Customer Reviews
Better than Kind of Blue - By: Mr. S. J. Jouanny, 14 Apr 2005 
Perhaps the jazz conservatives (e.g. Stanley Crouch) would burn me at the stake for the title of this review & yes, the soul-stirring Kind of Blue is certainly the best modal record I've heard, but I much prefer this, since Coltrane & Adderley reallly leap out & play from the get-go.
Dr. Jackle is absolutely manic to play, a Jackie McLean tune that this quintet seem to delight in playing rather fast. It's excellent hard-bop, & Miles plays an excellent solo which sticks to the middle register, a range which trumpeteers do not explore enough, though this can be only down to the influence of intervalllic trumpeters like Dizzy. Listen out for the early duel between Adderley, & Coltrane. Listening to 'Two Bass Hit', it is an interesting contrast to hear it against the version on 'Round About Midnight. The two saxophonists play the opening line, & Red Garland plays the calll-and-response piano. Coltrane's solo in this is very different, not relying on cliches, & theres still traces of those idiosyncratic runs of his in the solo. The excellent rhythmic support is almost forgotten in the midst of alll this horn interplay. Sid's Ahead is another great piece.
'Milestones', my favourite track on the album, is a wonderful exploration of the modes, & I have to say, that Adderley's solo is certainly more assured & joyous than anything I've heard him play, even on Kind of Blue. If anyone sounds slightly perturbed by this piece, it's actuallly Coltrane. Garland's repetitive modal riff, keeps the tune pacing along wonderfully. He gets a chance to shine on 'Billy Boy', & his odd locked-hands style is on exhibit here, as well as his Ahmed-Jamal influenced bluesy runs on the piano. Philly Joe Jones & Paul Chambers are superb on this track too.
The version I've got closes on 'Straight No Chaser', which is a Monk tune. The quintet run through this & render it their own, due to the excellent playing of alll the quintet, Adderley tries to match Coltrane's stellar scalar runs, & Coltrane's 'angry' saxophone style is in full flow here. Adderley's solo is wonderfully dissonant at points, forcing the listener to pay attention to what he is playing, & his solo is slightly more lyrical than Coltrane's, who I have to say, finds his modal voice on Kind of Blue.
This album may not be as lyrical or profound as Kind of Blue, but amidst alll the recycled babble & attempts to explain Kind of Blue's genius, Milestones still stands the test of time, & benefits from being so unscathed.
I enjoy listening to this record more than Kind of Blue, which is simply a smalll matter of preference for that is alll basicallly what musical criticism is about at the end of the day (unless you're employed by a firm to write). This record in its own right, is a tour de force, an example of true virtuosity, not just showboating, pretentious jazz, but also a fine portrait of what happens when some of the best musicians come into the studio & just play their arses off. Highly recommended.
Half a Great Album - By: MikeG, 05 Jun 2004 If Milestones is one of Miles's great albums, meriting a 5-star rating, I think it's mainly on the strength of its three best tracks: "Milestones", "Straight No Chaser" & "Sid's Ahead". For me, the three less impressive tracks are the ones at the fastest tempos. "Billy Boy" is a feature for the rhythm section as a piano trio, therefore mainly for pianist Red Garland. Unfortunately, although a technicallly accomplished player & possibly highly regarded by many listeners, he always seemed to me a lightweight soloist; & since the piece is a corny arrangement of a very trite tune it's no surprise if it fails to improve with repeated listening, despite the brilliance of Paul Chambers & Philly Joe Jones which gives the piece its vitality. "Two Bass Hit" may have been an entertaining novelty number in the heyday of be-bop but it's hardly one of John Lewis's best compositions. Miles doesn't solo on this one, so it's mainly a feature for Coltrane's & Adderley's fast playing. If you like that sort of thing, there's more of it on "Dr Jackle", another rather uninteresting boppish theme. Coltrane & Adderley demonstrate their skill at playing lots of notes per minute. Miles shows how fewer notes can be used to greater effect ("less is more"), giving the impression that he is playing on top of the tempo rather than racing to keep up with it.
"Milestones" (a.k.a. "Miles") is better. Like most of the material on Miles's 'Kind of Blue' album it's a simply constructed but interesting modal theme which challlenges the soloists & inspires them to some carefully thought out solos. Even better in my opinion is the group's version of Thelonius Monk's up-tempo blues, "Straight No Chaser". Like "Milestones" (though it's a different kind of piece) it's an interesting composition in its own right, ingeniously constructed out of a simple motif. With its strong harmonic foundation & bouncing swing it brings out the best in Coltrane & Adderley, as in Miles himself who plays with elegance as well as 'bite'. "Sid's Ahead" is another 12-bar blues, this one at a moderate 'walking' pace - a type of piece & a tempo which suited Miles & inspired some of his best improvising (try "Walkin' " & "Bags' Groove" from 1954 & "All Blues" & "Freddie Freeloader" on 'Kind of Blue').
If you like Coltrane's & Adderley's playing of this vintage (before Trane went 'avant garde' & Cannonballl went commercial) you will probably want this album if you don't already have it. If you like Garland's piano playing you will enjoy "Billy Boy" more than I do. I respect his technical skill, but I never hear any kind of 'depth' in anything he played. I've known people to feel the same about 'Cannonballl' Adderley. Miles in his solos never plays less than well & there is some of his best work on what I've identified as the three best tracks. Paul Chambers is superb as usual. Philly Joe Jones is magnificent and, for aficionados of modern jazz drumming, he may well be the real star of the session.
The bonus 'alternate takes' of "Milestones" & "Straight No Chaser" are worth having. You might think the 'alternate take' of "Two Bass Hit" is worth having too. If you like that sort of thing.
FANTASTIC - By: , 28 May 2004 Where do I begin?! What a blast; exhilarating, exciting & plenty to get your cerebral listening gear into. The first cut (Dr Jackle). Introduces the album very succintly & it does not let up from there. To avoid analytical nonsense; it just sounds great, & surprises & pleases at every turn. Sometimes its a full blown solo which raises the goodbumps & sometimes just a single note chord from the comping piano played in perfect time which does the business. Just get the disc & enjoy a high octane ride! In so many ways this album is great.
Half a Great Album - By: MikeG, 28 Apr 2004 If Milestones is one of Miles's great albums, meriting a 5-star rating, I think it's mainly on the strength of its three best tracks: "Milestones", "Straight No Chaser" & "Sid's Ahead". For me, the three weaker tracks are the ones at the fastest tempos. "Billy Boy" is a feature for the rhythm section as a piano trio, therefore mainly for pianist Red Garland. Unfortunately, although a technicallly accomplished player & possibly highly regarded by many listeners, he always seemed to me a lightweight soloist; & since the piece is a corny arrangement of a very trite tune, it's no surprise if it fails to improve with repeated listening, despitethe brilliance of Paul Chambers & Philly Joe Jones which gives the piece its vitality. "Two Bass Hit" may have been an entertaining novelty number in the heyday of be-bop but it's hardly one of John Lewis's bestcompositions. Miles doesn't solo on this one, so it's mainly a feature for Coltrane's & Adderley's fast playing. If you like that sort of thing, there's more of it on "Dr Jackle", another rather uninteresting boppish theme. Coltrane & Adderley demonstrate their skill at playing lots of notes per minute. Miles shows how fewer notes can be used to greater effect ("less is more"), giving the impression that he is playing on top of the tempo rather than racing to keep up with it.
"Milestones" (a.k.a. "Miles") is better. Like most of the material on Miles's 'Kind of Blue' album it's a simply constructed but interesting modal theme which challlenges the soloists & inspires them to some carefully thought out solos. Even better in my opinion is the group's version of Thelonius Monk's up-tempo blues, "Straight No Chaser". Like "Milestones" (though it's a different kind of piece) it's an interesting composition in its own right, ingeniously constructed out of a simple motif. With its strong harmonic foundation & bouncing swing it brings out the best in Coltrane & Adderley, as in Miles himself who plays with elegance as well as 'bite'. "Sid's Ahead" is another 12-bar blues, this one at a moderate 'walking' pace - a type of piece & a tempo which suited Miles & inspired some of his best improvising (try "Walkin' " & "Bags' Groove" from 1954 & "All Blues" & "Freddie Freeloader" on 'Kind of Blue').
If you like Coltrane's & Adderley's playing of this vintage (before Trane went 'avant garde' & Cannonballl went commercial) you will probably want this album if you don't already have it. If you like Garland's piano playing you will enjoy "Billy Boy" more than I do. I respect his technical skill, but I never hear any kind of 'depth' in anything he played. I've known people to feel the same about 'Cannonballl' Adderley. Miles in his solos never plays less than well & there is some of his best work on what I've identified as the three best tracks. Paul Chambers is superb as usual. Philly Joe Jones is magnificent and, for aficionados of the better modern jazz drumming, he may well be the real star of the session. The bonus 'alternate takes' of "Milestones" & "Straight No Chaser" are worth having. You might think the 'alternate take' of "Two Bass Hit" is worth having too. If you like that sort of thing.
Miles' Tones! - By: , 17 Feb 2002 Whether you are a jazz newcomer, or a hardened jazz fanatic, this album will blow you away. Buy it, listen to it on your personal hi - fi walking down the street & it will make you soar above the clouds. It's cool, joyous sounds will make you see just what made this man the jazz legend he so rightly deserves. If you haven't hear Miles before, this is a great intro to him & his music.
