Miles Davis – 'Round About Midnight (Speakers Corner)

You can enjoy the six titles to the fullest with open ears in the order in which they were compiled by the producer and probably also by Davis. Each theme should be well known and have been played thousands of times in many versions. But what the quintet - and that means every single one of the five musicians!

- the wealth of ideas and exciting improvisations it creates is great art and

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Davis' vibrato-free tone is seamlessly continued by John Coltrane, beautifully heard in the middle of "Bye, Bye Blackbird". Paul Chambers has his showpiece in "Ack Värmeland du sköna" (aka "Dear Old Stockholm"). The two classics "Tadd's Delight" by Tadd Dameron and "Ah-Leu-Cha" by Charlie Parker show that bebop was still on everyone's lips in 1955 / 1956. But the lines of improvisation are more moderate, the style later called Modal is already beginning to be heard.

Even though "'Round About Midnight" does not enjoy the reputation of "Kind Of Blue" as a complete work, there are many pearls to be discovered on this Columbia highlight.

D. Beric in stereoplay 11 / 08: "Miles Davis' Columbia Debut showed once more that the trumpeter is not only a a brilliant musician, but also an extremely intelligent bandleader. So he leaves here his four Colleagues a lot of room for fine improvisations. What is also impressive is how harmoniously Miles and John Coltrane together."

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