Miles Davis and " Cookin' "

TheMusicalMarine · December-20th-2003, 07:53 PM

I've had this album for about two months now, listened to it maybe a dozen times, and it's still absolutely brilliant. A couple quick questions:

Are the other Prestige recordings of a like calibre?

Also, obviously Coltrane is a big name, but concerning Garland, Chambers, and Jones...would you recommend any other work(s) of theirs?

Thanks

Bill Barton · December-20th-2003, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TheMusicalMarine
I've had this album for about two months now, listened to it maybe a dozen times, and it's still absolutely brilliant. A couple quick questions:

Are the other Prestige recordings of a like calibre?

Also, obviously Coltrane is a big name, but concerning Garland, Chambers, and Jones...would you recommend any other work(s) of theirs?

Thanks

Question #1: Yes!

Question #2: Damned near anything!

Steamin' baby, STEAMIN'

Workin' too...

Pete C · December-20th-2003, 08:08 PM

Workin', Steamin' & Relaxin' were recorded at the same sessions as Cookin' and are of the same caliber. The story is Miles had to finish out a contract with Prestige and provide enough material for 4 albums after he had been signed to Columbia. Columbia had already recorded Round About Midnight, but couldn't release it until the Prestige contract was fulfilled. Miles & the band went into the studio and basically recorded the working band's book that they'd do in live performance, generally in single takes. I think the Prestige albums are much stronger than Round About Midnight--the group is more cohesive, and Coltrane is less hesitant.

An absolute classic with that rhythm section is "Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section".

For Garland & Chambers, but with Arthur Taylor on drums, I'd highly recommend Garland's "P.C. Blues" album. That trio did a lot of Prestige sessions, including some of Trane's dates as a leader.

Tanager · December-20th-2003, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
Workin', Steamin' & Relaxin' were recorded at the same sessions as Cookin' and are of the same caliber. The story is Miles had to finish out a contract with Prestige and provide enough material for 4 albums after he had been signed to Columbia.

An interesting coda to this is that Cookin', although it was the first of the four albums to be released, was actually taken from the last tunes recorded in the second of the two sessions - I believe that Prestige continued to release the tunes in this reverse order, for what reason I don't know.

Miles has a LOT of good Prestige sides, and not just with the 5tet. There is also the legendary session that produced both Bags' Groove and the less well-known but every bit as excellent Meets the Modern Jazz Giants, and there are other good albums worth checking out as well.

crawjo · December-20th-2003, 09:23 PM

Also interesting to note, most of those Prestige sides (all?) are available for download at emusic.com. In addition to the excellent albums already mentioned, I enjoy "Blue Haze" as well, particularly the track "Nature Boy."

Nate Dorward · December-21st-2003, 01:38 AM

I like Blue Haze too but at least on LP (which is what I've got) it doesn't have "Nature Boy".

Pete C · December-21st-2003, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nate Dorward
I like Blue Haze too but at least on LP (which is what I've got) it doesn't have "Nature Boy".

He's probably thinking of "Blue Moods," the session that Mingus produced for Debut.

crawjo · December-21st-2003, 09:37 AM

Ach, my bad. I meant Blue Moods.

Nick · December-22nd-2003, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TheMusicalMarine
I've had this album for about two months now, listened to it maybe a dozen times, and it's still absolutely brilliant. A couple quick questions:

Are the other Prestige recordings of a like calibre?

Also, obviously Coltrane is a big name, but concerning Garland, Chambers, and Jones...would you recommend any other work(s) of theirs?

Thanks

Workin' was the first jazz album I ever bought and I also fell in love instantly. Before Workin, Steamin, Relaxin, and Cookin that same quintet also recorded "The New Miles Davis Quintet" for Prestige and it's equally brilliant. I envy you because you have a lot of beautiful Miles to hear for the first time and be blown away by. Have fun!

Pete C · December-22nd-2003, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nick
that same quintet also recorded "The New Miles Davis Quintet" for Prestige and it's equally brilliant.

I beg to differ.

Chris D · December-22nd-2003, 10:26 AM

Garland recorded a few jam session albums for Prestige, with long tracks, a lot of early Coltrane, Donald Byrd on trumpet and most with Art Taylor on drums. "Soul Junction" is probably the strongest, and "All Morning Long" has the other part of that session. "High Pressure" has its moments as well, especially a powerful version of "Two Bass Hit."

clinthopson · December-22nd-2003, 11:41 AM

I think the liner notes point out that these four discs were made pretty quickly. The band had been playing these same tunes on the bandstand for some time so they were able to nail them in one or two takes.

This, IMHO is one of Miles' best two bands, the othere was when Cannon and Bill Evans were in it. Yeah, yeah, I dig the Shorter, Hancock, WIlliams band, but it doesn't do as much for old me as these bands do.

shrugs · December-22nd-2003, 11:44 AM

Capt. W./TX. · December-22nd-2003, 05:35 PM

"Cookin' " is, IMO, the pick of the litter-although I'd hate to be without any of them.

Fortunately, I was gifted a long time ago with the Miles Complete Prestige recordings CD box set-a treasure trove!

But I've lived with thosew four Quintet albums for over four decades-I could probably identify any cut on "Cookin' " on a needle-drop quiz in 30 seconds or less.

One of my favorite moments on "Cookin' "occurs during "When Lights Are Low" at the end of Miles' solo: he ends with a "bebop fanfare", Garland answers it with a two-chord figure and Coltrane begins his solo with a two-note figure that answers Garland.

That moment still gasses me, even though I've heard it 1000 times! It is only one example of this extraordinary group's interaction.

Philly Joe Jones was truly a force of nature on the up-tempo things. He, PC and Red were definitely one of the greatest jazz rhythm sections of all time.

BlueMiles · December-22nd-2003, 11:19 PM

If you don't have "Milestones" yet, go out and get it. This is one of the two great sextet albums by Miles from the period--the other being "Kind of Blue." The two are quite different in approach, with "Milestones" rather close in feeling to the Prestige dates. It's a real kicking uptempo session, but more carefully constructed than the Prestiges--and it offers a different frontline sound with the addition of Cannonball Adderley (otherwise, the group is the same as on "Cookin" and the others). No disrespect to these Prestige sessions (or some of the others with Milt, Monk, and Sonny), but "Milestones" (Columbia) is one of the greatest of all Miles Davis records.

"Sid's Ahead"...one of the coolest and most fascinating grooves you will ever hear in jazz.

Nick · December-23rd-2003, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
I beg to differ.

OK, OK, OK. Maybe not as brilliant, but pretty fucking great.

Gary Sisco · December-23rd-2003, 08:00 AM

TMM -- "Relaxin'" is the first Miles and the first jazz album I ever bought, and it's still my favorite, single record 35 years later. I have it on vinyl and CD (the single CD and the sessions, which are all included in the order in which the band played them, on the Miles Prestige box). Everything on that series of albums, as Pete said, came from the same sessions, though the individual tracks on the records were released in no particular order from them, and were chosen and sequenced primarily according to time, given the time limitations of an lp side. In other words, they're all great records. Everything was recorded in only a few days, one tune after another, almost all first takes, so it gives you some clue about how awesome that quintet was, if they could consistently perform on that level, tune after tune, as Miles called them, as he would have at a gig. One of the best bands, ever.