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What's New at Miles Ahead?

Updated December 18, 2024

Note: items on this list go back to early 1996, and as you would expect, some of the websites and resources that were available then no longer exist. Where possible I have replaced the original, now broken, links with working links to sites/pages saved in the Wayback Machine at archive.org.

Miles Davis Café Bohemia broadcasts, 1956-1958 (December 18, 2024)
Groove Back Records has released Volume 1 of Complete Café Bohemia Bandstand USA 1956-58 Radio Broadcasts (GBR 00124) -- the first of three LPs presenting the eight Bandstand USA broadcasts Davis groups did between the autumn of 1956 and the spring of 1958. This music has appeared on several bootleg LPs and CDs, but for this release Enrico Merlin has remastered each session. Also included are insightful liner notes and contemporary photos. Volume 1 includes music from September 15 and September 29, 1956, and from April 13, 1957. Later volumes will include the summer 1957 broadcasts -- July 13, July 20, and July 27 -- and the last two from 1958, May 8 and May 17. [Volume 1 details]

Miles Davis, The Complete Live in Paris, Vol. 1 (December 14, 2024)
As mentioned earlier, The Lost Recordings label released The Complete Live in Paris, Volume 1, with music from October 11, 1960 at Paris' Olympia Theatre. The two LPs are nicely produced but the package is riddled with errors and omissions. According to the TLR website, "c'est la première fois que ce concert est publié dans son intégralité," but the concert as released here is certainly not complete. Some tunes are missing, some are presented out of order, and some are wrongly identified. It's too bad that the same care devoted to the sound was not used to produce a truly complete and accurate record of this concert. [details]

Jazzwise features new bootleg box (December 9, 2024)
The December/January issue of Jazzwise magazine contains a feature article (pp. 24-29) about Sony's Miles in Paris 1963/1964, the eighth installment in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series. Also included is a short interview with series producer Richard Seidel. The issue also contains a short news item about Miles Ahead.

Miles Davis, Birth of the Blue (November 10, 2024)
The Acoustic Sounds label is releasing Birth of the Blue, with four tunes from the May 26, 1958 session in Columbia's 30th Street Studio. All of these titles -- "On Green Dolphin Street," "Fran Dance," "Stella by Starlight," and "Love for Sale" -- have been issued many times before, but never all together on their own. The release date is December 13, and the thirty-three minutes of familiar music will be available on 180-gram LP in either black or blue vinyl, or on Hybrid SACD. [LP details] [CD details]

Miles Davis, The Complete Live in Paris, Vol. 1 (November 10, 2024)
The Lost Recordings label is releasing The Complete Live in Paris, Vol. 1, the first of (presumably) two double-LP sets presenting music from October 11, 1960 at Paris' Olympia Theatre. Much of this music has been released in France on the Trema label, but apparently a new source has been found that includes several titles that were previously unavailable. Most of these titles are without Davis, solo features for Sonny Stitt or rhythm section numbers; but one of the tapes includes a previously-unknown performance of "All Blues." The release date is November 29, and the first edition of the set is limited to 3000 numbered copies.

Miles 54: The Prestige Recordings (November 10, 2024)
Craft Recordings is releasing Miles 54: The Prestige Recordings, with all the music recorded 70 years ago at the landmark sessions on March 15, April 3, April 29, June 29, and December 24. The release date is November 22, and the music will be available on four 180-gram LPs, two CDs, or as a digital download. [LP details] [CD details]

Miles Davis Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 (September 11, 2024)
Sony is releasing another installment in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series. Volume 8 is Miles in France 1963-1964, which includes three concerts from the Festival Mondial du Jazz in Antibes (July 26-28, 1963) with George Coleman, and two from the first Paris Jazz Festival (October 1, 1964) with Wayne Shorter. Some of this music has been issued before on bootlegs, and most of the July 27 concert was issued in 1964 by Columbia as Miles Davis in Europe. Release date is November 8 for eight LPs and six CDs. The 1964 concerts from Paris will be released separately on two LPs pressed on French flag-inspired blue-white-red vinyl.

Charlie Parker - Bird in Kansas City (August 30, 2024)
This fall Verve Records will release a Parker compilation entitled Bird in Kansas City. It includes two previously-unissued tunes from early in Parker's tenure with Jay McShann, four tunes recorded at an informal session in Vic Damon's Studio, and an unheard jam session from Parker's friend Phil Baxter's house. The music will be issued on CD and on blue vinyl on October 24. Some details, including the liner notes by Chuck Haddix, are available here.

Miles Davis in Amsterdam 1957 (July 20, 2024)
Key Records has released Miles Davis in Amsterdam 1957 (Key Records 399748), an LP with the performance from the Concertgebouw on December 8, 1957. The music has been issued many times. This edition is pressed on a 180-gram LP, with liner notes and contemporary photos. (The cover photos are taken from a performance in a Paris TV studio -- don't let the faux lunar landscape fool you.) [details]

Jan Lohmann joins Miles Ahead (May 26, 2024)
Jan is the author of The Sound of Miles Davis: The Discography 1945-1991. We have added his 1980-1991 data to the Miles Ahead sessionography, filling many gaps in what George Cole calls "the last Miles." I am deeply grateful to Jan for sharing his work here. I've also added an SSL certificate to Miles Ahead, so the URL for the site is now https://plosin.com/milesahead.

Vinyl Me, Please releases Miles Davis: The Electric Years (December 15, 2023)
Vinyl Me, Please is now selling a large boxed set, Miles Davis: The Electric Years, including seven Miles Davis LPs from 1969-1974. The box includes In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Big Fun, Live-Evil, On the Corner, and Get Up With It. [details]

Craft Recordings reissues Charlie Parker at Massey Hall (December 1, 2023)
On November 17, 2023 Craft Recordings released Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings, from a famous all-star set originally issued on Charles Mingus' Debut label. Available on three LPs or two CDs. [LP details] [CD details]

Sony Japan reissues Plugged Nickel recordings (November 20, 2023)
On October 6, 2023 Sony Japan issued the complete recordings from the Plugged Nickel club in Chicago in December 1965. The set consists of eight dual-layer SACDs in a box similar to that used for the Columbia Legacy set issued in 1995. This is the first time the complete Plugged Nickel recordings have been issued in Japan. The release, in conjunction with Tower Records in Japan, is limited to 1500 copies. [details]

Sony Japan reissues Miles Davis Columbia recordings (September 23, 2023)
On November 22, 2023 Sony Japan reissued nearly all of Miles Davis' Columbia recordings in its "We Want Jazz" series. Many of the 55 items include extra tracks not on the original release, and seven of them are double CDs including both monaural and stereo mixes.

Miles Davis 1957 concert (September 9, 2023)
Fresh Sound Records released a nearly-complete recording of a 1957 concert at the Olympia Theatre in Paris. Several poorly-recorded tunes from this concert on November 30, 1957 have been available for many years, but this release is a welcome upgrade. The release date is October 2 and the music is on CD and on two LPs. [CD details] [LP details]

Miles Davis 1980s Columbia recordings reissued (July 15, 2022)
The seventh set in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series -- That's What Happened: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 7, on three CDs or excerpts on two white LPs -- is scheduled for release on September 16. In addition, several of the Columbia records from the 1980s are being reissued on vinyl by Get on Down Records in Boston. Here is Sony's announcement:

First up is The Man With The Horn on crystal clear vinyl, coming on July 29 followed by the live double LP We Want Miles on opaque yellow vinyl on August 12. Decoy on crystal clear vinyl hits on August 29 and You're Under Arrest on crystal clear vinyl lands on September 16.

All of these items can be ordered from the Legacy Recordings website. The Get on Down LPs can be ordered directly from the Get on Down website.

Another installment in the Bootleg Series (May 1, 2022)
After many stops and starts, the seventh set in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series will be released this fall. It will include unissued studio material from 1982-1985, plus the first official release of the concert from July 7, 1983 at Montréal's Théâtre St. Denis, two excerpts of which were issued on Decoy. The Montréal concert will be released separately on two LPs for Record Store Day (June 18).

Charlie Parker centennial releases (August 22, 2020)
Charlie Parker's 100th birthday is August 29, 2020. There are a bunch of releases planned to commemorate the occasion. On August 7 Verve reissued The Magnificent Charlie Parker on yellow vinyl, with tunes recorded in the studio on January 17, 1951 and August 8, 1951. Later this fall Verve will release Bird in LA, with live recordings from 1945-1952, on two CDs or four LPs. On November 20, Verve will release a five-LP set, Charlie Parker: The Mercury and Clef 10" LP Collection -- with heavy black vinyl pressings of the five LPs released on the Clef label in the early 1950s. The set will include the original David Stone Martin covers, a slipcase, and booklet with notes and photos. The cover art is available from uDiscover.

In addition to these Verve items, Premium Cool Records will release a vinyl version of the June 22, 1945 Town Hall concert with Dizzy Gillespie. Blue Note Records will release Jazz at Midnight, a collection of recordings from Washington DC in 1952 and 1953. Both LPs have a release date of August 29 and are part of Record Store Day 2020.

Charlie Parker interview (June 6, 2020)
Recently a previously unknown interview with Charlie Parker was posted to YouTube. The source claims that it is from 1954 but evidence suggests it is from autumn 1952. Parker talks about young musicians he has heard, and recommends pieces by his favorite classical composers, Bartok and Stravinsky. A transcription is available elsewhere on this website.

Miles Davis singles (April 10, 2020)
Eric Jooris has compiled a list of Miles Davis singles and EPs (PDF) from the U.S., Japan, and several European countries. Some of these are included in the Miles Ahead discography, but many are not, so I am grateful to Eric for making the list available.

Charlie Parker: The Savoy 10" LP Collection (February 28, 2020)
Craft Recordings has released a boxed set of Parker's Savoy recordings: four 10" LPs with faithfully reproduced artwork, plus a booklet containing vintage photos and liner noted by Neil Tesser. You can even order it with a snazzy Savoy T-shirt. See https://charlieparkermusic.com for more. [details]

Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool (January 26, 2020)
Stanley Nelson's documentary Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool will be broadcast on PBS in its American Masters series on February 25. Sony has issued Music from and inspired by The Birth of the Cool which includes music and commentary from the film.

Charlie Parker jam session recording (December 15, 2019)
Several months ago the Louis Armstrong House Museum put a large number of Armstrong's tapes online. One of them includes a jam session which features Charlie Parker and Big Nick Nicholas. The sound quality is poor, and most of the details of the session are unknown, but it is more "unheard Bird." With help from a lot of people I have tried to make sense of this session here.

Charlie Parker for Record Store Day (November 29, 2019)
UMe 2019 is releasing a yellow-vinyl pressing of The Magnificent Charlie Parker, originally issued on the Clef label in 1955 and including twelve tunes recorded on January 17, 1951 and August 8, 1951. Another limited edition of 3000 copies.

Miles Davis for Record Store Day (October 12, 2019)
Two Miles Davis records will be released on November 29, 2019, Record Store Day, aka Black Friday. Miles in Tokyo, recorded in 1964 and released in Japan by CBS/Sony in 1969, is being issued by the Get On Down label in a limited edition of 2200 copies [details]. Columbia Legacy is issuing Early Minor: Rare Miles from the Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, three tunes from late 1968 and early 1969. Limited to 3500 copies [details].

Miles Davis Bootleg Series update (October 2019)
The Sony/Columbia Legacy Miles Davis Bootleg Series is still alive, although the production schedule has been slowed down. Beginning in 2011 and continuing until 2018, Sony USA released six volumes of live and studio recordings:

1. Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1 (released 9/20/2011) [details]
2. Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 2 (1/29/2013) [details]
3. Miles at the Fillmore: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3 (3/25/2014) [details]
4. Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4 (7/17/2015) [details]
5. Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5 (10/21/2016) [details]
6. The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 (3/23/2018) [details]

A seventh volume is apparently in the works. Its contents and release date have not been determined.

Miles Davis on French television, 1957 (August 30, 2019)
A film including the earliest known TV footage of Miles Davis has been found in the INA Conservation Center in Saint-Rémy-l'Honoré (Yvelines). Davis performed with Barney Wilen, René Urtreger, Pierre Michelot, and Kenny Clarke in Jean-Christophe Averty's Au Clair de la Lune, broadcast by RTF on Christmas night, 1957. See the INA.fr website. More information about this historic broadcast is available elsewhere on this site.

Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool (August 1, 2019)
Stanley Nelson's documentary Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and will start appearing in theaters this month. It will be broadcast in PBS' American Masters series on February 25.

Rubberband to be released (July 30, 2019)
Miles Davis' first record for Warner Brothers, recorded in 1985-1986, was supposed to be called Rubberband, but it was never released. Rhino Records has announced a release date of September 6 for two LPs (Rhino 603497850778) or one CD (Rhino 603497850785), For details, consult the Rhino website. [CD details]

Miles Davis in Finland (May 23, 2019)
The Finnish Radio Company Yleisradio (YLE) is re-broadcasting many jazz performances from the 1960s, including some by Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and others. Two Davis performances from Helsinki venues are among them: Messuhalli, October 6, 1964 and Kulttuuritalolla, November 1, 1967. For details, consult the Jazzlegendat in Finland archive.

Charlie Parker boxed sets (February 8, 2019)
Most of Charlie Parker's studio recordings have been collected on multi-CD sets, and I have added a Charlie Parker boxed sets page which lists the main options you have. It is far from complete, but it lists the readily accessible alternatives.

More original release dates (January 26, 2019)
I have added more original release dates for Miles Davis' records on the Prestige and Columbia labels. There are still a lot of gaps -- if you know more precise or accurate data than what I have, please let me know. Many people have asked for this information over the years, and it is surprisingly elusive. (What I wouldn't give for a database of the old Schwann catalog...)

Tidying up (January 23, 2019)
I have had a lot of time on my hands thanks to Trump's shutdown, so I have fixed some inconsistencies in the Miles Ahead data. I have also cleared out a lot of small and/or low-resolution images of covers, primarily CDRs.

Plugged Nickel 1965 (January 13, 2019)
To while away some hours while not working on account of Trump's shutdown, I have re-listened several times to the 1965 Plugged Nickel recordings, and I put together some impressions. What great music. Now, will Sony ever get around to reissuing it?

Charlie Parker cover art (January 3, 2019)
The Charlie Parker discography in Miles Ahead is is limited almost exclusively to compact discs, but I have added a form that displays cover art for the CDs (and a couple LPs). It works like the Miles Davis version: select a decade, and you get a list of all items for which I have cover images.

Dark theme now available (November 25, 2018)
Everyone seems to be offering a dark theme for their user interfaces these days, so I've introduced the option at Miles Ahead. Most forms on this site have a [dark] link in the upper right; clicking or tapping it will toggle the site to dark mode. If you don't like it, you can always return to the light theme, which remains the default. While re-coding the site I have also taken the opportunity to fix a lot of errors and inconsistencies in the data.

(Update 11/30/18: Apparently if you view the dark theme in an iOS device with Smart Invert enabled, you end up with dark text against a dark background on some pages. I am working on a fix. I am a committed Android user so I have not tested things with iOS in mind. Thanks to Dave Hensley for bringing this issue to my attention.)

(Update 12/25/18: I believe the issue with iOS Smart Invert is fixed. As mentioned, I am not an iOS user, but all bits of code where colors were being explicitly set have been removed, so I think there is nothing to interfere with smart color inversion. There is some residual weirdness with dark and light modes on the query forms, however; apologies while I work on them.)

Charlie Parker at Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium (September 15, 2018)
Once in a while a recording surfaces from a bygone era. New to me, and recorded sixty years ago, is a three-tune set from a Jazz at the Philharmonic performance at Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. Parker is accompanied by Al Haig, Tommy Potter, and J.C. Heard. The source is undoubtedly one of the many recordings made by Norman Granz while on tour with JATP. Here's hoping for more like this... [details]

60th Anniversary of Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (August 2018)
A new two-CD (and three 10" LP) release of the music recorded as the soundtrack for Louis Malle's film. This version includes a five-minute tune previously unavailable and a 60-page booklet with discography, essays, and contemporary photos. [CD details] [10" LP details]

Rubberband EP for Record Store Day (April 22, 2018)
Available in your local record store on Record Store Day 2018: 12" 45 rpm EP with four versions of "Rubberband" from October 1985. [details]

The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series Vol. 6 (January 6, 2018)
The next installment in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series will be released on March 23, 2018. The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series Vol. 6 (4 CDs) will include the first three extant recordings from the Quintet's spring 1960 European tour with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic: Paris, March 21 (two shows), Stockholm, March 22 (two shows), and Copenhagen, March 24. The Paris shows will be released on two LPs, and the Copenhagen show on one LP. (The Copenhagen show will also be available on red vinyl exclusively at Barnes and Noble.) [CD details]

Session design changes (September 2, 2017)
Some Miles Ahead sessions include substantial non-musical extras like studio chatter, stage announcements, disk jockey patter, and the like. To make it easier to see the music, I have modified the session viewer so that such non-musical material is now hidden by default. If you want to see the chatter, clicking or tapping a link will display it for you. [studio example] [live example]

Royal Roost Club updates (January 28, 2017)
I have revised the details for many of the 1948-1949 Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and other artists sessions from the Royal Roost restaurant. These are wonderful recordings documenting a remarkable period in jazz history. Those were the days.

New design, more mobile-friendly (January 15, 2017)
A new user interface should make Miles Ahead easier to use on phones and tablets. If you run into weird display issues or if things do not function properly, please send me a message. For optimal viewing, use Google's Roboto family of true-type fonts, which you can download from Google.

Bootleg Series #5: Freedom Jazz Dance (August 12, 2016)
To commemmorate the 50th anniversary of Miles Smiles, the next installment on Sony's Bootleg Series is Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5. It includes the session reels from the October 24, 1966 and October 25, 1966 sessions, plus some excerpts from Columbia studio sessions from June 7, 1967 ("Nefertiti" and "Water Babies"), July 19, 1967 (alternate take of "Masqualero"), and May 15, 1968 (rehearsal of "Country Son"), plus a few other odds and ends. Three CDs, to be released on October 21, 2016. A three-LP set, which will include all the previously-unissued material, is scheduled for release on April 15, 2017 (Record Store Day). [details]

Bootleg Series #4: Miles Davis at Newport (April 30, 2015)
The next installment in Sony's Bootleg Series will collect all of Miles Davis' performances at the Newport Jazz Festival -- 1955, 1958, 1966, 1967, and 1969 -- and add some material from "Newport Jazz Festival in Europe" in 1971 (Dietikon) and 1973 (Berlin), and one track from 1975 (New York). The set will be released on July 17, 2015 during the Newport Jazz Festival to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Davis' first appearance at the festival. [details]

Miles Davis reissues on Mobile Fidelity (March 5, 2015)
I usually don't editorialize about recordings, but I've been listening to a few of the recent Mobile Fidelity "GAIN 2 Ultra Analog" vinyl reissues, and they are terrific. I've heard Milestones (MFSL 1-374), In a Silent Way (MFSL 1-377), and Bitches Brew (MFSL 2-439). They are much more revealing than previous versions from Analogue Productions, Classic Records, Music on Vinyl, and other producers of high-end vinyl. Highly recommended. Several other titles are in the queue, including four two-LP 45 rpm versions of the 1960s quintet recordings. All titles are also available as hybrid SACDs. [List of MFSL reissues]

Miles Davis @ Record Store Day (November 28, 2014)
Three Miles Davis items were released for Record Store Day (aka Black Friday): The Prestige 10" LP Collection, Vol. 1 (Davis' first five Prestige records); Enigma (four alternate takes from Davis' first two Blue Note sessions); and Blue Xmas (two tunes recorded in 1962 with Bob Dorough).

Miles Davis Way in Manhattan (May 26, 2014)
This has nothing to do with Miles Ahead, but the street sign on West 77th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue in New York City has recently been renamed Miles Davis Way. Check out these official words and photos, or this piece from CBS News.

Bootleg Series #3: Miles at Fillmore (March 25, 2014)
Sony will release a four-CD set including the complete sets performed at New York's Fillmore Auditorium on Wednesday, June 17, Thursday, June 18, Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20. Edited versions of these sets were issued by Columbia as Miles Davis at Fillmore in October 1970. Bonus material will include three tracks from a Fillmore West performance on April 11, 1970. [details]

Miles Davis Mono Recordings (November 11, 2013)
Sony has released a nine-CD set of Miles Davis' early Columbia LPs: The Original Mono Recordings. Included are monaural versions of 'Round About Midnight, Miles Ahead, Milestones, Jazz Track, Porgy and Bess, Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, Someday My Prince Will Come, and Miles and Monk at Newport. In some cases mono masters had to be re-created from early stereo tapes, but in others the mono master tapes were used. Engineer Mark Wilder lays out the details in his helpful notes to the set. [details]

Two new Miles Davis Concertgebouw sets (11/23/2012)
Muziek Centrum Nederland is releasing a two-CD set, So What: The Complete 1960 Amsterdam Concerts (MCN 303 2393), making available for the first time two Davis shows: one, with John Coltrane, from midnight on April 9, 1960 (after the group had returned to Amsterdam from Scheveningen); and the other, with Sonny Stitt, from midnight on October 15, 1960. The set will be released on December 13. [details]

Three mono LPs released for Record Store Day (11/23/2012)
Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain: monaural masters pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Available first from independent record stores. [details]

Second bootleg box postponed (8/16/2012)
Sony has postposed until January 29, 2013 the release date of the second installment in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series, and the reissue of the first eight Miles Davis Columbia LPs in mono will be postponed as well. In addition, the mono LP project may be licensed to the Music on Vinyl label, which has released several of Miles Davis' Columbia recordings on high-quality 180-gram vinyl. [NB: Sony decided not to issue the mono recordings on vinyl: the CDs were released on November 11, 2013]

Code and design changes (5/20/2012)
A bunch of changes to the code and design of the Miles Ahead pages, to simplify layout and make the site easier to use on tablets and mobile devices. More code changes are in the works.

New Miles Davis sets in preparation (5/20/2012)
Sony is preparing two new sets for release in the fall. The first is another installment in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series, to appear in September 2012 -- this will be a three-CD, one-DVD set of live 1969 sets, including two concerts from Antibes on July 25 and July 26, plus pieces of two sets from Stockholm on November 5. The DVD will contain the November 7 performance at the Berlin Philharmonie. [details]

The second set is a reissue of the first eight Miles Davis Columbia LPs in mono -- 'Round About Midnight, Miles Ahead, Milestones, Jazz Track, Porgy and Bess, Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, and Someday My Prince Will Come. The LPs will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl and will come in heavy facsimilies of the original covers. If this sounds vaguely familiar, you might be recalling Sony's 2010 box, Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings (Columbia Legacy 88697 76105-1), which did for Dylan what the planned set will do for Davis. [NB: Sony decided not to issue the mono recordings on vinyl: the CDs were released on November 11, 2013]

The Great Prestige Recordings (4/14/2012)
Some reflections on the two versions of Analogue Productions' acclaimed boxed set of Prestige Quintet recordings.

Mosaic boxed sets (2/5/2012)
A list of all of the sets issued by Mosaic Records over the years. Be sure to check out their website for news, updates, and upcoming releases.

Miles Davis LPs making a comeback? (1/1/2012)
A surprising number of Miles Davis recordings are now available on vinyl, and some of these are very nicely produced. A German label called Speakers Corner has released Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud, 'Round About Midnight, and Miles Smiles, all on beautiful 180-gram pressings. A Dutch label called Music on Vinyl, with the cooperation of Sony Music, has released nine Miles Davis records to date, including a five-LP version of the acclaimed Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1. The venerable Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory is launching a "Miles Davis catalog restoration series" and will soon release six titles, including Milestones, Kind of Blue, and Sketches of Spain. And of course Analogue Productions continues to produce terrific reissues of the Prestige and Blue Note recordings, including a magnificent reissue of The Great Prestige Recordings on ten 180-gram 45-rpm LPs and wonderful 200-gram monaural pressings of Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin', along with two-LP, 45-rpm versions of Columbia records like Someday My Prince Will Come and Seven Steps to Heaven. Who says vinyl is dead?

Miles Ahead v4.1 (9/30/2011)
Miles Ahead has been migrated from an old Windows 2003 server to a new Windows 2008 server, which allows me to use some new features and should make the site quicker and more stable. A few cosmetic changes have been introduced, but most of the changes are, as they say, "under the hood."

Sony USA Inaugurates the Miles Davis Bootleg Series (8/27/2011)
September 20 is the release date for the first volume of the Miles Davis Bootleg Series. The first set in this projected series is Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1 (Columbia Legacy 88697 94053), which brings together three complete shows from the fall 1967 "Newport Jazz Festival in Europe" tour: Antwerp (October 28), Copenhagen (November 2), and Paris (November 6). The set also includes a DVD containing short sets from Stockholm (October 31) and Karlsruhe (November 7). [details]

Recent additions and updates (3/19/2011)
Miles Ahead has always had a "last updated" date on the main page. Over the years people have asked for a feature that would indicate not only when the last update happened, but what was updated. I've finally added that feature. Sorry it took so long.

Bitches Brew Live released (2/8/2011)
Sony Music has released Bitches Brew Live (Columbia Legacy 88697 81485), a single CD including the abbreviated performance at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival (July 5) and the short set performed at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival (August 29). The Newport titles are previously unissued. [details]

Miles-L listserv shuts down
The Miles-L listserv no longer exists. It has been superseded by a Google group. Unfortunately the FAQ for the Google group no longer exists, so I can't link to it.

Release dates for Columbia recordings (8/27/2010)
The list of Columbia equivalents now includes many release dates, something that many people have requested over the years. This information is surprisingly hard to come by, and there are still many Columbia records for which I don't have a release date. So if you know any that are missing, please let me know.

Miles Ahead v4.0 (7/4/2010)
Miles Ahead has been "upsized" -- I've moved from a decrepit Microsoft Access database to SQL Server. The benefits should be much better performance and reliability. Most of the rest of the site remains as it was. If anyone would like to make a donation to help pay for the recurring costs of the new software license, I've set up a PayPal donation form.

Dogfish Head Bitches Brew (6/28/2010)
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, the Dogfish Head craft brewery unveils "a bold, dark beer that's a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root, a gustatory analog to Miles' masterpiece." Look for it in late August 2010.

New boxed sets (6/28/2010)
In August Sony will release two sets of Bitches Brew-related recordings: the three CD + DVD + double-LP Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Columbia Legacy 88697 70274 2) [details], and the two CD + DVD Bitches Brew Legacy Edition (Columbia Legacy 88697 54519 2) [details].

The Complete Columbia Album Collection (Sony/Columbia Legacy 86975 24922) (9/11/2009)
Sony USA releases a boxed set set including all 50 of Miles Davis' Columbia albums plus the 1970 Fillmore East sets issued in 2001 and the complete performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival. The set also includes a bonus DVD with two 1967 live performances of the Miles Davis Quintet [details].

Death of record producer Teo Maceros (2/21/2008)
Teo Macero, producer at Columbia for much of Miles Davis' career, died on February 19 after a long illness. What an interesting biography could be written about this guy, whose fingerprints are all over many of the most important jazz records ever recorded. A documentary entitled Play That, Teo was begun but it's not clear it was finished and released. A teaser is available on YouTube. Be sure to check out the two-part 1997 interview with Teo Macero in the online journal Perfect Sound Forever. And anyone interested in his contributions should be sure to consult the Teo Macero Collection housed at the New York Public Library. A detailed summary of the contents of the collection (1.2 MB PDF) is available elsewhere on this website.

50th Anniversary of Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (12/4/2007)
The December 2009 issue of French Jazz Magazine commemorates the 50th anniversary of the recording session that provided the soundtrack to Louis Malle's celebrated film. (Thank you, Axel van Looy, for sending me a copy of the magazine.) Session details are available here, and some background is available elsewhere on this site.

The Complete On the Corner Sessions released (10/2/2007)
Six CDs including issued and unissued studio material from 1972-1975. [details]

Miles Davis at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (4/2/2007)
The release date for the Japanese CD (Victor UCCO-1008) is August 8; the U.S. version (Concord/Monterey Jazz Festival Records MJFR-30310) is scheduled for release August 21. Previously available on several bootlegs.

The Complete On the Corner Sessions 1972-1975 (3/15/2007)
Another boxed set in the works (this one six CDs), including some issued and unissued studio material from the 1972-1975. To be released sometime in fall 2007.

New options on live recordings Query Form (7/21/2006)
You can query the live recordings database by year or by category. Use the latter to find e.g. all items from the Total Music Meeting, or all NDR Jazzworkshops.

New option on live recordings trade list (7/14/2006)
You can now also see only those items added to the live recordings database in the last three months. (Removed 2024.)

Cellar Door release date announced (11/18/2005)
The release date for the long-awaited six-CD set, The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (Columbia Legacy C6K 96314) has been re-set to December 20, 2005. [details]

Radio and TV tributes (11/1/2005)
Details about several radio and television tributes to Miles Davis, including the recent Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast The Man with the Horn.

New option on query forms (10/10/2005)
You can now search the Miles Davis and Charlie Parker sessions database by year, as well as by tune, musician, venue, etc.

Sony postpones release of Cellar Door set (9/27/2005)
The release date for the long-awaited six-CD set, The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (Columbia Legacy C6K 96314) has been postponed indefinitely.

Query form for live recordings/CDRs (8/9/2005)
I've added a form that allows you to search my collection of (non-Miles Davis and non-Charlie Parker) unissued live music for tunes, musicians, groups, and locations.

Joined Creative Commons (6/10/2005)
I've added this website to the Creative Commons -- allowing certain uses of the data gathered here but disallowing other uses. If you want to know why, look at the Frequently Asked Questions elsewhere on this site. If you want to know more about the Creative Commons, visit creativecommons.org.

New Columbia Legacy releases (6/7/2005)
On June 14 Sony USA released the Legacy Edition of 'Round About Midnight (C2K 94750). Also, a September 20 release date has been announced for the long-awaited six-CD set, The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (C6K 96314).

Discography re-done (3/26/2005)
I've re-done the discography to group the records for which there are multiple entries -- so all of the versions of Kind of Blue in the database appear together. There are still separate entries to account for differences among these issued versions.

New query category (12/26/2004)
It's now possible to query the Miles Ahead sessions database for composer, e.g. if you're looking for all those sessions in New York where the Miles Davis Quintet performed tunes composed by John Lewis. I've also fixed a lot of erroneous data. [NB: this query option has been removed.]

Seven Steps released (9/28/2004)
Columbia Legacy issues Seven Steps: Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964 on seven CDs. Mosaic's ten-LP set is also available. [CD details] [LP details]

Miles Ahead v3.0 (9/1/2004)
I've re-written Miles Ahead in ASP.NET, Microsoft's platform for dynamic websites. In the process I have added some new features and fixed several errors in the data. As always, let me know if you spot mistakes.

New Columbia Legacy set coming this fall (6/20/2004)
Columbia will release Seven Steps: Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964 on seven CDs in fall 2004. A ten-LP Mosaic LP set will also be released.

New Columbia Legacy reissue (9/30/2003)
Columbia released The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions on five CDs. This is a digital-only set; no Mosaic Records LPs will be produced. [details]

New Columbia Legacy reissue (6/3/2003)
Columbia released Miles Davis at the Blackhawk on four CDs. A six-LP set is also available from Mosaic Records. [CD details] [LP details]

Facelift (1/1/2003)
Putting some time off to "good use," I have made some changes to the discography and sessionography, and added a Frequently Asked Questions page.

Miles Davis in Montreux (10/15/2002)
Warner Music has released a 20-CD set including all of Miles Davis' performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, beginning in 1973 and ending in 1991. [details]

Miles Ahead moved (7/3/2002)
Some of the files in Miles Ahead have new URLs. The main page remains where it has been. Links throughout have been updated. Also the query form has a new free-text search feature so you can look for words in the session notes.

Classic Records reissues (1/17/2002)
Classic Records will kick off their Blue Note reissue series with two 10" LPs from the early 1950s: Young Man with a Horn (BLP 5013) and Miles Davis, Volume 3 (BLP 5040).

Corrections, etc. (1/10/2002)
I've made a bunch of corrections to the data in Miles Ahead and changed a few of the filenames. If you have links to subpages within Miles Ahead, please check them. (Thanks to everyone who spotted errors!)

The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions released (10/30/2001)
Columbia Legacy has finally issued The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, a three-CD set which includes material recorded between September 1968 and February 1969. A five-LP version is also available from Mosaic Records. [LP details] [CD details]

New Columbia Legacy reissues (6/1/2001)
Columbia has postponed until at least August 21 the release of Miles Davis Live at the Fillmore East (C2K 85191), a two-CD set from March 7, 1970. They're now saying October 18 for the release of The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions (C3K 65362), including sessions from late 1968 through early 1969.

Charlie Parker discography (4/1/2001)
I've added a modest Charlie Parker discography to Miles Ahead (CDs only).

Old versions removed (1/1/2001)
In a fit of new-millennium organizing, I've finally removed the links to old versions of the Miles Ahead site. If you see outdated links on the internet, please let me (and those responsible) know.

New Columbia Legacy reissues (12/10/2000)
According to Columbia, five single-CD reissues will be released in April 2001: 'Round About Midnight (1955-56); Milestones (1958); Miles Davis at Newport (1958); Jazz at the Plaza (1958); and a "best-of" disc taken from the Davis/Coltrane boxed set.

Davis/Coltrane box arrives (5/1/2000)
Finally, The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis and John Coltrane was released on April 11. Mosiac LPs finally arrived! [LP details] [CD details]

Columbia to issue 1970s recordings (4/17/2000)
Columbia is preparing three Davis records from the 1970s for summer release: Get Up With It (Legacy C2K 63970); Big Fun (Legacy C2K 63973); and On The Corner (Legacy CK 63980).

Miles Ahead v2.0 (10/18/99)
I've redone Miles Ahead, and it's now driven by a couple Access databases. Help, and a brief description of features, is available here. [Check it out in the Wayback Machine]

Columbia postpones Davis/Coltrane box (8/15/99)
The release date for the Complete Miles Davis/John Coltrane Columbia recordings has been postponed to late this fall (October 26). The Mosiac LPs will be delayed too.

Bitches Brew sessions released (11/24/98)
Sony has released The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions on four CDs. Mosaic LPs coming soon.

Charlie Parker discography updated (6/20/98)
I've done some tidying up and correcting in the Parker discography, incorporating suggestions from several sources. [Superseded by Miles Ahead v2.0]

Miles Ahead in the News! (6/7/98)
In a New York Times essay entitled "POP/JAZZ; (Even) Jazz Makes the Leap to Cyberspace" Terry Teachout writes about the state of jazz on the web, and describes Miles Ahead as "the best of the unofficial Miles Davis sites [on the web]." He especially likes the search function. His essay is online (albeit behind a paywall) here.

Discography reorganized (4/10/98)
I've split the discography into separate files to lessen download time for those with slow connections. [Superseded by Miles Ahead v2.0.]

Quintet sessions released (3/24/98)
The second boxed set of Miles Davis Columbia recordings -- the complete studio recordings of the 1960s quintet -- has been released on six CDs. Mosaic LPs to follow soon.

The Prestige Labels (9/17/97)
A close-to-complete listing of all jazz records on the Prestige labels (Prestige, New Jazz, Moodsville, Swingville) -- including 78rpm singles, 7" EPs, 10"- and 12" LPs. Also check out the Blue Note list.

Discography facelift (8/22/97)
Check out the redesigned discography, optimized for 800 x 600 display. This is the one that will be up-to-date from now on. [Superseded by Miles Ahead v2.0.]

The Beat Begins: American Culture in the 1950s (1/1/97)
A new course I'm teaching this spring at in the Honors Program at the University of Maryland; jazz (including Miles Davis) figures prominently. (NB: This course is no longer offered, but many of the course materials are available via the link above.)

Miles Davis bibliography now available (12/12/96)
If you want to find out more about Miles Davis and his music, here's a selected list of books, articles, and websites.

List of live dates now available (12/7/96)
If you trade live tapes of Miles Davis, look at my list of live recordings. (NB: I am no longer trading, but the lists still may be of some use to someone.)

Columbia/CBS reissues updated (11/3/96)
The Columbia equivalents/reissues page now lists the most recent Japanese 20-bit reissues and other new items.

Miles Davis/Gil Evans Recordings (Mosaic MQ11-164 or Sony CXK 67397) (9/3/96)
Sony Music has released this set and put up an extensive website dedicated to this project.

This site and Larry Tomczyk's Milestones named "Hot Site of the Week" by One Stop Jazz on the Web. (8/18/96)
(One Stop Jazz on the Web is now defunct, gone the way of many websites. And Milestones appears to be moribund.)

Sony USA Announces Plan for Miles Davis Reissues (5/24/96)
Over the next three years most of Miles Davis' Columbia recordings will be reissued in boxed sets, following the success of The Complete Plugged Nickel 1965.

Code MD: Coded Phrases in the First "Electric Period" (5/19/96)
A paper by Enrico Merlin, presented at the recent "Miles Davis and American Culture" Conference at Washington University. With several sound clips.

Other Miles Davis sites on the Web (3/10/96)
There are a lot of Davis sites on the web, and I'll try to keep a list of the ones I find. If you find others that aren't listed, let me know.