Miles Davis
1958 Miles

In the discographies of music giants, there are always those somewhat overlooked albums, the ones that few listen to, that haven't made history like others, and when you talk about them the typical approach is "Oh right, he did that one too." This might be the case for "1958 Miles."

An album with a history that's not so much artistic as it is commercially troubled: it is in fact a union of a previous release ("Jazz Track") with other recordings done later. In the reissues that followed over time, it has been released with both parts (one studio and one live) or with just one of the two, particularly the studio sessions part.

The version of "1958 Miles" I will talk about is the Japanese edition. The Japanese edition?!? Don't bug me, I will talk about the Japanese edition because it's the one included in the box set "Miles Davis, The Complete Columbia Album Collection" that those awesome friends of mine thoughtfully gifted me for my birthday. How can you not love friends like that? In fact, I love them, what can you do about it.

Returning to the album, it contains the following compositions: "On Green Dolphin Street," "Fran-Dance," "Stella By Starlight," "Love For Sale" and an alternate take of "Fran-Dance," although it's more common to find (as if we were talking about a surprise egg!) "Little Melonae" by Jackie McLean. You'll have noticed that, except for "Fran-Dance" (dedicated to Miles’s future wife, the dancer Frances Taylor), the album consists of standards. And we all know, "'Round About Midnight" and "Porgy And Bess" demonstrate brilliantly how amazing Miles Davis is when tackling standards. Meanwhile, having Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb guarantees a great result. And indeed, "1958 Miles," although situated between the eminently remarkable "Milestones" and "Kind Of Blue," is not much inferior; on the contrary, one can affirm that yes, it holds its own quite well. Because, alright, it may not be as memorable an album as its neighbors, but it contains the first recordings with Bill Evans and is right in the midst of that transition from bebop and cool to modal jazz which began in "Milestones" and came to full fruition in "Kind Of Blue."

"1958 Miles" is a joyful album, a reflective album, a lyrical album containing pieces of proven beauty (anyone who says "Stella By Starlight" is ugly is not human) played and interpreted as only people of this caliber can do. In short, I've told you it's much more important than its reputation suggests, I've told you it's very beautiful, I've told you that if you listen to it, you are among the few chosen who can say "Miles Davis? Yes, I’m familiar with the young man’s work, even 1958 Miles", I've also told you that Cobb, Chambers, Evans, Cannonball, and Trane play on it, and I've told you it's a Miles Davis album. I don't care which edition, go out and buy it.