Miles at Birdland 1951.

[JSngry]

It goes without saying that I'll be getting this one for some previously unavailable Sonny Rollins from 1951. But the opportunity to hear Lockjaw and Big Nick together justifies this one all by tiself, if you ask me. Tenor madness bay-bee!

[Alexander]

I got this today. The recording quality is poor for the most part (there's quite a bit of surfice noise), but the music is outstanding. Hard to say which dates are best. The whole thing was new to me, so I was unsure what to expect. The tracks with Sonny and J.J. are a treat, of course, but I was also knocked out by Lockjaw and Big Nick. Once you get past the sound, it's well worth it...

[Peter Johnson]

Thank you!

[ghost of miles]

Just got this last night... man, why do I love this era so much? There's something about the late 40s/early 50s, when bebop, cool, and the beginnings of hard bop were all converging, that just gets to my sweet tooth. I truly could listen to this stuff for the rest of my life if I had to. I already had a Fresh Sounds CD of Miles live in '48 with Lee Konitz and '52 with Jackie McLean and Gil Coggins; this one falls in between those two dates and is in some ways even more enjoyable.

[Brad]

Mine's on order and I'm just salivating, waiting to hear it. Hopefully, early next week.

[Muskrat Ramble]

Just got this last night... man, why do I love this era so much? There's something about the late 40s/early 50s, when bebop, cool, and the beginnings of hard bop were all converging, that just gets to my sweet tooth. I truly could listen to this stuff for the rest of my life if I had to.

Make sure you check out Sophisticated Swing (the double CD set) by Cannonball & Nat Adderley and The Eminent JJ Johnson vols. 1 and 2. These are nearly perfect examples of that era's jazz, imo. Of the Johnson discs, the Penguin Guide says it well: "The first volume of the Blue Note set is one of the central documents of post-war jazz and should on no account be missed."

[MartyJazz]

Mine's on order and I'm just salivating, waiting to hear it.  Hopefully, early next week.

Ditto.

I've had the June '51 broadcast with Rollins on an old Boris Rose bootleg LP for many years. Can't wait to get the additional session with Newk (note my avatar) and to hear what the session with Nicholas sounds like. The latter was also available on a BR bootleg but I passed it up at the time.

Marty B)

[medjuck]

I suspect that the Feb 17 date (my birthday! I turned 8 that day) has never been released because the sound is so bad. Probably the loudest surface noises I've ever heard on a legal release. But still not enough to keep me from being glad I got this. I'm surprised they didn't give a stronger warning on the cover. I expect that retailers are going to get some returns. Hey maybe it's justt my copy and I should try to trade it for another..

[sheldonm]

Nope, it's not just your copy!

[JohnT]

Just picked this one up myself. The sounds a little rough but what a great historical document!! And I like the look of the CD cover, etc. (loved the "new" Andrew Hill "Passing Ships" cover too) -- classic Blue Note!! Would have loved to be in the audience for this one (I wasn't even born yet!!). Listen to Tommy Potters bass on the first sessions -- great sound for 1951 -- smokin'!!

[JSngry]

The June broadacast seems to have been pitch-corrected from what was on the Fresh Sounds issue. Haven't A/b'ed them yet, but a casual listening seems to indicate that it has.

[Larry Kart]

Miles is in great form (at once playing hard and thinking hard about how he wants to play, or so it seems--he's definitely on the move here), Blakey fortunately is close to the mike, and Kenny Drew is really locked in. A strong feeling of that specific wedge of the past, too. A feast.

[Muskrat Ramble]

The sounds a little rough but what a great historical document!!

If by "rough" you mean "atrocious," I'd agree (Think Goodman Carnegie Hall concert.) Smokin' jazz, though.

[Eric]

I like the cover.

I think the sound quality of the music is fine - actually pretty good considering the recording circumstances. There are a couple spots where it is rough, but who cares.

The MUSIC kicks ass!!! It really is fun to listen to

Eric

[sheldonm]

I think a lot of times we bitch about the sound quality of some of these recordings (myself included), but I often remind myself as I did when I played this particular disc, that many of these were recorded 50+ years ago. I'm amazed that most of these re-issues sound as great as they do; I think we're spoiled!!!

Mark

[JSngry]

"Recorded" is a bit misleading. "Captured" is more like it. It's a radio broadcast that somebody recorded off the air. Extreme variance in quality comes with the territory.

These aren't "recordings", they're archeological artifacts. We're lucky to have any of them, much less as many as we do. For that we can thank Boris Rose and others.

[Brad]

My view of these types of radio recordings is that we're extremely lucky that somebody decided to record them off the air and that they still exist in as good a condition as they do.

[medjuck]

I inferred from the notes that the Feb 17 recording was done in the club rather than off tghe air. (Or was it one of the other dates? I'm to lazy to go look it up.)

[JohnS]

I notice that two of the Feb 17 tracks, "Out Of The Blue" and "Tempus Fugit" appear on Charley/Le Jazz Cd 45 - Miles Davis at The Royal Roost 1948 and Birdland 1950, 51, 53.

[CJ Shearn]

picked up my copy yesterday. Despite the sound, the music is just burnin! It's interesting to hear the groundwork laid down for hard bop at this point and Blakey a bit more in Max/Klook mode.

[Tom in RI]

Interesting to read the comments regarding the fidelity (or lack thereof) on this issue. I was in college when I started getting into jazz and I bought some Charlie Parker records on Everest because they were cheap and I was a poor student. They got me used to listening through the haze of primitive airshot recordings. Sure I wish they sounded better but I listen and enjoy them anyway.

Edited February 10, 2004 by Tom in RI