Miles Davis - Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964

The seven CDs of Seven Steps chronicle the formative period of Davis's "Second Great Quintet" from its first arrival, bassist Ron Carter in the spring of 1963, to its last, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter in the fall of 1964.

The set begins with the West Coast studio session for the Seven Steps to Heaven LP, with Miles, Carter, and tenor saxophonist George Coleman joined by L.A. musicians Victor Feldman (piano) and Frank Butler (drums). Then it's off to New York where Miles would cover the same material with Herbie Hancock in the piano chair and Tony Williams on drums. (The original LP selected tracks from each group, but all the tracks from both sessions are here, including unissued alternate takes.) The rest of the set features concert performances in which the band plays established Davis anthems along with a few choice standards. The leader is inspired throughout, lashing out with passion and urgency on trumpet that's clearly fuelled by the young and extraordinary rhythm section bubbling underneath him--Hancock shows an uncanny ability to shape a group's performance on a number of levels, balanced by the steady Carter and the incendiary Williams, whose drumming is both polyrhythmic and consistently, freely lyrical.

In some ways, the set is a search for the right tenor saxophonist, but all are contenders. The polished Coleman constructs solos with remarkable tension curves. Sam Rivers is a startling presence, pressing the envelope with pin-wheeling runs and an assortment of accelerated bleats that highlight the rhythm section's avant-garde sympathies. However, the arrival of Shorter is unquestionably the highpoint, as the group dialogue developed by Davis and the rhythm section finally meets its perfect complement in Shorter's complex, multi-dimensional playing. As with Columbia's previous Davis sets, Seven Steps is another triumph of design, sound, and documentation. --Stuart Broomer Amazon.com

Comprehensive with great live performances and outtakes

Like all of the Miles Davis CD box sets, this is pretty comprehensive and has a lot of outtakes and live performances. If I remember correctly, the other box sets left off a couple of tracks that were on some of the single discs. So if you must have everything, you should double-check that there isn't more available when purchased separately. This is a very sturdy box set and allows me to keep all these discs together in one spot. It is also cheaper than buying this many discs separately. I found that there was more here than I personally needed and don't play a lot it that often. The liner notes are extensive. November 16, 2008

Not six...seven!

This is a great set of 7 wonderful jazz CDs. What I like first and foremost is -- it's great jazz. It's what I call "regular jazz" (in reference to the not-so-regular near future for Miles Davis). Also, it's a continuation of what was done in the 40s and the 50s. This is where this music arrives: with an established vernacular of jazz that is primed for an artist's embellishment.

Though often characterized as a "transitional period" for Miles, everything was transitioning. I mean come on.

Yes the 60s were all over the place -- a study in this and an experiment in that. Pop music and pop culture reflect that as well. They were a tired, restless people I suppose. It started by trying to take what was so wonderful and perfect about the 50s, the pinnacle of small jazz combos and the perfection of the jazz language -- and added edges, contrasts, and most of all an unquenchable sense of searching.

Miles, you could say (you could always say) was ahead of nearly everyone else it appears. By the earliest of the sixties, he was searching while many in pop culture were tirelessly recycling. He was bending and reshaping his approach...not only to his music, but also to the very elements of his music: his notes. Even how he steps up to approach each of those notes and how he addresses the horn...it's full of a wondering, searching spirit.

It appears to me that Miles was never happy playing something...even if it was a great something. It could always be different and it always had to suggest something else. I think that's that discordant glare you hear in his notes, that rests (or never rest) just outside perfection.

So in this set you hear a music evolving and an artist driving, which is what any good artist does. You can't help but wonder if a feeling of optimism lies in the music or just in the reality that things would again explode for Miles. Or is that a sense of longing? The reality is it sits in a valley between two mountains of his career: the 50s and the second half of the 60s. Overshadowed, and understandably so -- those where big mountains. But, everything about the artist persists...and to great effect.

Referring back to my opening statement: this is great, regular jazz. The sound quality is pristine too. All 7 CDs are excellent, from start to finish. And unlike many of the other Columbia Miles boxes...there's no obsessive take 1, take 2, take 3, etc. alternate takes to "study." The music just plays, it searches, and it's all really fantastic. I gather it is yet again overshadowed, but that's fine. It doesn't bother the music none. After all, who isn't searching?
January 3, 2008

The 7th of 8 boxes

Released in 2004 , this is the 7th of 8 boxes covering Miles' Columbia years. Chronologically , this would be the 3rd box.A very important period for Miles , and for some reason , often overlooked---until hearing this. December 18, 2007

Seven Steps: The search for the 2nd great quintet

Although I already owned much of the material presented on this sprawling 7 CD box set, I bought it for completist reasons like most of the folks who love Miles. It is a musical document of Davis in transition. Coltrane had split from Davis in 1960, and other crucial personnel (Kelly, Chambers) were soon to depart as well. By 1963, Davis was ready to hit the road again. This box set chronicles the story of his search and formation of what was to become the 2nd great Miles Davis quintet. This group was poised to take jazz music to the next level.

As a whole, the music on this box set is excellent. Although the box set is a bit pricey, we are treated to previously unissued studio tracks as well as "complete" concert performances (including the proper sequence of the 64 Lincoln Center concert). I also need to mention that the sound quality (with the exception of the mono "In Europe" '63 Antibes show) on these tracks is exceptional, as the music is sonically superior, given the 24 bit digital remastering treatment.

From this writer's perspective, the heart of this box set is arguably the February 1964 Lincoln Center concert. The band was "on" this night and the listener gets treated to definitive performances of just about every song. Although saxophonist George Coleman was considered too conservative (he was later to be replaced by Wayne Shorter, considered by his bandmates to be the perfect fit for their evolving musical exploration and ideas), he was on fire at this concert. The overall playing and ability of all five members as represented here at Lincoln Center equals nothing short of musical perfection. In particular, discs 4 & 5 showcases the extraordinary talents of five individuals who appear to be able to lock in and communicate telepathically with one another. In particular, the musical interaction of the rhythm section (Hancock, Carter and Williams) at this venue is simply outstanding.

There is much more that I could add about the music contained in this box set. As stated previously, this is a document of a transitional period in the life of Miles Davis. However, it is certainly not insignificant or "throw away" music. Yes, there are a few "standard" selections from the Miles Davis songbook that are repeated on several of the live concerts presented here, however, the band takes risks and pushes the musical envelope- stretching the boundaries on this material, thus creating exciting and rewarding music for the listener. From this writer's perspective, the music on this box set is exceptional (and still holds up by today's standards), and is another must have for the serious Miles Davis collector. May 29, 2007

The Story of the Birth of the Second Quintet

After Miles' first great quintet had disbanded, he was at a point of transition. Though he soldiered on for a couple of years with Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, a group that produced some amazing music (Someday My Prince Will Come, Friday and Saturday Nights At The Blackhawk), he wasn't breaking any new ground artistically. And though that period of his career rates as a favorite with many a Miles fan, Miles himself was not exceedingly happy with the group (Mobley in particular), feeling that he was in an artistic "rut" of sorts. It was around this time that Kelly, Chambers and Cobb left the group to pursue their own interests, effectively leaving Miles without a group, and thus beginning a transition that would culminate with his soon-to-be legendary second quintet.

The story begins in 1963, with Miles putting together a new group and laying down tracks for his next record, Seven Steps To Heaven. The new group began with tenor saxophonist George Coleman and bassist Ron Carter. Drummer Frank Butler was enlisted, though Miles really wanted 17-year-old prodigy Tony Williams, who had commitments at the time with Jackie McLean. Pianist Victor Feldman rounded out the group, and brought along some fresh and lyrical new material ("Joshua" and "Seven Steps To Heaven"). Feldman declined Davis' offer to join the band, so Davis went back to New York and finished the record with Herbie Hancock on piano and Tony Williams on drums, who was now free from his commitment with McLean. It was evident from the first session that the group was going to be special; it was Williams' amazing ability and propulsive force that drove the group and forced everyone else to play beyond their abilities. Miles knew that Williams (and his feel for the "new thing") was needed to guide him towards developing a new sound, so he relied heavily upon his direction and advice during the formation of this group. Disc one (and half of disc two) contains the entire album Seven Steps To Heaven, along with previously unreleased rehearsal and alternate takes.

Starting midway through disc two, this set chronicles Miles' new group as they experiment with the tenor chair, beginning with their appearance at the Antibes Festival in France (released in 1964 as Miles Davis In Europe). Though the set still consists of the same mixture of Miles' "hits" from the Coltrane era and standards (along with the new Feldman tunes), the band managed to stretch and mold the material into an entirely new form, almost unrecognizable from previous arrangements. Williams drives the group, often at breakneck tempos, controlling the tempo with his frenetic ride cymbal work, pushing and pulling the meter and pulling out all the polyrhythmic stops. His mastery of the drums is flat out amazing and unprecedented (and still unmatched), regardless of age. His arrival on the scene totally changed the way jazz drummers would play from that point on, and many an experienced veteran was sent back to the woodshed after hearing him for the first time.

The real highlight of this set is discs four and five, which consist of the entire performance at the Philharmonic Hall in New York on Feb. 12, 1964, which had been released in 1965 and 1966 as My Funny Valentine and Four & More, respectively. The entire concert is presented for the first time in its entirety, and includes a previously unreleased version of "Autumn Leaves." This recording represents this incarnation of the group at its absolute finest, as the play with a passion and intensity that results in an invigorating and uplifting experience. The band's intensity may have been borne of the fact that Miles had just informed them before going onstage that their usual earnings were being donated to charity that evening, which enraged the group to the point of exchanging words with the leader. Miles himself suggests in his autobiography that their anger was responsible for their frenetic performance; he also says that Coleman played that night better than he's ever heard him play.

It was Coleman, however, that was the one piece of the puzzle that still was not quite the right fit. He plays throughout this set with a brilliantly melodic ease, with clean and lyrical lines firmly entrenched in the bebop tradition. Williams was dissatisfied with Coleman's playing, however, which he thought was too traditional for his tastes. Likewise, the group was a bit too adventurous for Coleman's tastes, so he left and was replaced at Williams' urging by Sam Rivers. The sixth disc of this set features Rivers on the album Miles In Tokyo, which had been released in 1969 as and was previously available only in Japan. Rivers is an intriguing option, sort of the anti-Coleman, if you will, with his angular and often guttural sound that skirted the boundaries of tradition and form and eschewed traditional bebop clichés. Regardless of who is manning the tenor chair, the group remains cohesive and inspired, and often explosive.

Ultimately, Rivers proved to be a bit too far out for what Miles was looking for, which was exploratory, yet still respective of the boundaries of time, melody and structure. Upon returning from Tokyo, Miles received word that Wayne Shorter was now free from his commitment with Art Blakey, so he immediately offered him the job. Shorter proved to be just what Miles was looking for, the perfect compromise between Coleman's melodic traditionalism and Rivers' exploratory modernism. In addition to being a fine soloist, Shorter was a great writer, whose compositions brought to the quintet the infusion of new material it had so sorely needed. The final disc consists of a recording of the band's appearance in Berlin, which was released in 1969 as Miles In Berlin, and was previously only available in Germany. This disc captures Shorter still settling in a bit, though it is immediately evident that his distinct voice is a perfect fit for the group, thus concluding an 18-month audition for a saxophonist. February 2, 2007

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