Comments for Davis, Miles, Milestones

A step towards Kind Of Blue coming from the year before, and it's almost as good. Red Garland instead of Bill Evans (a real good way to hear Evans's impact on Miles is to compare the two albums and early Evans like Explorations) and Philly Joe instead of Jimmy Cobb, which accounts for the harder drive from beneath. Everyone is in top form here and the songs, with the exception of Billy Boy, really showcase them. Miles's originals ("Sid's Ahead" and especially "Miles") point the way that he'd head in the next year. The best Columbia release up to that point.

At first this is a knock-out. Elsewhere I wrote a raving review, that now seems a little overdone. The playing is technically superb. The starter has some furious interplay between Coltrane and Cannonball. But that's what's wrong with the album, the rest almost constantly lacks this interplay. The solo's, stunning as they may be, are mostly linear, individual workouts, without the ensemble dynamics Miles is so known for and done in mid tempo mostly. Except in Billy Boy, which is bogged down though by its sillyness {why not choose a good tune instead of this corny persiflage), and is an irritating breakdown of the continuity. Another flaw is that Coltrane clearly gets too little room for his searching style and sounds less emotional therefor. Miles also misses his bite a bit and comes over too common. Cannonbal steals the show, with his soulful playing. But he seems out of place and he doesn't erase the impression that grows on you with each listen, namely that this is a great record that could have been greater if its emotional impact hadn't been so abstracted. The feeling remains under the surface without that coolness Miles inject to it sometimes. This bee doesn't sting.

Well, where initially I was raving about this record and then as shown above became critical, I now must admit that on the long run Milestones proves itself worthy of the title. To speak in boxing terms, not unusual when talking about Miles, he delivers a blow here that first knocks you out, than you think, ''man I am still standing'', and nothing much seems to be happening, but a few rounds further your knees begin to sag and the bell rings over you and you have to admit you''re defeated. The reason for this lies in the pure strength of this record, that is subdued at the same time, because it doesn''t hit at your sentiments in a direct way and is revolutionary in the bounds of tradition. Also I made the mistake to treat it as a record that was so wildly entertaining that I thought you could turn it on while I was busy doing something else. You can''t. It is so cool, and so much is happening that you lose the point after a while when you don''t listen carefully. There are just so many layers in these performances, and where after a while I thought there was a lack of interplay because I listened too casual, the intricate dynamics of the album proved mesmerising if you paid attention. Maybe some of the remarks I made in the review above make sense, but this bee surely does sting and its ''poison'' sticks in the blood. Even the corny tune proves itself, because its swing rises above the limits af the song, and that''s what Milestones is about. The breaking of boundaries. And the tone of Miles may not be melancholy, it pierces your feelings, slowly but surely. And Coltrane, he rages like a caged beast and in the last track he''s released. I hope you as the listener will be as well when you lend your ear to this milstone.

A fantastic album. 4 stars.Rolling Stone