At first glance, it would seem like an impossible task to summarize
Miles Davis
' career into a succinct double-disc set. Still, a career as multifaceted and ever-changing as
Miles
' winds up having a clear narrative, one that can be told by just the highlights, which is exactly what
Columbia
/
Legacy
's excellent double-disc
Essential Miles Davis
does. There are certainly major pieces and recordings missing, which is a deliberate move, since the compilers have chosen no more than one track per record (with the exception of two cuts from
'Round About Midnight
), so there are huge portions of
Kind of Blue
,
Sketches of Spain
E.S.P.
, and
Bitches Brew
absent, and such classic albums as
Milestones
Miles Smiles
In a Silent Way
A Tribute to Jack Johnson
are entirely MIA. The funny thing is, in this context, they're not missed, because what's here -- which is how this compilation should be judged -- tells the story directly yet elegantly, touching on stages of his career. That means this is cross-licensed, opening with
as a sideman on
Charlie Parker
's
"Now's the Time,"
then running through the
Birth of the Cool
sessions, before hitting on a selection from his lone
Blue Note
sessions and two cuts from his classic
Prestige
dates. After that come the
recordings, with the
Gil Evans
collaborations and
Coltrane
years filling out disc one. On the second disc, his second classic quartet comes to the forefront, followed by terrific selections from the electric years, including a cut from
On the Corner
, traditionally disdained by
jazz
critics. Three tracks from the '60s round out the disc, completing an overview of astonishing scope and breadth. Yes, there is nothing particularly rare here (with the exception of
"Generique,"
from
Ascenseur Pour l'Echafaud
), but this wasn't designed for the converted -- it was designed to convert and it does its job superbly. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine