Miles Davis

Over the course of six compact discs, Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings collects every bit of music the legendary duo recorded together between the years 1957 and 1968. Each of the original albums — Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Quiet Nights — is presented in its original running order on separate discs; each individual disc is augmented with revealing alternate takes and rarities, like the duo's long-unavailable music for "The Time of the Barracudas" at the end of the Quiet Nights disc. The remaining two discs are filled with alternate takes, rehearsals, overdubbed solos, studio chatter, and outtakes. All of the music sounds splendid and often revelatory — for instance, in addition to being released in stereo for the first time ever, Miles Ahead is presented in its original version for the first time on compact disc. Each disc is enclosed in a sleeve that replicates the original album release (both covers of Miles Ahead are included within the set) and housed in an immense, detailed, gold-bound 197-page book. In fact, if there is any fault with the set it is this: since the notes, sleeves, track listings, and discs are bound together within one thick book, the set feels like a library piece instead of a functional, listenable retrospective. This is vital music that will be accessed often by anyone willing to invest in the set, so the box set should have been designed with that in mind. Nevertheless, Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings is filled with so much visionary and beautiful music it makes the slight flaws in packaging forgivable.
 

CD 1
1. Springsville (master)
2. The Maids of Cadiz (master)
3. The Duke (master)
4. My Ship (master)
5. Miles Ahead (master)
6. Blues for Pablo (master)
7. New Rhumba (master)
8. The Meaning of the Blues (master)
9. Lament (master)
10. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [master]
11. Springsville (remake take 7)
12. The Maids of Cadiz (take 1)
13. The Duke (take 11)
14. My Ship (take 1)
15. Miles Ahead (take 4)
16. Blues for Pablo (take 1)
17. New Rhumba (take 5)
18. The Meaning of the Blues (rehearsal take)
19. Lament (rehearsal take)
20. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [take 8]
21. Pause Track*
 

CD 2
1. Buzzard Song (from 'Porgy & Bess") [master]
2. Bess, You Is My Woman Now (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
3. Gone (master)
4. Gone, Gone, Gone (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
5. Summertime (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
6. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
7. Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
8. Fishermen, Strawberry and Devil Crab (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
9. My Man's Gone Now (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
10. It Ain't Necessarily So (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
11. Here Come de Honey Man (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
12. I Loves You, Porgy (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
13. There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York (from 'Porgy & Bess') [master]
14. Gone (take 3)
15. Summertime (from 'Porgy & Bess') [take 2]
16. Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) (from 'Porgy & Bess') [take 2]
17. I Loves You, Porgy (from 'Porgy & Bess') [take 1, second version]
18. There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York (from 'Porgy & Bess') [take 2]
19. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (from 'Porgy & Bess') [take 5]
20. Gone (take 4)
21. Pause Track*
 

CD 3
1. Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) [master]
2. Will O' the Wisp (master)
3. The Pan Piper (master)
4. Saeta (master)
5. Solea (master)
6. Song of Our Country (issued take)
7. Saeta (full version of master)
8. The Pan Piper (take 1)
9. Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) [part one, alternate take]
10. Concierto de Aranjuez (part two, alternate take)
11. Song of Our Country (take 14)
12. Pause Track*
 

CD 4
1. Song No. 2 (master)
2. Once Upon a Summertime (master)
3. Aos Pes Da Cruz (master)
4. Song No. 1 (master)
5. Wait Till You See Her (master)
6. Corcovado (master)
7. Blue Xmas (master)
8. Nothing Like You (master)
9. Devil May Care (master)
10. The Time of the Barracudas
11. Falling Water (take 4)
12. Falling Water (take 6)
13. Falling Water (take 8)
14. Falling Water (take 9)
15. Springsville (take 5)
16. The Maids of Cadiz (take 11)
17. The Maids of Cadiz (take 11, insert 1)
18. Lament (Medley: take 2)
19. The Duke (take 1)
20. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [53225 issued version]
 

CD 5
1. Springsville (rehearsal sequence)
2. Springsville (rehearsal with piano)
3. The Maids of Cadiz (take 9)
4. The Maids of Cadiz (take 10)
5. The Maids of Cadiz (rehearsal sequence)
6. Count Off for the Duke (take 3)
7. The Duke (take 8)
8. The Duke (piano take 3)
9. My Ship (take 6)
10. Miles Ahead (rehearsal sequence)
11. Miles Ahead (take 12)
12. Miles Ahead (take 15)
13. Studio Discussion
14. My Ship (take 7)
15. Miles Ahead (piano insert - mono)
16. Blues for Pablo (rehearsal sequence)
17. New Rhumba (take 2)
18. Lament (take 1)
19. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [rehearsal]
20. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [take 5]
21. Studio Discussion
22. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [piano take 4]
23. Pause Track*
 

CD 6
1. Studio Discussion
2. Springsville (take 8 without overdubs)
3. Studio Discussion
4. Miles Ahead (take 11 without overdubs)
5. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [take 3 without overdubs]
6. Springsville (overdub take 1)
7. Springsville (overdubbed solos 4 - 5)
8. Springsville (overdubbed solos 6-9)
9. Springsville (issued overdubbed solo)
10. Miles Ahead (issued overdubbed solo)
11. Miles Ahead (overdubbed solo)
12. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [overdubbed solo 1]
13. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [overdubbed solo 2]
14. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [overdubbed solo 4]
15. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [overdubbed solo 8]
16. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [overdubbed solo 19 & 19c]
17. Miles Ahead (mono master)
18. Gone (rehearsal sequence)
19. Gone, Gone, Gone (from 'Porgy & Bess') [rehearsal sequence]
20. Studio Discussion
21. Bess, You Is My Woman Now (from 'Porgy & Bess') [rehearsal take]
22. It Ain't Necessarily So (from 'Porgy & Bess') [take 1]
23. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (from 'Porgy & Bess') [take 3]
24. I Loves You, Porgy (from 'Porgy & Bess') [rehearsal sequence]
25. There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York (from 'Porgy & Bess') [remake]
26. My Man's Gone Now (from 'Porgy & Bess') [remake take]
27. Song of Our Country (take 9)
28. Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) [rehearsal]
29. Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) [alternate ending]
30. Pause Track*