In late 2001, I began delving into the work of the great Miles Davis. I've been a peripheral fan for some time, but have picked up several of his releases (6, actually) since right after Xmas 2001.
Columbia Records (where Miles spent 30 years) began remastering and re-releasing (and adding "new" tracks) to his albums in the late 90s, in addition to creating several new compilations and box sets. As I've mentioned previously, these remasters sound incredible...if played on a good stereo, you sound like you're there hanging out with him. They also have a
microsite dedicated to all the releases.
Having said that, I've recently picked up:
Bitches Brew: Wow...talk about being out there. Good stuff though...very interesting approach.
The Complete Birth of the Cool: Blue Note/Capitol (where Miles spent the late 40s and early 50s) has also done some re-releasing. This version of
Birth of the Cool includes the original 11 songs, one bonus track, and then 12 cuts from 2 live performances in NYC in 1948. Absolutely stunning. To me, this album is a perfect example of
classic jazz. Miles had just struck out on his own as a bandleader at this time, and it is nothing short of brilliant.
mmesker, you'll be pleased to know that for Xmas, I got
The Videos: 86>98 and
One Night in Paris: The Exciter Tour 2001 on DVD. You should pick them up...awesome stuff.