Miles Davis

Miles Davis on vinyl: Kind of Blue, Prestige and the late years

In short: Miles Davis (1926–1991) reinvented jazz more than once – cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz and fusion all bear his signature. “Kind of Blue” (1959) is considered one of the best-selling jazz albums ever. The Vinyl Room currently has 41 Miles Davis records, from Prestige and Columbia to the eighties.

One musician, many phases

“Birth of the Cool” was made for Capitol (recorded 1949/50). In the early fifties Miles recorded for Blue Note and Prestige, where his quintet cut the material for “Cookin’”, “Relaxin’”, “Workin’” and “Steamin’” on two days in 1956. From 1955 came Columbia: “’Round About Midnight”, “Miles Ahead” and “Sketches of Spain” with Gil Evans, “Milestones”, “Kind of Blue” and, with the second great quintet, “E.S.P.” and “Nefertiti”. Then came fusion, from “Bitches Brew” to “Big Fun”. In the eighties Miles recorded albums such as “Star People” and “Decoy”, and from 1986 “Tutu” and “Amandla” for Warner. Add the film music for “Lift to the Scaffold” (1958).

Original or reissue?

With “Kind of Blue” you recognise early Columbia pressings by the six-eye label and the catalogue number CL 1355 (mono) or CS 8163 (stereo). A detail for connoisseurs: on early stereo editions side one plays a touch too fast, because the machine recording the stereo tape ran slow during the session – this was only noticed in the early nineties. With Prestige and Blue Note, the label address, catalogue number and runout help. As always, label, catalogue number, runout and cover must match – more on our page “How to spot a first pressing”.

From our stock

First pressings

Modal & hard bop

The Columbia years

The Prestige years

New in

→ Columbia · Prestige · Jazz on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What is Miles Davis’ best-known album? “Kind of Blue” from 1959. It is considered one of the best-selling jazz albums ever.

Who plays on “Kind of Blue”? John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans (Wynton Kelly on “Freddie Freeloader”), Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb.

Which labels was Miles Davis on? Mainly Capitol, Blue Note, Prestige, Columbia and, from 1986, Warner Bros.

How do I recognise an early “Kind of Blue”? By Columbia’s six-eye label and the catalogue number CL 1355 (mono) or CS 8163 (stereo). It’s only certain when label, runout and cover match a documented early edition.