Miles Ahead: What's New

Miles Davis LPs making a comeback? (1/1/2012)
A surprising number of Miles Davis recordings are now available on vinyl, and some of these are very nicely produced. A German label called Speakers Corner has released Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud, 'Round About Midnight, and Miles Smiles, all on beautiful 180-gram pressings. A Dutch label called Music on Vinyl has released nine Miles Davis records to date, including a five-LP version of the acclaimed Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1. The venerable Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory is launching a "Miles Davis catalog restoration series" and will soon release six titles, including Milestones, Kind of Blue, and Sketches of Spain. And of course Analogue Productions continues to produce terrific reissues of Miles' Prestige and Blue Note recordings, including a magnificent reissue of The Great Prestige Recordings on ten 180-gram 45-rpm LPs and wonderful 200-gram monaural pressings of Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin', along with two-LP, 45-rpm versions of Columbia records like Someday My Prince Will Come and Seven Steps to Heaven. Who says vinyl is dead?

Miles Ahead v4.1 (9/30/2011)
Miles Ahead has been migrated from an old Windows 2003 server to a new Windows 2008 server, which allows me to use some new features and should make the site quicker and more stable. A few cosmetic changes have been introduced, but most of the changes are, as they say, "under the hood."

Sony USA Inaugurates the Miles Davis Bootleg Series (8/27/2011)
September 20 is the release date for the first volume of the Miles Davis Bootleg Series. The first set in this projected series is Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1 (Columbia Legacy 88697 94053), which comprises three complete shows from the fall 1967 "Newport Jazz Festival in Europe" tour: Antwerp (October 28), Copenhagen (November 2), and Paris (November 6). The set also includes a DVD containing short sets from Stockholm (October 31) and Karlsruhe (November 7). (details)

Prestige liner notes (3/25/2011)
To supplement the HTML versions, I've added links to images of the liner notes for all of the 10" and 12" Prestige LPs.

Recent additions and updates (3/19/2011)
Miles Ahead has always had a "last updated" date on the main page. Over the years people have asked for a feature that would indicate not only when the last update happened, but what was updated. I've finally added that feature. Sorry it took so long.

Bitches Brew Live released (2/8/2011)
Sony Music has released Bitches Brew Live (Sony 81485), a single CD including the abbreviated performance at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival (July 5) and the short set performed at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. The Newport titles are previously unissued (details).

Miles-L listserv shuts down
The Miles-L listserv no longer exists. It has been superseded by a Google group. For information about membership in this group, consult the FAQ: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2303659/Miles_Davis_Google_Group/FAQ.html

Release dates for Columbia recordings (8/27/2010)
The list of Columbia equivalents now includes release dates, something that many people have requested over the years. This information is surprisingly hard to come by, and there are still many Columbia records for which I don't have a release date. So if you know any that are missing, please let me know.

Miles Ahead v4.0 (7/4/2010)
Miles Ahead has been "upsized" -- I've moved from a decrepit Microsoft Access database to SQL Server 2008. The benefits should be much better performance and reliability. Most of the rest of the site remains as it was. If anyone would like to make a donation to help pay for the recurring costs of the new software, I've set up a PayPal donation form.

Dogfish Head Bitches Brew (6/28/2010)
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, the Dogfish Head craft brewery unveils "a bold, dark beer that's a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root, a gustatory analog to Miles' masterpiece." Look for it in late August 2010.

New boxed sets (6/28/2010)
In August Sony will release two sets of Bitches Brew-related recordings: the three CD + DVD + double-LP Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Columbia 88697 70274 2) (details), and the two CD + DVD Bitches Brew Legacy Edition (Columbia 88697 54519 2) (details).

Sony Mastersound re-reissues (12/19/2008)
Sony Japan begins another re-reissue series of the Miles Davis catalog. Blu-Ray CDs -- the first batch released on December 24, 2008.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (12/19/2008)
More Miles Davis re-reissues from Victor. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (10/19/2008)
More limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released in November 2008.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (7/1/2008)
More jazz reissues from Victor -- these are new SHM versions of 20 classic Prestige records. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (5/12/2008)
More limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released in June 2008.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (3/3/2008)
More jazz and bossa nova reissues in Victor's "Nice Price" series, to be released in May and June 2008. A couple Miles Davis items included. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Teo Macero, 82, Record Producer, Dies (2/21/2008)
Teo Macero, producer at Columbia for much of Miles Davis's career, died on February 19 after a long illness. What a wonderful biography could be written about this guy, whose fingerprints are all over many of the most important jazz records ever recorded. (Anyone interested in the biography should be sure to consult the Teo Macero Collection housed at the New York Public Library.) You can listen to Teo Macero expounding on a variety of subjects at http://www.artistshousemusic.org. And a documentary entitled Play That, Teo (http://playthatteo.com/) is forthcoming. Here are Teo and Miles Davis in the studio: August 21, 1962; June 7, 1967; November 19, 1969.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (1/20/2008)
Another 100 jazz reissues in Victor's "Nice Price" series, to be released in March and April 2008. Several Miles Davis items included. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (12/20/2007)
More limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released in February 2008.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (11/27/2007)
Ten new SHM CDs ("Super High Material," apparently a new 'n' improved -- 'n' more expensive -- plastic medium that allows for better tracking), to be released in January 2008. Two Miles Davis items included. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (11/19/2007)
More limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released in January 2008.

The Complete On the Corner Sessions 1972-1975
Another boxed set in the works (this one six CDs), comprising some of the issued and unissued studio material from the mid-1970s. To be released sometime in fall 2007.

Miles Davis at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival
The release date for the Japanese CD (Victor UCCO-1008) is August 8; the U.S. version (Concord/Monterey Jazz Festival Records MJFR-30310) is scheduled for release August 21. Previously available on several bootlegs.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (7/6/2007)
Another 150 jazz reissues in Victor's "Nice Price" series, to be released in September and October 2007. Several Miles Davis items included. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (5/5/2007)
More limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note and Capitol reissues from Japan, to be released in summer 2007.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (3/1/2007)
Another 150 jazz reissues in Victor's "Nice Price" series, to be released in April and May 2007. Several Miles Davis items included. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (8/17/2006)
More limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note and Capitol reissues from Japan, to be released in October 2006.

Sony Mastersound re-reissues (8/8/2006)
Sony Japan begins another re-reissue series of the Miles Davis catalog. Limited-edition CDs in paper sleeves, the first batch released on September 20, 2006.

New options on "other artists" live recordings Query Form (7/21/2006)
You can query the live recordings database by year or by category. Use the latter to find e.g. all items from the Total Music Meeting, or all NDR Jazzworkshops.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (7/20/2006)
More limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note and Capitol reissues from Japan, to be released in September 2006.

New option on "other artists" live recordings trade list (7/14/2006)
You can now also see only those items added to the live recordings database in the last three months.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (7/6/2006)
Another hundred jazz reissues in Victor's "Nice Price" series. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (3/1/2006)
One hundred more jazz records in Victor's "Nice Price" series. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (1/4/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released in February and March 2006.

Cellar Door release date announced (11/18/2005)
The release date for the long-awaited six-CD set, The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (C6K 96314) has been re-set to December 27, 2005.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (11/17/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released January 25, 2006.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (10/25/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released December 21, 2005.

New option on query forms (10/10/2005)
You can now search the Miles Davis and Charlie Parker sessions database by year, as well as by tune, musician, venue, etc.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (10/4/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released November 23, 2005.

Columbia Legacy postpones release of Cellar Door set (9/27/2005)
The release date for the long-awaited six-CD set, The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (C6K 96314) has been postponed indefinitely.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (9/10/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released October 26, 2005.

Query form for live recordings/CDRs (8/9/2005)
I've added a form that allows you to search my collection of (non-Miles Davis and non-Charlie Parker) unissued live music for tunes, musicians, groups, and locations.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (8/1/2005)
On September 22, 2005 Victor/JVC will re-release more jazz records in their "Nice Price" series. Nothing fancy, but limited editions. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (7/22/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released September 22, 2005.

Sony Mastersound re-reissues (7/15/2005)
Sony Japan continues to re-reissue the Miles Davis catalog on one-bit DSD-CDs. The next batch will be released on September 21, 2005.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (6/28/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released August 24, 2005.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (6/21/2005)
Victor/JVC has resumed reissuing the Prestige jazz catalog in DVD Audio format. These discs are pricy ($50+ apiece!), but reviews say they sound great. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Joined Creative Commons (6/10/2005)
I've added this website to the Creative Commons -- allowing certain uses of the data gathered here but disallowing other uses. If you want to know why, look at the Frequently Asked Questions elsewhere on this site. If you want to know more about the Creative Commons, visit creativecommons.org.

New Columbia Legacy releases (6/7/2005)
On June 14 Sony USA released the Legacy Edition of 'Round About Midnight (C2K 94750). Also, a September 20 release date has been announced for the long-awaited six-CD set, The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (C6K 96314).

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (5/9/2005)
On June 22, 2005 Victor/JVC will re-release fifty more jazz records in their "Nice Price" series. Nothing fancy, but limited editions. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Sony Mastersound re-reissues (5/7/2005)
Sony Japan is beginning to re-reissue the Miles Davis catalog on one-bit DSD-CDs. The first batch will be released on June 22, 2005.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (5/7/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan, to be released June 8, 2005.

Discography re-done (3/26/2005)
I've re-done the discography to group the records for which there are multiple entries -- so all ten versions of Kind of Blue that are in the database appear together. There are still separate entries to account for differences among these issued versions.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (2/23/2005)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan.

New query category (12/26/2004)
It's now possible to query the Miles Ahead sessions database for composer, e.g. if you're looking for all those sessions in New York where the Miles Davis Quintet performed tunes composed by John Lewis. I've also fixed a lot of erroneous data.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (11/25/2004)
Some new limited-edition Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan.

Seven Steps released (9/28/2004)
Columbia Legacy issues Seven Steps: Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964 on seven CDs.

Victor Prestige/New Jazz reissues (9/3/2004)
Victor/JVC will re-release fifty jazz records in their "Nice Price 2004" series. Nothing fancy, but limited editions. See http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/ for details.

Miles Ahead v3.0 (9/1/2004)
I've re-written Miles Ahead in ASP.NET, Microsoft's improved platform for dynamic websites. In the process I have added some new features and fixed several errors in the data. As always, let me know if you spot mistakes.

New Columbia Legacy set coming this fall (6/20/2004)
Columbia will release Seven Steps: Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964 on seven CDs in fall 2004.

Toshiba Blue Note reissues (2/15/2004)
A list of all currently-available Toshiba Blue Note reissues from Japan.

New Columbia Legacy reissue (9/30/2003)
Columbia released The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions on five CDs. This is a CD-only set; no Mosaic Records LPs will be produced.

New Columbia Legacy reissue (6/3/2003)
Columbia released Miles Davis at the Blackhawk on four CDs. A six-LP set is also available from Mosaic Records.

Sony Mastersound re-reissue (5/1/2003)
Sony Japan has a few more Mastersound DSDs in the pipeline.

Facelift (1/1/2003)
Putting some time off to "good use," I have made some changes to the discography and sessionography, and added a "Frequently Asked Questions" page.

Miles Ahead moved (7/3/2002)
Some of the files in Miles Ahead have new URLs. The main page remains where it has been. Links throughout have been updated. Also the query form has a new free-text search feature so you can look for words in the session notes.

Prestige LPs redesigned (4/10/2002)
I've added liner notes for Miles Davis's 10" LPs on Prestige, and redone the design of the notes for the 12" LPs so that the layout is more like the original covers.

Classic Records reissues (1/17/2002)
Classic Records will kick off their Blue Note reissue series with two 10" LPs from the early 1950s: Young Man with a Horn (BLP 5013) and Miles Davis, Volume 3 (BLP 5040).

Corrections, etc. (1/10/2002)
I've made a bunch of corrections to the data in Miles Ahead and changed a few of the filenames. If you have links to subpages within Miles Ahead, please check them. (Thanks to everyone who spotted errors!)

New Columbia Legacy reissue (10/23/2001)
Columbia released The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, November 1968-February 1969 on three CDs. A five-LP set is also available from Mosaic Records.

New Columbia Legacy reissues (6/1/2001)
Columbia has postponed until at least August 21 the release of Miles Davis Live at the Fillmore East (C2K 85191), a two-CD set from March 7, 1970. They're now saying October 18 for the release of The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions (C3K 65362), comprising sessions from late 1968 through early 1969.

Charlie Parker discography (4/1/2001)
I've added a modest Charlie Parker discography to Miles Ahead (CDs only).

Old versions removed (1/1/2001)
In a fit of new-millennium organizing, I've finally removed the links to old versions of the Miles Ahead site. If you see outdated links on the internet, please let me (and those responsible) know.

Variations in "Kind of Blue" (12/15/2000)
Issued versions of Kind of Blue's "So What" vary a lot in length, and it's not just speed-correction that accounts for it.

New Columbia Legacy reissues (12/10/00)
According to Columbia, five single-CD reissues will be released in April 2001: 'Round About Midnight (1955-56); Milestones (1958); Miles Davis at Newport 1958; Jazz at the Plaza (1958); and a "best-of" disc taken from the Davis/Coltrane boxed set.

Even more Toshiba Blue Note reissues (10/10/00)
A large collection of Toshiba reissues released 11/22/2000.

Still more Toshiba Blue Note reissues (8/29/00)
A large collection of Toshiba reissues through October 2000.

Columbia to issue 1970s recordings (4/17/00)
Columbia is preparing three Davis records from the 1970s for summer release: Get Up With It (2 CDs, 1970-74); Big Fun (2 CDs, 1969-72); and On The Corner (1972).

Sony Mastersound re-reissues (4/11/00)
Beginning in May, Sony Japan will reissue the Mastersound series of Davis CDs. The first pressings will be issued in cardboard LP-style sleeves.

New JVC/Victor CD series (1/15/00)
Victor Musical Trading continues to reissues the Davis catalog in high-end CD formats. A complete list of the latest "Heritage of Jazz" series is available here.

New JVC/Victor Prestige 10" LPs (12/1/99)
Early in 2000 Victor Musical Trading will release the second batch of 10" Prestige LP reissues, with original covers, liner notes, etc.

More Toshiba/EMI 24-bit "Rudy van Gelder" reissues (10/20/99)
Toshiba has announced a third run of 24-bit SBM "Rudy van Gelder" remastered CDs. Here's a schedule of releases through spring 2000.

Miles Ahead v2.0 (10/18/99)
I've redone Miles Ahead, and it's now driven by a couple Access databases. Help (and a brief description of features) is available here.

Columbia postpones Davis/Coltrane box (8/15/99)
News from Sony/Columbia and Mosaic Records on their plans to reissue "definitive" boxed sets of Davis's Columbia recordings.

More Toshiba/EMI 24-bit "Rudy van Gelder" reissues (4/23/99)
Toshiba has announced a second run of 24-bit SBM "Rudy van Gelder" remastered CDs. Here's a schedule of releases through spring 2000.

Additional graphics on this site (4/5/99)
Links to images (other than LP/CD covers) -- e.g. advertisement, posters, tickets, etc.

Toshiba to issue Blue Note 10" LPs (11/23/98)
Toshiba-EMI Japan will reissue close to seventy 10" LPs from Blue Note's Modern Jazz series.

Toshiba/EMI 24-bit "Rudy van Gelder" reissues (7/23/98)
Toshiba has begun reissuing selected Blue Note LPs in new 24-bit versions. Here's a schedule of the first 100 releases through spring 1999.

Charlie Parker discography updated (6/20/98)
I've done some tidying up and correcting in the Parker discography, incorporating suggestions from several sources. (Now superseded by Miles Ahead v2.0)

Discography reorganized (4/10/98)
I've split the discography into separate files to lessen download time for those with slow connections. (Now superseded by Miles Ahead v2.0.)

The Prestige Labels (9/17/97)
A close-to-complete listing of all jazz records on the Prestige labels (Prestige, New Jazz, Moodsville, Swingville) -- including 78rpm singles, 7" EPs, 10" and 12" LPs. Also check out the Blue Note list.

Discography facelift (8/22/97)
Check out the redesigned discography, optimized for 800 x 600 display. This is the one that will be up-to-date from now on. (Now superseded by Miles Ahead v2.0)

Table of contents of music files on this site (4/10/97)
A list of the music files (not all MD-related) on this website.

The Beat Begins: American Culture in the 1950s (1/1/97)
A new course I'm teaching this spring at the University of Maryland; jazz (including Miles) figures prominently. (This course has been dropped by the University, but most of the course materials are available via the link above.)

Miles Davis bibliography now available (12/12/96)
If you want to find out more about Davis and his music, here's a selected list of books and articles.

List of live dates now available (12/7/96)
If you trade live tapes of Miles Davis, look at my list of live recordings. (NB: I have very few tapes from the 1980s and 1990s.)

Columbia/CBS reissues updated (11/3/96)
The Columbia equivalents/reissues page now lists the most recent Japanese 20-bit reissues and other new items.

Miles Davis/Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (Mosaic MQ11-164 or Sony CXK 67397) (9/5/96)
Sony Music has put up an extensive web site dedicated to this project: http://www.sony.com/Music/ArtistInfo/MilesDavis/GilEvans/.

This site and Larry Tomczyk's Milestones named "Hot Site of the Week" by One Stop Jazz on the Web. (8/18/96)
(One Stop Jazz is now defunct, gone the way of many websites.)

Code MD: Coded Phrases in the First "Electric Period" (5/19/96)
A paper by Enrico Merlin, presented at the recent "Miles Davis and American Culture" Conference at Washington University. With several sound clips.

Other Miles Davis sites on the Web (3/10/96)
There are a lot of Davis sites on the web, and I'll try to keep a list of the ones I find. If you find others that aren't listed, let me know.