Miles Davis The Complete Birth of the Cool

Miles Davis showed in his lifetime the ability to accept and develop many aspects of style from Be Bop (with Charlie Parker) thro to Jazz Funk and beyond.This album is one of my favourites.Once owned the original Vinyl version which has regretably gone the way of much over played and hence over abused vinyl! Had the good fortune to see Miles live on 2 occasions [Salle Playel Paris in the 70's (with Sonny Stitt & Monk) and again at The Hammersmith Odeon London. Two different sets but both terrific.

MILES DAVIS THE COMPLETE BIRTH OF THE COOL
Release date- May 19, 1998




THE COMPLETE BIRTH OF THE COOL contains all the original tracks from BIRTH OF THE COOL plus 13 previously unreleased live versions of those tracks.

Live tracks recorded at the Royal Roost, New York, New York on September 4 and 18, 1948. Studio tracks recorded in New York, New York on January 21 and April 22, 1949 and March 9, 1950
Studio sessions were digitally remastered by Mark Levinson. Live sessions were digitally remastered by Phil Schaap.

Miles Davis' classic masterpiece THE BIRTH OF THE COOL, long available in it's original form, has been given a facelift. THE COMPLETE BIRTH OF THE COOL is a landmark collection that simply must be included in any true jazz aficionado's library. Not only have the original twelve sides by this legendary group been expertly restored, but the long awaited live radio cuts from their only real gig have been found and included. Together they form an indispensable documentation of the group that almost single-handedly transformed the bebop of the '40s into the "cool" jazz that became a West Coast sensation in the early '50s.

The original BIRTH OF COOL sides are in beautiful shape now that they have been remastered by Mark Levinson with his ultra-pristine Cello system. The new live cuts, recorded at the Royal Roost in 1948 as they were broadcast by WMCA, are a collector's dream. Hosted by famed jazz disc jockey Symphony Sid (who also provides introductions and announcements), the band sounds masterful and energetic despite the less-than-studio quality of the original recording. A few titles ("Move," "Moon Dreams," and "Budo"] even appear twice in the set as a bonus.
notes from CD Universe

Personnel on studio tracks: Miles Davis (trumpet); Kenny Hagood (vocals); Lee Konitz (alto saxophone); Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (trombone); Junior Collins, Sandy Siegelstein, Gunther Schuller (French horn); Bill Barber (tuba); John Lewis, Al Haig (piano); Al McKibbon, Joe Shulman, Nelson Boyd (acoustic bass); Kenny Clarke, Max Roach (drums).
Personnel on live tracks: Miles Davis (trumpet); Kenny Hagood (vocals); Lee Konitz (alto saxophone); Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Mike Zwerin (trombone); Junior Collins (French horn); Bill Barber (tuba); John Lewis (piano); Al McKibbon (bass); Max Roach (drums).()

Studio sessions producer: Pete Rugolo.
Reissue producers: Mark Levinson, Phil Schaap, Michael Cuscuna.

Studio Tracks
1. Move 2. Jeru 3. Moon Dreams 4. Venus de Milo 5. Budo 6. Deception
7. Godchild 8. Boplicity 9. Rocker 10. Israel 11. Rouge 12. Darn That Dream
Live Tracks from the Royal Roost
13. Birth of the Cool Theme 14. Symphony Sid Announces the Band 15. Move
16 Why Do I Love You 17. Godchild 18. Symphony Sid Introduction 19. S'il Vous Plait
20. Moon Dreams 21. Budo 22. Darn That Dream 23. Move 24. Moon Dreams
25. Budo

I have the RVG remaster of The Birth Of The Cool, which has fewer tracks. I love this album. I'll give a listen to this version also. It has been on my list of albums to check out for a while and I'm quite curious about the "new live cuts" included in it. It's that kind of album you cannot have enough versions of. The remastering is also different from the RVG edition so that's an added bonus. I like comparing remasters.

Having a good LP copy of this album should be a real pleasure. Hearing from a warm sounding LP must be quite sweet.

This is one of the jazz albums everyone should have. Really a fantastic set!

I am a huge jazz fan(it's basically all I listen to), and the trumpet is my favorite of the horns. I absolutely adore trumpeters. But for some reason, I just haven't really been able to, for the most part, appreciate most of Miles music yet. But fortunately, my jazz taste changes all the time, so hopefully this will change.

With that being said, out of the Miles albums I have listened to so far(which admittedly hasn't been that many), I can't get enough of Birth Of The Cool. My first listen through I didn't like it. Then after my second I really liked it, and after a few more I think it's fantastic.

I'm always looking for the best sounding version of this album. I'll have to check it out on vinyl. Also, I'm about to start on his Cellar Door Sessions. So hopefully I'll be able to enjoy these.