Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 06/14/2005
Miles Davis' entry into the
Sony Legacy Edition series features his
Columbia Records debut and the first offering from his quintet with
John Coltrane,
Red Garland,
Paul Chambers, and
Philly Joe Jones. The label already issued the album in a definitive presentation with four additional tracks taken from the sessions onboard. Musically, the sound on
'Round About Midnight is as unusual and beautiful as it was when it was issued in 1956.
Davis, having already spearheaded two changes in
jazz -- with
cool jazz and
hard bop -- was beginning to move in another direction here that wouldn't be defined for another two years. The title track showcasing his muted trumpet premiered at the
Newport Jazz Festival the previous summer (in a sextet with
Thelonious Monk on piano) to a thunderous reception, and the studio offering is stunning as well.
Charlie Parker's
"Au Leu-Cha" is edgy, with
deep blues leaping from every chord.
Coltrane's solo is notable for its stark contrast to
Davis' own:
Coltrane chooses an angular tack where he finds the heart of the mode and plays in harmonic counterpoint to the changes but never sounds outside.
Cole Porter's
"All of You" has
Davis quoting from
Louis Armstrong's
"Basin Street Blues" in his solo. On
"Bye-Bye Blackbird" we get to hear the band gel as a unit, beginning with
Davis playing through the head, muted and sweet, slightly flatted out until he reaches the chorus and begins his solo on a high note.
Garland slips shapes into those interval cracks and shifts them as the rhythm section keeps "soft time." Of the bonus material, the gem is
Jackie McLean's
"Little Melonae" --
Davis and company recorded before the composer could. The band comes out blazing on this set, but it's
Coltrane who's the surprise in his quoting various
Dizzy Gillespie solos.
For those who had already purchased the album, it may be disconcerting to need to buy it again in order to procure the 33 minutes of live material on disc two. Track one is that legendary
Newport sextet performance of
"'Round Midnight" with
Monk on piano,
Zoot Sims and
Gerry Mulligan on tenor and baritone respectively, and a rhythm section of
Percy Heath and
Connie Kay. The rest is the first recorded gig of the quintet from the
Pacific Jazz Festival in February of 1956. This stuff has never been commercially issued before. The short set included here contains the entire concert; the band was on a program schedule with many others. The tunes come largely from the
bebop book --
"Salt Peanuts," "Woody 'N You," "Walkin'," -- and showcases
Coltrane and
Jones blowing hard and physical. It's in
Davis' own playing and that of
Garland where the scant traces of the new sound can be heard. Ultimately, despite the spoken introduction by
Gene Norman (who introduces
Coltrane as "Johnny") and a minute-long exchange with
Davis, the music is heated if a bit raw, while the acumen is high and the overall sound is good. What the gig reveals is the literal roots of what was to come. And while it would be great to get the second disc on its own, purchasing the album again with its stellar packaging is a small price to pay.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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