columbia lucked out that Davis' non-conformity proved to be even more irresistable to many record-buyers as a "friendlier" image might have been. Whatever, the bottom line is the music itself... Davis' probing muted trumpet is highlighted on the title track, while John Coltrane's tenor sax provides an effective contrast on both the ballads and the uptempo tunes. Somewhat ironically, the song selections here are quite traditional (pop ballads, bop-era cover versions). However, the performances are transitional, leading jazz into an era of heightened modernism without losing sight of the music's building blocks. The quintet is widely considered to be among the elite groups throughout the entire history of jazz. A century from now, listeners will no doubt be echoing these sentiments. Albums such as this simply do not lose their edge, no matter how much time has passed since the original release date. For those of you who have KIND OF BLUE and want to pursue that era of Miles' further, I place this CD and MILESTONES next-in-line.
Free Music Review: second best Miles Davis after Kind of Blue
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the Miles Davis I listen to most, after Kind of Blue. It contains the all-time definitive recordings of *'Round Midnight*, *All of You* and "Bye, Bye, Blackbird*. Most Melodic! You feel like Miles is there in the room with you, Harmon mute and all, as if he were playing Blues Alley and you have the seat right in front of him. You feel his loneliness, melancholy and great joy. Communicates true emotion like no other Miles recording. Warm, romantic and sweet.
Some purists think this album is, I don't know, too pop? Penguin Guide damned it with faint praise, they gave this wonderful album three stars and others like Agharta four(????), but what do they know? I strongly feel it is his most approachable and a good starting place for those new to Cool Jazz (see my Miles list, "Miles plays it Cool..." or "Cool Jazz, where to start" if you can find them).
This was Miles Davis first record with a major label, and the first state of the art quality recording. I love those Prestige albums, the tunes, the play, but this one is recorded much better. A record for the ages.
The SACD is even more wonderful than the CD.
****
update- the songs newly tacked on the the end of the album are not my favorites. They tend to destroy the well build-up, relaxed mood of the previous songs which Miles intended to release this album.
Free Music Review: The first and best quintet.
Hit: 5 Stars
This is my personal favorite of Miles' small group records, and his first for Columbia. It's simply a matter of taste whether you prefer the first quintet or the second. Those who tend a little more towards the free jazz choose the second, but I prefer the delicate swing of the earlier one, even though Coltrane was not yet fully formed as a sax player. Still, their rendition of Cole Porter's "All of You" has to be one of Davis' most perfect recordings, where Red Garland's piano block chords work to irresistible effect (as they do on "Bye Bye Blackbird"). Miles told Red that he wanted Ahmad Jamal's style transplanted into his band, and a good argument could be made that it was Garland's swing that set the tone for the direction of the band. At the very least, Miles always turned to Red for suggestions of which standards to play. The other highlight is the downright otherworldly performance of Monk's "Round Midnight" (of which Monk apparently did not approve), where Coltrane shows early signs of breaking through. Not very surprising that it was Coltrane's brief stint with Monk that finally set him loose for good. Also worth noting is a fantastic version of "Dear Old Stockholm" which features an extended and brilliant bass solo by Paul Chambers, who very rarely got any soloing time on Miles' studio records. Great, great music.Free Music Review: Kind of Essential
Hit: 5 Stars
Truth be told, I play this album more than "Kind of Blue." Basically, it's the same group and repertory as the earlier Prestige recordings ("Relaxin', "Steamin',", "Working," etc.) but with Columbia production values and a bit more care and focus on Miles' part. The opening title tune is the most vivid and dramatic recorded example of Miles' highly personal sound on the harmon mute. The 2-beat, "danceable" lilt of the Garland-Chambers-Philly Joe rhythm section is realized to perfection on Cole Porter's "All of You," which also features a logical, flawless cadence by Trane at the end of his solo. And Red Garland's solo on "Bye Bye Blackbird" not only motivated me to transcribe it but taught me more about jazz piano than any number of lessons or Aebersold method books. And the Columbia engineers bring to the group a resonance, a balance, an openness not found on any of Miles' earlier recordings. In short, if you limit your Miles' collection to no more than two recordings, this had better be one of them.