'58 (Newport Jazz Festival) Sessions. You already have Kind Of Blue and Birth Of The Cool has been recommended. These are the three you should own, if you can own only three, IMO. But... ...if there's anything in your musical tastes that would compel you to listen to some of his later material or if you can simply find the CDs cheap, you might also try Amandla and Tutu. They're interesting takes on his ideas late in his life. Also Bitches Brew. I didn't really bother with anything after Bitches Brew for years, but have gotten a bit more into it recently.
It's my opinion that one is best served by starting at the beginning and following the development of an artist as much as possible, unless there was a huge breakthru in the musical career that was a watershed moment, where everything before is pretty much crap and everything after glitters. With Miles, his work with the bop era giants shows his powerful creative voice, and he must be acknowledged as a leader in jazz circles even when in his 20s. One of the great recording sessions of the middle 50s is Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, with Milt Jackson, Thelonius Monk, and John Coltrane, though 'Trane only appears on one cut, 'Round About Midnight. http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/prlp/prlp7150.html This CD is available, and I would consider it an essential piece of the Miles Davis pie.
I'm partial to post-bop quintets, so my favorite period is the First Quintet era, shortly before he released Kind Of Blue. In order to get out of his Prestige contract, he cut four albums, most of it in one session, with Red Garland (piano), Philly Joe Jones (drums), and a couple of unknowns, Paul Chambers (bass) and John Coltrane (tenor). The four albums (Workin', Steamin', Relaxin', and Cookin') are remarkable.
--- I've always thought Steamin' was the best of this lot, but to each his own. Furry with a Syringe on Top is sweet! As is When I Fall In Love. Amazing work. Some of the material comes from an Oct 26 1956 session where 'Round About Midnight' was recorded...
Steamin' is my favorite, with WIFIL being the track that sends it over the top. Yeah, that was the sesssion to which I alluded.
"Milestones" is my favorite album of his. "Miles Ahead," is one that I like quite a bit-"New Rhumba " one of my favorite Miles' tracks. I would round this list out with "Porgy & Bess."
Workin' With... and Steamin' are my two favorite "first quintet" albums. But I think the second quintet is far superior. I recommend ESP or Miles Smiles.
--- We could debate this endlessly, and I would start by saying that there is now way in the world that there has been a better tenor/trumpet paring in the history of jazz than Miles and Trane. By second quintet, do you mean the Hank Mobley quintet or the George Coleman quintet or the Wayne Shorter quintet. Since you mentioned Miles Smiles and ESP, I figure that you are speaking of the Wayne Shorter version, but that's truly the 3rd quintet, not the second. Also, there was a change of bass player during that incarnation Richard Davis for Ron Carter. I think you can argue that Herbie Hancock is a more rounded pianist than Red Garland, and Tony Williams is a more "interesting" ( virtuosic? ) drummer than Philly Joe, but c'mon!!! Wayne Shorter is a poorman's Trane and his best work may have been with Blakey in the Jazz Messengers. The first quintet is more traditional, still more connected to post-bop, isn't it? Having said all that, it is great music, and you can't go wrong either way.
Yes...the Shorter/Hancock/Williams/Carter version. I've always like the more modernist, post-bop jazz as compared to traditional bop/cool. And while I agree that Davis/Coltrane can't be beat, I think at that time Trane hadn't become the player that I think you're pairing Davis with. Had they been in the same band together in 1962-1964, then yea I'd agree. And I'm not taking anything away from any of the aforementioned bands. I just happen to prefer the albums put out by that particular ensemble. As it stands, my favorite is really the "classic Coltrane Quartet" when they drafted in Eric Dolphy. That, too me, is the greatest jazz group of all time. In particular the Coltrane, Tyner, Jones, Dolphy, Workman combo who recorded the Village Vanguard shows in 1961.
--- My favorite CD is one featuring Coleman Hawkins, originally a Jazztone recording, with Emmett Berry on trumpet, Jo Jones on drums, Milt Hinton on bass and Billy Taylor on piano. They play "Out of Nowhere", the old Artie Shaw number from the 40s and Hawk plays a line from "Tea for Two" behind Emmett Berry's trumpet bit. Clever stuff. Softly as a Morning Sunrise is probably my favorite single jazz piece: everything fits, Elvin flailing on drums, the perfect comping by Tyner, and Trane's swirling soaring soprano. My vinyl LP is toast. I can understand liking the Wayne Shorter/Miles Davis quintet, but I like the more hard bop Shorter with Art Blakely. Plus I'm such a huge Lee Morgan fan. (The Big Beat kills me!) You're on solid ground, as if you needed me to say so...
You should check out the twenty minute version by Eric Dolphy on "The Illinois Concert". It's f'ing outstanding. Lee Morgan is one of my favorites. I love the whole The Gigolo album, and the Complete Lighthouse Sessions box. I always thought his life story is prime to make a movie about.
One day, I'm going to write a gangster movie, just so I can use The Sidewinder as a running musical theme throughout it.
He had a fascinating, tragic life, no doubt. Extremely talented, no sell out type of artist...ended up having a huge hit that he couldn't ever duplicate, overcame a big time heroin addiction, and then...murdered on stage by a jealous ex-girlfriend. Holy crap!!
--- one of the things i appreciated most about Morgan is that he was so celebratory. for every solo, every ensemble passage, he seems to be in the moment, which is paradoxical for a smack head.
Funny this thread comes up, as I just put this in my Netflix list last week-it doesn't come out until the 16th. It's about his electric phase, built around his performance at the Isle Of Wight festival. I've always had mixed feelings about this period, but the title track on "In A Silent Way,"-especially the opening theme-has alwasy been a track that I find myself coming back to. It's quite haunting, IMO. Wayne Shorter a "poor man's Trane?" Oh...you know I don't really buy that-plus I think Wayne's tone on soprano is better. But that's another thread
I just caught this... DUDE...c'mon. The Miles Davis Quintet he was in isn't considered one of greatest jazz groups for nothing, whether you agree or not. And Wayne Shorter wrote a large amount of those tunes. I think his legendary status is MORE than earned.