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- Date Released: June 29, 1954
- Genre: Jazz
- Style: Bebop
- Label: Fantasy / Prestige
Miles and his all-star team define the parameters of hard bop to come.
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We Say...
Christmas Eve, 1954, was an auspicious night for American music. Down in Memphis, original rocker Johnny Ace shot himself while playing Russian Roulette. Up in New York, Miles Davis teamed with Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver and the Modern Jazz Quartet's rhythm section (Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke), and helped define the parameters of hard bop to come. Often viewed as a transitional album, Bag's Groove contains echoes of Davis' Birth of the Cool octet, and looks forward to his triumphant Kind of Blue without quite cohering in its own right. And yet, the album is famous in jazz circles not because Monk and Miles are said to have come to blows in the course of recording it, but because it's here that Davis mastered the bone-dry tone he's best remembered for, and Sonny Rollins matured into a true virtuoso. Highlights include take two of the title track (listen for Monk's furiously staccato solo), and Rollins' Latin-tinged "Airegin" (which prefigures Davis' own work on Sketches of Spain).
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They Say...
There are a multitude of reasons why Bags' Groove remains a cornerstone of the post-bop genre. Of course there will always be the lure of the urban myth surrounding the Christmas Eve 1954 session -- featuring Thelonious Monk -- which is documented on the two takes of the title track. There are obviously more tangible elements, such as Davis' practically telepathic runs with Sonny Rollins (tenor sax). Or Horace Silver's (piano) uncanny ability to provide a stream of chord progressions that supply a second inconspicuous lead without ever overpowering. Indeed, Davis' choice of former Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra and concurrent Modern Jazz Quartet members Milt Jackson (vibes), Kenny Clarke (drums), and Percy Heath (bass) is obviously well-informed. This combo became synonymous with the ability to tastefully improvise and provide bluesy bop lines in varied settings. The up-tempo and Latin-infused syncopation featured during the opening of "Airegin" flows into lines and minor-chord phrasings that would reappear several years later throughout Davis' Sketches of Spain epic. The fun and slightly maniacally toned "Oleo" features one of Heath's most impressive displays on Bags' Groove. His staccato accompaniment exhibits the effortless nature with which these jazz giants are able to incorporate round after round of solos onto the larger unit. Bags' Groove belongs as a cornerstone of all jazz collections. Likewise, the neophyte as well as the seasoned jazz enthusiast will find much to discover and rediscover throughout the disc. The remastered CD includes both historic takes of "Bags' Groove" as well as one additional rendering of the pop standard "But Not for Me."
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
Bags' Groove (take 1) |
11:16 |  |
| 02. | |
Bags' Groove (take 2) |
9:24 | |
| 03. | |
Airegin |
5:01 | |
| 04. | |
Oleo |
5:14 | |
| 05. | |
But Not for Me (take 2) |
4:38 | |
| 06. | |
Doxy |
4:55 | |
| 07. | |
But Not for Me (take 1) |
5:45 | |
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Credits
- Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Trumpet // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Miles Davis - Main Performer // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Milt Jackson - Vibraphone // Sonny Rollins - Sax (Tenor) // Sonny Rollins - Sax (Tenor) // Horace Silver - Bass // Horace Silver - Piano // Percy Heath - Bass // Percy Heath - Piano // Kenny Clarke - Drums // Kenny Clarke - Drums // Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer // Rudy Van Gelder - Liner Notes // Rudy Van Gelder - Remastering // Ira Gitler - Liner Notes // Ira Gitler - Original Liner Notes // Thelonious Monk - Piano // Thelonious Monk - Piano // Thelonious Monk - Piano // Nick Phillips - Reissue Producer // Bob Weinstock - Supervisor // Joe Tarantino - Reissue Production Assistance // Reid Miles - Cover Design // Shohji Ichikawa - Liner Notes // Kazue Sugimoto - Remastering Supervisor // Shigeo Miyamoto - Mastering // Rikka Arnold - Editorial // Stuart Kremsky - Reissue Production Assistance // Tamaki Beck - Mastering Supervisor // Chris Clough - Reissue Production Assistance // The Modern Jazz Giants - Performer // Larissa Collins - Assistant
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