FOUR DISC SET IN A DELUXE BOX WITH A 20 PAGE BOOKLET BY NOTED JAZZ JOURNALIST
In March 1957, Miles Davis was as mad as hell. Two of his musicians, saxophonist John Coltrane and drummer Philly Joe Jones, were hooked on heroin and starting to bring a sense of chaos into the ranks. Davis’s patience was pushed to the limit - he had a band to run and a reputation to uphold and their antics were beginning to cost him a lot of cash. His tolerance totally evaporated after a gig in New York in early spring. Davis later wrote; “I got so mad with him (Coltrane) that I slapped him upside his head and punched him in the stomach in the dressing room.” Inevitably, Miles also fired John on the spot.
Two months later Coltrane was clean. On the sleeve of his 1965 opus A Love Supreme he wrote: “During the year 1957, I experienced, by the grace of God, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life.”
Between the summer of 1957 and January 1960 - when he released his first bona fide musical masterpiece - he was rarely off the stage or out of the recording studio.
DISC 1
1. Trane’s Blues (with Miles Davis) 2. Tenor Madness (with Sonny Rollins) 3. Tenor Conclave (with Hank Mobley, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims) 4. ‘Round Midnight (with Miles Davis) 5. Soultrane (with Tadd Dameron) 6. All The Things You Are (with Johnny Griffin) 7. Dakar (with Prestige All Stars) 8. Cattin’ (with Paul Quinichette) 9. Bakai
DISC 2
1. The Way You Look Tonight (with Mal Waldron) 2. Straight Street 3. Chronic Blues 4. I Hear A Rhapsody 5. Epistrophy (with Thelonious Monk) 6. Ruby, My Dear (with Thelonious Monk) 7. Trane’s Slow Blues 8. Like Someone In Love 9. Traneing In 10. Locomotion
DISC 3
1. Blue Train 2. Billie’s Bounce (with Red Garland) 3. Milestones (with Miles Davis) 4. Russian Lullaby 5. Freight Trane (with Kenny Burrell) 6. On Green Dolphin Street (with Miles Davis Quintet) 7. Dial Africa (with Wilbur Harden) 8. So What (with Miles Davis) 9. Flamenco Sketches (with Miles Davis)
DISC 4
1. Giant Steps 2. Cousin Mary 3. Countdown 4. Spiral 5. Syeeda’s Song Flute 6. Naima 7. Mr. P.C.
TOTAL RUN TIME 309 MINS