Miles Davis Blue Moods (Ojc) CD

Miles was fresh from his triumph at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival when he agreed to record for his old friend Charles Mingus's label. Considering the volatile temperaments of the two protagonists, the music is surprisingly calm, but according to Elvin Jones, 'if they had just printed the conversations in the studio at that time, that would have been a best-seller.' Woodman had known Mingus since boyhood, and Charles was then a frequent musical associate with similar ideas about composing and arranging. The charts here are all by Teddy, except 'Alone Together', which is by Mingus. OJC/Fantasy Records.

Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); Britt Woodman (trombone); Teddy Charles (vibraphone); Charles Mingus (acoustic bass); Elvin Jones (drums).
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on July 9, 1955. Originally released on Debut (120). Includes original liner notes by Bill Coss.
Digitally remastered by Kirk Felton (1990, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).
In the '50s, the party line among New York jazz critics was that hard bop was the "true faith" and that cool jazz was lightweight and unemotional. But Miles Davis knew better. The trumpeter (whose Birth of the Cool sessions of 1949-1950 proved to be incredibly influential) was smart enough to realize that cool jazz and hard bop were equally valid parts of the house that Charlie Parker built, and he had no problem working with cool jazzmen one minute and hard boppers the next. Recorded for Charles Mingus' Debut label in 1955, Blue Moods is an excellent example of cool jazz. However, not all of the musicians who join Davis on this album were full-time members of jazz's cool school. Although vibist Teddy Charles was cool-oriented, Mingus (upright bass) and Elvin Jones (drums) were never considered cool players -- and the lyrical trombonist Britt Woodman was, in the '50s, best known for his association with Duke Ellington. Nonetheless, the things that characterized cool jazz -- subtlety, restraint, and understatement -- characterize Blue Moods. Mingus and Jones were certainly capable of being forceful and aggressive, but you won't hear them being intense on this disc; a very laid-back, gently introspective approach prevails on interpretations of "Easy Living," "Alone Together," "Nature Boy," and "There's No You." Clocking in at 27 minutes, Blue Moods is quite skimpy by most standards -- unfortunately, Fantasy didn't have any alternate takes to add. But even so, Blue Moods offers considerable rewards to those who have a taste for '50s cool jazz. ~ Alex Henderson
Sometimes the sum of a jazz session is not equal to its parts. Creation is an elusive process, not something to be approached as one would dial a toll-free number, and the mere presence of superstars does not guarantee that sparks will fly.
BLUE MOODS is a serene, moody session, all film noir lighting and smoke-filled cafes. However, given the fact that the trumpeter was joined by such effusive, innovative musical personalities as drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Charles Mingus, one might expect a much more vigorous exchange of ideas. Even Miles, in his autobiography, was at a loss to explain why this July 8, 1955 date didn't take off into the stratosphere.
Still, BLUE MOODS possesses an eerie aura that marks it as a special event in the Miles Davis discography. Originally recorded for Charles Mingus' own Debut label, Davis and his all-pro rhythm team are joined by trombonist Britt Woodman and vibraphonist Teddy Charles, and this unusual instrumentation serves to reinforce the cool vibe of this one-time encounter. On "Nature Boy" Mingus vivisects the beat with clever contrapuntal devices, as Jones locks in the groove with cool brushwork and Davis intones the melody in a straightforward manner. "There's No You" is given a blue rendition, as Mingus and Jones provide a slow, graceful groove. The tentative pace of "Easy Living" amplifies the date's film noir moodiness, as Davis' mel