Jazz Cafee: Miles Davis - The Original Mono Recordings [9 CD, 2013]

The 2013 box set The Original Mono Recordings, brings together all nine of the albums the legendary jazz trumpeter recorded for Columbia that were originally released in mono, including 1957's 'Round About Midnight, 1957's Miles Ahead, 1958's Milestones, 1959's Jazz Track, 1959's Porgy and Bess, 1959's Kind of Blue, 1960's Sketches of Spain, 1961's Someday My Prince Will Come, and 1964's Miles & Monk at Newport. Remastered using the original master tapes and with pristine versions of the LPs as comparative benchmarks for sound, these mono versions have a warmth and immediacy that, at the very least, match the stereo versions, and to some ears may even outdo them. Prior to 1959, all of Davis' recordings for Columbia were released in mono. Which means that, although stereo became a popular format during the '60s, most listeners first heard these landmark albums in mono. In fact, mono was considered the most faithful and purest representation of how the music sounded in the studio. There is some logic to this notion, as the aim was to present the music in the truest regard to the overall sound of the band in the studio. Subsequently, there is less post-production trickery involved on the mono versions. There is also a clarity and depth to the sound quality on these albums, especially when it comes to the piano and bass, that stands apart from previous stereo versions. It's as if you can see farther into the recording, revealing a fuller aural picture of the band as a whole. For some listeners this may not matter, but ultimately, for others, it will mean that these mono remasters, whether bought individually or as a part of this box set, will be must-have additions to their collections.

♦ CD1 -'Round About Midnight (00:39:25)

01. 'Round Midnight [06:02]
02. Ah-Leu-Cha [05:57]
03. All Of You [07:08]
04. Bye Bye Blackbird [07:57]
05. Tadd's Delight [04:31]
06. Dear Old Stockholm [07:48]

♦ CD2 - Miles Ahead (00:37:19)

01. Springsville [03:28]
02. The Maids Of Cadiz [03:55]
03. The Duke [03:37]
04. My Ship [04:30]
05. Miles Ahead [03:32]
06. Blues For Pablo [05:22]
07. New Rhumba [04:38]
08. The Meaning Of The Blues [02:49]
09. Lament [02:17]
10. I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) [03:06]

♦ CD3 - Milestones (00:48:16)

01. Dr. Jekyll [05:54]
02. Sid's Ahead [13:12]
03. Two Bass Hit [05:18]
04. Milestones [05:49]
05. Billy Boy [07:19]
06. Straight, No Chaser [10:41]

♦ CD4 - Jazz Tack (00:46:59)

01. Generique [02:49]
02. L'Assassinat De Carala [02:11]
03. Sur L'Autoroute [02:18]
04. Julien Dans L'Ascenseur [02:10]
05. Florence Sur Les Champs-Elysees [02:52]
06. Diner Au Motel [03:57]
07. Evasion De Julien [00:54]
08. Visite Du Vigile [02:05]
09. Au Bar Du Petit Bac [02:54]
10. Chez Le Photographe Du Motel [03:56]
11. On Green Dolphin Street [09:59]
12. Fran-Dance [05:57]
13. Stella By Starlight [04:49]

♦ CD5 - Porgy and Bess (00:51:49)

01. The Buzzard Song [04:11]
02. Bess, You Is My Woman Now [05:17]
03. Gone [03:43]
04. Gone, Gone, Gone [02:06]
05. Summertime [03:20]
06. Bess, Oh Where's My Bess [04:35]
07. Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) [04:43]
08. Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab [04:12]
09. My Man's Gone Now [06:18]
10. It Ain't Necessarily So [04:29]
11. Here Come De Honey Man [01:20]
12. I Loves You, Porgy [04:03]
13. There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York [03:26]

♦ CD6 - Kind of Blue (00:45:26)

01. So What [09:07]
02. Freddie Freeloader [09:48]
03. Blue In Green [05:35]
04. All Blues [11:32]
05. Flamenco Sketches [09:21]

♦ CD7 - Sketches of Spain (00:41:47)

01. Concierto de Aranjuez [16:26]
02. Will O' the Wisp (from 'El Amor Brujo') [03:52]
03. The Pan Piper [03:58]
04. Saeta [05:12]
05. Solea [12:17]

♦ CD8 - Someday My Prince Will Come (00:42:22)

01. Someday My Prince Will Come [09:10]
02. Old Folks [05:21]
03. Pfrancing [08:38]
04. Drad-Dog [04:35]
05. Teo [09:40]
06. I Thought About You [04:55]

♦ CD9 - Miles & Monk at Newport (00:51:32)

01. Ah-Leu-Cha [05:54]
02. Straight, No Chaser [08:51]
03. Fran Dance [07:11]
04. Two Bass Hit [04:17]
05. Nutty [13:59]
06. Blue Monk [11:18]