Miles Davis Sourcer

"Bitches Brew" is a pivotal document in music history. Widely considered one of the greatest jazz albums ever made, it is Miles Davis’ first Gold-certified work. The music legend continues his experimentation with electric instruments, bridging together jazz and rock. Davis’ innovative masterpiece mixed the best elements of free jazz, electric rock textures and blues phrasings. It is one of Q Magazine’s “Best Jazz Albums of All Time” and one of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. It reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums and won the GRAMMY for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance.

"Miles & Monk at Newport" was a combined album of a Miles Davis appearance at Newport with an appearance of Thelonious Monk, from the LP era. Despite the title, the two artists do not perform together on the LP, and they are represented on each side by separate live appearances at the Newport Jazz Festival.

Trumpeter Miles Davis led several sessions for Prestige Records between November 1955 and October 1956 with his legendary "first" quintet, featuring tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. The sessions represent an incomparable musical legacy. Impeccably engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, the music was released on five albums that provide a unique glimpse at how five brilliant instrumentalists coalesced into one of the most extraordinary ensembles in modern jazz. Workin' presents an easygoing program that balances ballads with the blues and includes quintet performances of originals by Davis ("Four"), Coltrane ("Trane's Blues"), and Dave Brubeck ("In Your Own Sweet Way"); an interpretation of the standard "It Never Entered My Mind" without saxophone; and a piano-trio version of Ahmad Jamal's "Ahmad's Blues." Coltrane's melancholy solo on Brubeck's tune and Garland's spry excursion on Coltrane's are two of this classic's many highlights.

Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album by Miles Davis, recorded in 1956 but not released until 1961 as PRLP 7200. Two sessions on May 11, 1956 and October 26 in the same year resulted in four albums: this one, Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet, Workin' with The Miles Davis Quintet and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet.

Miles Davis is backed up by two different groups on these songs taken from various 10-inch vinyl releases, recorded in 1951 and 1953 and released in 1956. The earlier session features Sonny Rollins on saxophone, Bennie Green on trombone, John Lewis on piano, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Roy Haynes. The 1953 session also features Lewis, with Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Sonny Truitt joining Davis on the front line, backed by the rhythm section of bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Kenny Clarke.

This is one of four highly-acclaimed albums Miles Davis made during two days of marathon sessions in May and October 1956 to fulfill a contractual obligation. Davis recorded 26 tracks over the two days, all live off the floor and all first takes, with his superb first great quintet that includes John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums.

Trumpeter Miles Davis led several sessions for Prestige Records between November 1955 and October 1956 with his legendary "first" quintet, featuring tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. The sessions represent an incomparable musical legacy. Impeccably engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, the music was released on five albums that provide a unique glimpse at how five brilliant instrumentalists coalesced into one of the most extraordinary ensembles in modern jazz.

"A Tribute to Jack Johnson" is a soundtrack composed by Miles Davis to accompany a documentary film about the life of boxer Jack Johnson. For the score, Davis said he wanted to put together what he called "the greatest rock and roll band you have ever heard." The line-up featured John McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock (guitars), Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea (keyboards), Bennie Maupin (clarinet), and Jack DeJohnette and Billy Cobham (drums). Produced by Teo Macero, the soundtrack was recorded in two sessions between February and April of 1970. Both sessions took place at the 30th Street Studio in New York City.