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Miles Davis - Bags' Groove (JVCXR-0046-2)
Artist: Miles Davis
Title: Bags Groove (JVCXR-0046-2)
Audio CD (January 20, 1998)
Original Release Date: 1957
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Original recording remastered
Label: Jvc / Xrcd
Genere Jazz
Style: Bop Hard Bop
Extractor: EAC 0.99 prebeta 4
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Codec: Flac 1.2.1; Level 8
Single File.flac, Eac.log,
File.cue Multiple wav file with Gaps (Noncompliant)
Accurately ripped (confidence 14)
Size Torrent: 311 Mb
Scans Included
Tracks
1. Bags Groove (Milt Jackson) [take 1]
2. Bags Groove [take 2]
3. Airegin (Sonny Rollins)
4. Oleo (Rollins)
5. But Not for Me (George Gershwin) [take 2]
6. Doxy (Rollins)
7. But Not for Me [take 1]
Personnel
Miles Davis, trumpet
Sonny Rollins, tenor sax
Horace Silver, piano
Percy Heath, bass
Kenny Clarke, drums
Milt Jackson, vibes (Bags' Groove takes 1 2)
Thelonious Monk, piano (Bags' Groove takes 1 2)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B000000YDT/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V5i_x0oBCI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ8Z27ZxhIA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rm0kbF2XbE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hx59GG1dl4&feature=related
review
If Miles Davis had a bad day in 1954, it wasn’t any of the four on which Bags Groove and Walkin’ were recorded. And how could he with the musical dream team he fronts on both recordings? Players include Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk and J.J. Johnson along with the rhythm section of Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke. It’s obvious that the thing for a jazz man to do in 1954 was play with Miles.
Of course, these CDs are more than just dates. If you want to know what Miles was up to in 1954, it’s here, hard bop being the currency of the day. Both Bags Groove and Walkin’ are considered part of Davis’ comeback from a sort of self-imposed obscurity -- too many low-key gigs, a tendancy he would revisit, among others, via the serenity on the Columbia recordings that would follow. The title tracks from both discs may be the headliners, but the other numbers, which are also shorter in duration, are what round out the collections and give them their legs. "Solar" from Walkin’ was written by Davis and shows him at his muted, understated best, while "Oleo" and "Doxy" from Bags Groove highlight Sonny Rollins’ whimsical writing (both tunes were penned by him) and playing as well as a bit of the leader's artistic benevolence. Bags Groove also includes alternate takes of the title tune as well as the Gershwin war-horse "But Not for Me." Both only enhance the overall package.
The sound is typical JVC XRCD -- sweeter, smoother and even more resolved than the OK-sounding original issues, CD at its best. Both are recorded in mono, but it’s "big mono," a term XRCD producer Akira Taguchi used to describe recordings such as these. The images project so well and there’s so much air that mono isn't a disappointment. In fact, the absence of the hard-right and -left images of early stereo recording is a real asset. It’s as though the performers are wedge-shaped (bear with me here), expanding as the individual notes "appear" in the music and thus spread the center image. However one describes it, the result is very satisfying.
I’ve now heard a handful of JVC’s XRCDs, and I can say that they don’t sound like other remasters, which are often considered triumphant if detail buried in the master tapes is unearthed. This applies to JVC discs -- they seemingly find nuance unheard before -- but they add a refined character that’s typical across the part of the catalog I’ve sampled. There’s really something to the XRCD process that makes the discs worth their premium price, and I can’t wait until we can A/B an XRCD and 24/96 recording of the same material. We may discover that attention to detail pays off even with CDs -- and 16/44.1 isn’t so awful after all.
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TThere are a multitude of reasons why Bags' Groove remains a cornerstone of the post-bop genre. Of course there will always be the lure of the urban myth surrounding the Christmas Eve 1954 session -- featuring Thelonious Monk -- which is documented on the two takes of the title track. There are obviously more tangible elements, such as Davis' practically telepathic runs with Sonny Rollins (tenor sax). Or Horace Silver's (piano) uncanny ability to provide a stream of chord progressions that supply a second inconspicuous lead without ever overpowering. Indeed, Davis' choice of former Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra and concurrent Modern Jazz Quartet members Milt Jackson (vibes), Kenny Clarke (drums), and Percy Heath (bass) is obviously well-informed. This combo became synonymous with the ability to tastefully improvise and provide bluesy bop lines in varied settings. The up-tempo and Latin-infused syncopation featured during the opening of "Airegin" flows into lines and minor-chord phrasings that would reappear several years later throughout Davis' Sketches of Spain epic. The fun and slightly maniacally toned "Oleo" features one of Heath's most impressive displays on Bags' Groove. His staccato accompaniment exhibits the effortless nature with which these jazz giants are able to incorporate round after round of solos onto the larger unit. Bags' Groove belongs as a cornerstone of all jazz collections. Likewise, the neophyte as well as the seasoned jazz enthusiast will find much to discover and rediscover throughout the disc. The remastered CD includes both historic takes of "Bags' Groove" as well as one additional rendering of the pop standard "But Not for Me." |
