Columbia Hails Miles Davis With Ambitious Set of Releases

Miles Davis would have celebrated his 75th birthday on May 25; the 10thanniversary of his passing takes place in September. Given the dual commemorations, as well as the increased jazz visibility provided by Ken Burns’ PBS documentary, it’s not surprising that the Davis catalog is once again being mined for its profuse musical riches.

Columbia, where Davis spent a large portion of his career, has made most of his recordings available on CD, many via the Columbia Legacy imprint. In observation of the dual dates, the label is releasing eight separate CD projects covering the entire archive of Davis’ music from his primary tenure at the company (1955-1985).

The recordings, which will be issued through September, are aimed at various segments of the market, from the general audience to the dedicated Davis fan. Some will include previously unavailable material. Here’s the schedule of releases:

* The first project, released April 17, consists of five individual recordings that were the source of material included in the six-CD boxed set “Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961.” That set, released in 2000, won two Grammys. In the case of these five releases, however, the classic material--from the mid-’50s to the early ‘60s--is being issued in original formats with original album covers. Many of the albums will stir poignant memories for fans who recall the originals. The titles are:

“ ‘Round About Midnight” includes four bonus tracks not heard on the original LP.

“Milestones,” featuring the Davis sextet that added Cannonball Adderley to the band, includes three bonus tracks (the only known alternate takes from the session that anticipated “Kind of Blue”).

“Miles Davis at Newport,” the first concert outing that included Bill Evans and Jimmy Cobb in the Davis band, has been restored to its full-length performance. (An abridged version, included in the “Miles & Monk at Newport” LP, incorrectly identified Wynton Kelly, rather than Bill Evans, as the pianist.)

“Jazz at the Plaza” dates to a 1958 press party, with the sextet playing lengthy renderings of “If I Were a Bell,” “Oleo,” “My Funny Valentine” and “Straight, No Chaser.” (The first three tunes provided the wily Davis with Columbia versions of titles included on his final recordings for Prestige in 1956.)

“Miles Davis & John Coltrane: Best of the Complete Columbia Recordings, 1955-1961.” Nine tracks from the boxed set, assembled in an effort to characterize the collection on a single CD. Among the titles: “Two Bass Hit,” “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “ ‘Round Midnight,” “Straight, No Chaser” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

With a couple of exceptions on the “best of” set, material from the hugely popular “Kind of Blue” release has been omitted. (No reason to dilute the impact of that album, which continues to sell about 5,000 copies a week and has reached double platinum status--more than 2 million--in worldwide sales.) Issuing the Davis CDs in this format allows fans reluctant to spring for a boxed set to acquire individual items from this marvelous treasure trove.

* “The Essential Miles Davis,” scheduled for release May 15, is a surprisingly far-reaching, two-CD compilation, the first to combine Davis tracks from various record companies reaching across the entire arc of his career. Included are items from the following catalogs: Savoy Records (via 1945 sessions with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie); Capitol (from “The Birth of the Cool”); Prestige (from 1953 with Parker and Sonny Rollins, and 1954 with Horace Silver); Blue Note (from 1953 with Art Blakey); Columbia (from “ ‘Round Midnight” in 1956 to “Time After Time” in 1984) and Warner Bros. (from 1986’s “Tutu” with Marcus Miller).

* “Miles Davis Live at Fillmore East,” scheduled for release in July. Two shows were recorded March 7, 1970, at Bill Graham’s New York movie theater-turned-concert hall. It was a month before the release of “Bitches Brew,” and much of the material comes from that album (recorded in late 1969): “Spanish Key,” “Sanctuary,” “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” and the title piece. The personnel included many of the participants from the album session, among them Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette. Note, by the way, that this two-CD set differs from “Black Beauty: Live at the Fillmore West,” recorded in April, and “Miles Davis at Fillmore,” recorded in June at the Fillmore East, both of which include some of the same material and were performed by a slightly different ensemble.

* “The Complete ‘In a Silent Way’ Sessions,” scheduled for release in September. Davis’ transition from his superb ‘60s aggregation to the music of the ‘70s and beyond is displayed in compelling fashion in this boxed set, which details the gradual evolution of his first “electric” band. The original sessions, in September 1968, included Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. By November, however, Corea, Holland, DeJohnette and Joe Zawinul had been added to the lineup; in February, 1968, John McLaughlin came on board. The process, as it unfolds, reveals the fashion in which Davis adapted to changing musical styles: always receptive to new ideas, but only taking what was appropriate for his own musical vision, framing it in the image of his creative perspective.

It’s worth observing that the majority of this material is available in various Columbia releases. Does that suggest that the company is milking the Davis catalog dry? Well, milking it, yes, and perhaps understandably so, given the cash cow that “Kind of Blue” has become. But the Davis recording chronicle is so full of fascinating material that it’s hard to argue with the opportunity to acquire it in collections that appeal to various interests.

A caveat should be observed, nonetheless, one in which the buyer takes a careful look at both the personnel and the titles on any given Davis release to make sure that they do not duplicate already owned recordings. That aside, the Columbia Legacy releases for this commemorative year are filled with well-worth-owning musical gems.

Passings: Smith Dobson wasn’t a high-visibility artist, but he was well-regarded by those who came in contact with his fine jazz piano playing. A veteran of gigs with Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders and others, he recorded with Art Pepper, Richie Cole and Eddie Jefferson, and performed regularly with Bobby Hutcherson. A staple of the Bay Area scene, Dobson organized the long-running Jazz Series at Garden City, taught a regular jazz program at UC Santa Cruz, was a clinician at the Monterey Jazz Festival and helped form the first San Jose Summer Jazz Camp at San Jose State University. His death in an auto accident last week in Santa Cruz deprives the jazz world of one of its most productive participants.