Search - Miles Davis :: Just Squeeze Me

Just Squeeze Me

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 08/12/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ten discs. 50,56,52,52,48,51,46,46,42,47 minutes each approximately. Good sound but a little compressed by today's standards. First off,don't be deceived by the track listing on the Amazon site. They only list 60 tracks,which are the ones on the back of the box. There are actually 90 tracks in this collection. Looking at the track listing for the Prestige box set,there are 94 tracks listed on the Amazon site. As to why the number of tracks don't equal-who knows? Some tracks in this set are from recordings not found on the Prestige set. Another oddity is that the tracks in this set seem to be collected in a rather random pattern,including other albums,-certainly not chronological as to recording or release date. There is no information in this box set except for song title,composer,individual timings and total time for each disc. Why certain tracks were used while others were omitted-who knows?



Now, with all that out of the way lets get to the music! Some of Davis' music recorded for the Prestige label is some of the finest jazz ever put to tape. Some of it is weak and lacking in direction. When you consider that Davis was also struggling with heroin addiction,that makes for a bad combination. If you approach his recordings chronologically(something,admittedly,you can't do here)the first few releases don't have a lot to offer,except a few tracks where everything comes together. But that's okay because this music(and this box set)is an example of what I call an aural time machine. Anyone with a knowledge and appreciation of music will know what I mean. There's a lot of good music out there-but there is only a handful of artists capable of producing music that transcends it's time and,indeed,becomes timeless. When you combine musicians like Coltrane,Garland,Silver,Chambers,Mingus,Roach and Jones-how can you not make timeless music? Anyone who is familiar with this period of Davis' music will have their favorite tracks,and I'm happy to say that the majority appear here. The completist,of course,will quibble that not everything is included. I agree-especially when you consider that the Prestige collection is eight CD's and this set has ten. Another factor is that ,once again,the Prestige collection is out of print-check the prices and availability on Amazon. When you consider the price and the fact that you can easily find it,the purchase of this box set is a no-brainer! If you are new to this music,the information surrounding this era is easily found,either on-line or in the many books devoted to both jazz and Miles Davis.



But the important thing is the music! Even taking into account the randomness of the track selection,this is great,good music. The kind that we will never hear again. In this collection we can hear Davis' growth both as a musician and as a band leader. His search for musicians who could put down on tape what he heard in his head becomes apparent after only a few listenings. As I said,this is truly timeless music and should be one of the cornerstones in every jazz lover's collection. And I have to say I'm surprised that this set isn't more well-known. For with the sound quality from mid-fifities tape combined with then current engineering brought up to a good standard and a price under twenty dollars-a jazz lover can't go wrong."

Amazing deal... don't pass this up

M. Bauer | Colorado | 09/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This box is an amazing value. It offers almost all of Miles Davis output for Prestige in the early to mid 50s for less than a fourth of the cost of "The Complete Prestige Sessions". Sound quality excellent considering the time period. The ten CDS are housed in sturdy cardboard envelopes which save space.



What do you miss if you opt for this set over the Prestige box? Mainly it's a matter of information. This box comes with no notes whatsoever. The organization of tunes is somewhat mysterious (not really chronological or thematic as far as I can detect). I would still recommend picking up the "Legendary Prestige Sessions" which feature all of the first quintet with Coltrane, since the sound is superior, notes are excellent, and it's easily considered the best of Miles work for the label.



Miles Davis' Prestige years trace his development from being a brilliant but inconsistant player (who struggled with heroin addiction during part of his Prestige years) into the leader of the first "great quintet" with Coltrane, Jones, Garland, etc.



Don't miss this music, or this deal."

60 of the 94 tracks from Chronicle - The Complete Prestige R

laminar-e | 10/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This set (currently $10) contains 60 of the 94 tracks from "Chronicle - The Complete Prestige Recordings" (currently $70).



One potential point of confusion: a previous review by Mr. Jefferson notes that, at one point, Amazon had only 60 of this collection's 90 tracks listed (because the back of the box doesn't list all the tracks). Amazon has apparently removed the track listing entirely since that review. This is NOT the "60" that I'm referring to regarding Chronicle. (the "60" v. "60" is coincidental)



I purchased the Just Squeeze Me box set expecting to get roughly 90 of Chronicle's 94 tracks - and found that only 60 of the set's 90 tracks are from the Prestige recordings (i.e. Chronicle).



The other 30 tracks? They mostly come from Miles' Blue Note recordings (see "Miles Davis, Vol.1 & 2" on Blue Note Records - also very inexpensive used), with a few inclusions from "Blue Moods", and the classic albums "Birth of the Cool" and "'Round About Midnight".



Is that bad? No, not really, but be sure you know what you're getting. All in all, I'd say to buy this set if you're looking for a cheap sampler of Miles' recordings from the times between "Birth of the Cool" and "'Round About Midnight" - don't expect a near-complete replacement for "Chronicle".



Also note, as other reviewers pointed out, that the set is not chronological (at all), that it contains no liner notes (at all), and that the sound quality is lower than on other sets presenting the same material (especially on the Blue Note tracks).



All in all, though, this box set is a steal unless you're a serious purist/completist/perfectionist/audiophile. This music is timeless; some of it truly classic (as anyone reading this probably already knows) and for just $10..."