Much of the audiophile world has been abuzz with this “new” Miles Davis release on Analogue Productions. This package, Birth of the Blue, is a compilation of the four studio tracks recorded by the same sextet documented in the classic Miles Davis album Kind of Blue. This sextet included Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Jimmy Cobb, and Paul Chambers, and was short-lived, only staying together for about eight months.
The four songs presented here have a scattered history at best, but this is the first time they have been packaged together as an audiophile-worthy album.
As such, it is a reissue of the current digital version of 1958 Miles that is available on streaming. The track list and running order are exactly the same, but it adds an alternate take of “Fran-Dance” (the lone Miles Davis original on the album) recorded with an earlier version of the sextet (Red Garland on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums). Earlier versions of 1958 Miles include “Little Melonae” rather than the alternate “Fran-Dance.” An unofficial release by the Wax Time label adds three additional, unrelated tracks.
Miles Davis, Birth of the Blue, album cover.
However, let’s look at the issues that 1958 Miles has. First, the cover art is dreadful! Who in their right mind approved that trainwreck? Second, this title (in all its configurations from the past) has only seen release in Japan and Europe. Finally, the sound is serviceable, but it certainly could be improved upon.
In other variations, three of the four tracks appeared on a US Columbia LP called Jazz Track. In addition, in the CD era, these tracks have appeared as bonus tracks or as part of larger box sets. The Columbia Jazz Masterpieces CD from 1991 also released all four of these tracks under the title ’58 Miles Featuring Stella by Starlight. And again, it added extra, unrelated tracks.
Given how praised Kind of Blue has been throughout the years, as well as being a best-selling jazz title for Columbia, it’s a surprise to learn that the label never properly assembled these tracks as a complete, standalone album for the US market. Perhaps they felt the running time was too short? Or maybe Miles or producer Teo Macero didn’t feel they needed to be released? We’ll never know.
Birth of the Blue corrects these oversights and presents all four of the studio tracks recorded on May 26, 1958 by the Kind of Blue sextet on one record. For this edition, Vic Anesini mixed a new two-channel 30 IPS two-track master tape from the original Columbia 3-track session tapes, which was then cut to lacquer by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab (which is now Analogue Productions’ own in-house mastering suite).
Due to this attention to detail, the recording sounds both new and old. New, in that it’s a fresh-sounding reproduction of the performances, with the sound clear as a bell. Yet it also sounds “old,” in that this remixing and remastering preserves the overall vintage sound of Columbia’s recordings of that era. In essence, it sounds like a time capsule back to 1958, the four songs freshly recorded and pressed to a long-playing record. The instruments have wonderfully pure tonality, while the performances just “pop” from the speakers, especially Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane, whose saxophones are “right there” in the soundstage.
Musically, again, there is nothing new here, but this is the first assemblage of the first four studio recordings made by this short-lived sextet, and certainly the best sounding. “On Green Dolphin Street” is smile-inducing, as the familiar musicians in this sextet step forward for their solos. “Love for Sale” in particular is a treat, and my favorite on this set, moving at a brisk pace with the horns and piano each taking their turn at a solo. One bonus for me: Bill Evans. I’m an unapologetic fan, and more Bill Evans is always a good thing.
If the music and the engineering of this record bring the album around to third base, the packaging is where Analogue Productions has delivered a home run. The label on the record itself is straight out of the six-eye stereo Columbia era, complete with a similar typeface used on those old records. The jacket is a near-recreation of Kind of Blue and Columbia’s jazz albums from that era, even copying the typefaces used on that album. And as with other Analogue Productions releases, this record comes in an archival paper sleeve and a matte-finished Stoughton tip-on jacket.
Is this a must-buy title? That’s up to you. If you are a Miles completist or aficionado, by all means it’s a perfect presentation of the four studio tracks that predated the Kind of Blue sessions. Jazz collectors and audiophiles will enjoy the clean, new mix and mastering that preserve the wonderful sonics of Columbia’s 30th Street studio. If vinyl is not your thing, an SACD version is forthcoming, so digital listeners will have their own new version to enjoy.
Just curious about the music? Head over to your favorite streamer and listen to 1958 Miles, and skip the extra track. Just be warned that in comparison to this new release, the sound of that digital version is lacking in life. The Analogue Productions version puts the musicians in the room with you; the digital version is like listening to a recording on your dad’s hi-fi.
