Miles Davis ~ The Complete On The Corner Sessions

Everyone should have a favourite Miles Davis period. Mine is the electric music of around the late 60’s to the mid 70’s. Miles Davis seems to have produced a huge amount of material during that period. For him it was a period of frenetic experimentation, which peaked with “On the Corner”. With this box set of 6 CD’s we get a superb overview of the music from that period, not just around the “On The Corner” sessions. At this juncture, Davis was more a composer and bandleader than trumpeter. With so many top notch players, he was right to let them do their stuff. Even listening to this material now, it sounds like nothing else in existence. A lot has been made about the mix of Hendrix, Stockhausen and Sly Stone, but that is only a part of the magical brew being conjured up here. This is Miles Davis through and through. Always reaching out and trying anything that sounds and felt right.

This is the last box set in Sony Legacy’s series of compiling Miles Davis sessions. Like the others, this is beautifully presented in a metal embossed slip case with 120 page booklet, featuring lots of pictures and notes about the sessions. This may be completist stuff, but for anyone remotely interested in Miles Davis’s electric period it’s a must have. Along with the issue of the Trio Of Doom CD earlier in the year, this box set is an important archival release for what electric jazz could achieve in the 70’s.

For more information about Miles’s electric period, Paul Tingen’s web site is a must see. Author of the excellent book, Miles Beyond, the site is full of in depth articles and info about that prolific period.