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In the 1953-4
Blue Haze is the essence of the post-bebop style which became Miles Davis's much-imitated signature. Miles had not distinguished himself in the hothouse of bebop and the innovations of his 1949-50 nonet had curiously fallen on stony ground but here and in subsequent small group records for the Prestige label the celebrated cool personality was forged. These dates coincided with Miles's retreat from heroin addiction and his fragility seems palpable in his vulnerable phrasing and sound. Yet despite the tantalising sense that he might teeter over the edge of a broken phrase at any moment, he always artfully escapes disaster. Below the delicate surface, there is determined poise and control and his manipulation of familiar melodies like "I'll Remember April" and "Old Devil Moon" is consistently witty and imaginative. In improvisation, he builds long lines full of logical melodic variation. He's here with contrasting rhythm sections, one with the intense, funky playing of Horace Silver and the bebop of the under-rated Davey Schildkraut, one with the more elegant John Lewis. But whatever the company, Miles seems to cast a mood of relaxed purpose over the proceedings.
--Mark Gilbert
Album Details
This CD reissue features trumpeter Miles Davis with three different pick-up recording groups that are full of fellow all-stars. 'Tune Up,' 'Miles Ahead,' 'When Lights Are Low' (which uses slightly different chord changes than its composer Benny Carter originally intended) and 'Smooch' find Davis joined by pianist John Lewis (Charles Mingus plays piano on 'Smooch'), bassist Percy Heath and drummer Max Roach. With pianist Horace Silver, bassist Heath and drummer Art Blakey offering solid accompaniment, Davis introduces 'Four' and performs 'Old Devil Moon' and 'Blue Haze.' Finally, with altoist Dave Schildkraut, Silver, Heath and drummer Kenny Clarke, Miles jams through 'I'll Remember April.' Although not as essential as the trumpeter's classic quintet records of 1955-56, several of the performances (most notably 'Tune Up' and 'Four') are quite memorable and the straight ahead playing is of