Kind Of Blue. 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition

Miles Davis was one of the greatest visionaries and most important figures in jazz history. He was born in a well-to-do family in East St. Louis. He became a local phenom and toured locally with Billy Eckstine's band while he was in high school. He moved to New York under the guise of attending the Julliard School of Music. However, his real intentions were to hook up with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He quickly climbed up the ranks while learning from Bird and Diz and became the trumpet player for Charlie Parker's group for nearly 3 years. His first attempt at leading a group came in 1949 and was the first of many occurrences in which he would take jazz in a new direction. Along with arranger Gil Evans, he created a nonet (9 members) that used non-traditional instruments in a jazz setting, such as French horn and Tuba. He invented a more subtle, yet still challenging style that became known as "cool jazz." This style influenced a large group of musicians who played primarily on the west coast and further explored this style. The recordings of the nonet were packaged by Capitol records and released under the name The Birth of the Cool. The group featured Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, and Max Roach, among others. This was one of the first instances in which Miles demonstrated a recurring move that angered some: he brought in musicians regardless of race. He once said he'd give a guy with green skin and "polka-dotted breath" a job, as long as they could play sax as well as Lee Konitz. After spending 4 years fighting a heroin addiction, he conquered it, inspired by the discipline of the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.

“It's always been a gift with me, hearing music the way I do. I don't know where it comes from, it's just there and I don't question it.”- Miles DavisAfter a triumphant performance of Thelonious Monk's classic 'Round Midnight at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, Miles became a hot commodity.

Miles debuted on Columbia Records with 'Round About Midnight, which established his classic first quintet and defined hard bop. As a result of Miles' exposure John Coltrane began to develop a reputation amongst musicians as a major voice. Milestones was Davis' first use of modes and joined by Cannonball Adderly the band became a powerful sextet. The '58 Sessions introduced Bill Evans to the world of Miles Davis and Evans' influence was apparent from these initial sessions. Miles' attitude became more focused and romantic and resulted in the Kind Of Blue recording, which many consider to be one of Jazz Music's great recordings. Someday My Prince Will Come brought Miles into a funkier setting with Hank Mobley and Wynton Kelly joining Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Coltrane was brought in to record two songs on this session.

http://www.milesdavis.com/

Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition is a three-disc box set reissue of Miles Davis's studio album Kind of Blue, released September 30, 2008 on Columbia Records and distributed through Legacy Records. Contrary to the edition's title, the release precedes the album's fifthieth anniversary of either recording date or original issue date.
The collector's edition features the original Kind of Blue album in its entirety with the "Flamenco Sketches" alternate take, the rare "Freddie Freeloader" false start, and a selection of in-the-studio dialog from the Kind of Blue sessions on the first disc. The second disc features rare musical material from the classic sextet's recording sessions, including the May 26, 1958 session, which was previously available on The Complete Columbia Recordings: 1955-1961 and 1958 Miles. Also included on the second disc is the first authorized release of an extended live performance of "So What" from the 1960 Den Haag Concert.

Disc one
"So What" – 9:25
"Freddie Freeloader" – 9:49
"Blue in Green" – 5:37
"All Blues" – 11:35
"Flamenco Sketches" – 9:26
"Flamenco Sketches (alternate take)" – 9:33
"Freddie Freeloader (studio sequence)" – 0:53
"Freddie Freeloader (false start)" – 1:27
"Freddie Freeloader (studio sequence 2)" – 1:30
"So What (studio sequence)" – 1:55
"So What (studio sequence 2)" – 0:13
"Blue in Green (studio sequence)" – 1:58
"Flamenco Sketches (studio sketches)" – 0:45
"Flamenco Sketches (studio sketches 2)" – 1:12
"All Blues (studio sketches)" – 0:18

Disc two
"On Green Dolphin Street" (Kaper, Washington) – 9:50
"Fran-Dance" (Davis) – 5:49
"Stella by Starlight" (Young, Washington) – 4:46
"Love for Sale" (Porter) – 11:49
"Fran-Dance (alternate take)" – 5:53
"So What (live)" – 17:29