Columbia/Legacy will reissue the mono versions of nine of Miles Davis’ earliest albums on Columbia Records on Nov. 12. The albums encompass music that Davis recorded for the label in monaural sound from 1956 to 1961 (and released from 1957 to 1964), and will be issued together on CD for the first time as Miles Davis: The Original Mono Recordings. The CDs in the box set will be housed in mini-LP replica jackets.
The Original Mono Recordings includes the six albums that feature Miles’ “first great quintet” at Columbia, including John Coltrane, ‘Round About Midnight, Milestones, Jazz Track, Kind of Blue (the greatest-selling jazz album of all time), Someday My Prince Will Come and Miles and Monk at Newport. The other three albums placed Miles (and various group members) in orchestral settings and were arranged and conducted by Gil Evans: Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain.
Two of the albums are rare editions that have never appeared in any Miles Davis CD collection in the U.S., and have not been generally available for many years: Jazz Track, presenting 10 improvised tracks that Miles recorded in Paris with European musicians in 1957, for director Louis Malle’s film Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (Elevator To the Gallows), combined with three tracks by Miles’ own sextet in New York-featuring Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb-from their only other studio recordings of 1958, prior to the Kind of Blue sessions in ’59; and Miles and Monk at Newport, featuring four tunes recorded live by the Miles Davis Sextet at the jazz festival in 1958, followed by two recorded at the festival in 1963 by Columbia’s newly-signed Thelonious Monk Quartet.
The box will contain a fully-annotated 40-page booklet with complete discographic information, including personnel and production details, plus a 2,000-word essay by author and Wall Street Journal writer Marc Myers.
On November 29, in celebration of Record Store Day, Columbia/Legacy will release vinyl mono editions of Kind of Blue, Miles & Monk at Newport and Jazz Track.
The Original Mono Recordings by Miles Davis
Disc One:
‘Round About Midnight by The Miles Davis Quintet (originally issued March 4, 1957, as Columbia CL 949) Selections: 1. ‘Round Midnight (recorded 9/10/56) • 2. Ah-Leu-Cha (10/27/55) • 3. All of You (9/10/56) • 4. Bye Bye Blackbird (6/5/56) • 5. Tadd’s Delight (6/5/56) • 6. Dear Old Stockholm (6/5/56).
Disc Two:
Miles Ahead by Miles Davis + 19 (originally issued October 14, 1957, as Columbia CL 1041) Selections: 1. Springsville (recorded 5/23/57) • 2. The Maids of Cadiz (5/6/57) • 3. The Duke (5/6/57) • 4. My Ship (5/10/57, from the Broadway musical, Lady in the Dark) • 5. Miles Ahead (5/10/57) • 6. Blues for Pablo (5/23/57) • 7. New Rhumba (5/23/57) • 8. The Meaning of the Blues (5/27/57) • 9. Lament (5/27/57) • 10. I Don’t Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (5/27/57).
Disc Three:
Milestones by Miles Davis (originally issued December 1, 1958, as Columbia CL 1193) Selections: 1. Dr. Jekyll (recorded 3/4/58) • 2. Sid’s Ahead (3/4/58) • 3. Two Bass Hit (2/4/58) • 4. Miles (2/4/58) • 5. Billy Boy (2/4/58) • 6. Straight, No Chaser (2/4/58).
Disc Four:
Jazz Track by Miles Davis (originally issued October 19, 1959, as Columbia CL 1268) Selections: 1. Générique • 2. L’assassinat de Carala • 3. Sur l’autoroute • 4. Julien dans l’ascenseur • 5. Florence sur les Champs-Elysées • 6. Dîner au motel • 7. Evasion de Julien • 8. Visite du vigile • 9. Au bar du Petit-Bac • 10. Chez le photographe du motel • 11. On Green Dolphin Street (recorded 5/26/58) • 12. Fran-Dance (5/26/58) • 13. Stella By Starlight (5/26/58). (Tracks 1-10, music from the Louis Malle film, Ascenseur pour l’échafaud, recorded in Paris, 12/4 & 5/57.)
Disc Five:
Porgy And Bess by Miles Davis (originally issued March 9, 1959, as Columbia CL 1274) Selections: 1. The Buzzard Song (recorded 8/4/58) • 2. Bess You Is My Woman Now (7/29/58) • 3. Gone (7/22/58) • 4. Gone, Gone, Gone (7/22/58) • 5. Summertime (8/18/58) • 6. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess (8/4/58) • 7. Prayer (Oh, Doctor Jesus) (8/4/58) • 8. Fishermen, Strawberry and Devil Crab (7/29/58) • 9. My Man’s Gone Now (7/22/58) • 10. It Ain’t Necessarily So (7/29/58) • 11. Here Come de Honey Man (7/29/58) • 12. I Loves You, Porgy (8/18/58) • 13. There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon for New York (8/18/58).
Disc Six:
Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis (originally issued August 17, 1959, as Columbia CL 1355) Selections: 1. So What (recorded 3/2/59) • 2. Freddie Freeloader (3/2/59) • 3. Blue In Green (3/2/59) • 4. All Blues (3/2/59) • 5. Flamenco Sketches (4/22/59).
Disc Seven:
Sketches Of Spain by Miles Davis (originally issued July 18, 1960, as Columbia CL 1480) Selections: 1. Concierto de Aranjuez (recorded 11/20/59) • 2. Will o’ the Wisp (3/11/60, from “El amor brujo”) • 3. The Pan Piper (3/10/60) • 4. Saeta (3/11/60) • 5. Solea (3/11/60).
Disc Eight:
Someday My Prince Will Come by Miles Davis (originally issued December 11, 1961, as Columbia CL 1656) Selections: 1. Someday My Prince Will Come (recorded 3/20/61, from the Walt Disney film, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs) • 2. Old Folks (3/20/61) • 3. Pfrancing (3/7/61) • 4. Drad-Dog (3/7/61) • 5. Teo (3/21/61) • 6. I Thought About You (3/21/61).
Disc Nine:
Miles And Monk At Newport (originally issued May 11, 1964, as Columbia CL 2178) Selections: 1. Ah-Leu-Cha • 2. Straight, No Chaser • 3. Fran-Dance • 4. Two Bass Hit (tracks 1-4 by the Miles Davis Sextet, recorded 7/4/58) • 5. Nutty • 6. Blue Monk (tracks 5-6 by the Thelonious Monk Quartet, recorded 7/4/63).
