[SACD-R][OF] Miles Davis - Milestones - 1958/2001 (Post Bop, Modal)

Miles Davis (trumpet)
Julian “Cannonball” Adderley (alto saxophone)
John Coltrane (tenor saxophone)
Red Garland (piano)
“Philly” Joe Jones (drums)
Paul Chambers (bass)

Originally Columbia (1958)
The title does not refer to the trumpeter’s composition from his 1st recording date but is an acknowledgement of this session’s visceral impact. Tenor saxophonist John Coltrane had left the trumpeter in the spring of 1957 to join Thelonious Monk for his engagement at New York’s Five Spot, & was replaced by a rising star on alto saxophone, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley. When he returned, Davis had a formidable 3-horn front line to go with “The Rhythm Section.”
MILESTONES is a bracing rhythmic tonic, coming after the refined ballad moods & lush orchestral pastels of MILES AHEAD. From the furious, adults-only hyper-drive of the opening “Dr. Jekyll” (with its thrilling tenor/alto battle & daredevil drum breaks), through a dazzling Dizzy Gillespie/John Lewis bebop anthem (“Two Bass Hit”) to the bright dancing groove of “Straight, No Chaser,” MILESTONES is an epic historical event–even by Miles’ standards.
The slow, bluesy “Sid’s Ahead” 1st appeared as “Weirdo” on Miles’ March 1954 Blue Note session, & offers tantalizing portraits of the horns. Coltrane attacks his line like a blues guitarist, in short bursts of vocal cries & loping syncopated tangents; Miles comes out jabbing, slow & purposeful, feinting & fading behind the beat with lovely long tones & bends; Cannonball comes out all agitated & excitable, with little quicksilver runs & sing-songy asides (such as “Skip to my lou my darling”). Pianist Red Garland’s famous feature on the traditional “Billy Boy” highlights his mastery of a 2 handed orchestral style, his brilliant use of space in blues phrasing, & his interplay with the driving young Paul Chambers (with his enormous beat & impeccable bow work) & the fiery Philly Joe Jones (whose complex melodic variations transcend the technical limitations of the drums).
SA-CD.net:
Does one purchase the SME Stereo version or the Mobile Fidelity Mono & why – apart from huge price differential?
You’d have to audition both versions in your own audio system to decide. I appreciate the excellent MoFi mono SACD (Miles Davis: Milestones……) because it’s a straight tape-to-DSD transfer from the only master mix that was created at the time the recording was made. Recent 2ch CDs & SACDs are digital transfers sourced & remixed from the session multi-track tapes. Mark Belden’s 2ch mix on the Miles/Coltrane CD box set sounds very detailed, & some people might find it overly analytical. I would think that the SME SACD is similar, but with the advantage of higher resolution.
SA-CD.net review by JW July 29, 2003:
Another JSACD of great quality. If you’re not in Japan the only (expensive) way is importing these, but I can tell you it’s worth it, both sonically & for the music. You cannot believe this is an 45 year old recording. This is an acoustic, classic jazz album & the 1 & only time Miles Davis recorded with his original sextet; Julian “Cannonball” Adderley (asax), John Coltrane (tsax), Red Garland (p), “Philly” Joe Jones (dr) & Paul Chambers (b). Wow, what a line up!
The overall feeling of this album is uptempo blues/be-bop. “Milestones” is credited with introducing modal music into Jazz. In “modality” there is freedom to emphasize various degrees of a scale, & also to mix octaves or modes. The musicians can play on various degrees of a scale (or mode), using whatever emphasis they deem appropriate at the time.
On “Milestones” this is easily audible in the solo’s that explore the various scales & parts of scales throughout the tracks. It can make for some chaotic tunes, but not so on this album where it sometimes can get a bit hectic, but the band never looses track of rhythm, swing & melody. If you want to know what I mean have a listen to ‘Straight, No Chaser’ where the piano of Red Garland plays a more traditional role compared to his band mates. But it is by no means the only example.

Скачивая приложенные файлы, вы соглашаетесь, по крайней мере, с одним из нижеперечисленных пунктов:
- вы являетесь законным владельцем SACD, аналогичного тому, с которого снята эта копия, и загружаете копию с целью архивирования,
- вы являетесь законным владельцем легальной копии данного произведения, выпущенного на другом носителе (CD, DVD, Vinyl, альтернативный SACD и др.) или приобретенного вами в виде копии, предоставляемой для загрузки через сеть Интернет, и загружаете данные файлы по причине того, что данный SACD более не производится и/или недоступен в вашем регионе,
- вы имеете намерение приобрести оригинальный SACD и загружаете данные файлы с целью предварительного ознакомления перед покупкой. В этом случае, вы обязаны приобрести легальную копию SACD или удалить загруженные файлы в течение 24 часов.
Производство и предоставление доступа к данным файлам проводится с научной целью и не имеет цели извлечения прибыли или иных целей, кроме вышеозначенных. Авторские и смежные права на представленные произведения принадлежат законным правообладателям, обозначенным на упаковке. Данная информация включена в состав представленных файлов.
By downloading the files listed above you agree to at least one of the following:
- You are the righteous owner of a physical and original copy of the SACD, and you’re downloading the files for backup or universal playback purposes.
- In case the SACD is out of print, hard-to-find, or inaccessible in your country, you possess an authentic version of the album as standard CD, vinyl, DVD-A, alternative SACD, or paid-for Internet download.
- You’re previewing/sampling the musical files before purchasing the SACD. In case of lack of purchase, you will permanently delete the files within a 24-hour period.
The files are made for scientific purposes and are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage. Any adaptation, reproduction and distribution right is exclusive to the original copyright holder.