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What was the first Miles Davis record in your collection?


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The first Miles album I heard was "Live at the Plugged Nickel", a japanese import CD I borrowed at a library in the late 80's, and I found it terrible because I wasn't prepared for such free playing.

Later I bought the "Columbia Years 1955-85" 4CD set. I now own most of Miles' official recordings.

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First Miles I got was the French Columbia edition of 'Round Midnight'. Back in 1958. The Fontana 10-incher 'Ascenseur Pour l'Echafaud' came right after. Had heard Miles on record previously on the Charlie Parker Dial dates.

I had heard Miles live before when he played at the Club Saint-Germain with the musicians he recorded the film soundtrack with.

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1987 Kind Of Blue - 3rd jazz CD/LP I bought. Bought it because I'd heard Cannonball Adderley on the Radio (JRR- Peter Clayton) and when I'd tracked some Adderley down had loved In San Francisco and Somethin Else (both Japanese imports).

Rebought KOB with the Sony Legacy upgrade ( one of the few sonic upgrades I've bother with or thought was worthwhile)

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Pretty sure it was BB, sophomore year of high school (71-72). Heard it in summer of 71.

Had already heard KOB and thought it was some of the weirdest shit I'd ever heard, such minimalist trumpet playing. BB, otoh, sounded almost normal to me. Go figure.

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Filles de Kilamanjaro started it all for me in late 1971. Found it as a ringer in a dull library collection, bought the lp, then soon bought Bitches Brew.

I had "jazz" under my belt thanks to my mom and dad's Brubeck, Ellington, Miller and a few other lps. I didn't connect this Miles material to jazz at all for a spell. It had that electric blues feel that I had learned to love in Africa, and it had some aspects of African music to it as well. It was the first new music that I really responded to after returning to the States, and I dove into those releases and the ones to follow (and the offshoot bands such as WR, Headhunters, Return to Forever) with a passion.

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I don't know whether it's the quality of his output, or the Columbia machine behind him (or both and additional factors), but I bet that Miles introduced a lot of persons of a certain age to serious jazz appreciation, or served as a "link."

Edited by jazzbo
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Hm, I can't remember. First ones I heard were "Workin'" and "KoB" from the school library, also "Amandla" which my mother enjoyed a lot.

Maybe it was "Birth of the Cool", maybe "We Want Miles" - I got started quickly and picked up "Bags' Groove" and "& the Jazz Giants", then two of the Prestige quintets (adding the other two much later, only), and "Round Midnight". Then some second quintet (Filles, Nefertiti, ESP), and then I guess Miles & Gil box, after which I sort of waited for the boxes and stopped getting individual sets since I knew I would get each and every box. Plugged Nickel was the second one, I think, after the Miles/Gil.

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I was working as a flunky at a Howard Johnson's motel in 1972, while I was in high school. There was a truly corny cocktail lounge in the lobby, which featured the cheesiest bands on the planet. Part of my job was to go to guest's rooms and try to fix things for them or otherwise handle their complaints. I was called to a guy's room. He was the drummer in the lounge combo. He looked hung over and dishevelled, bloodshot eyes, etc. He had clothes, newspapers, magazines, empty cans and bottles, and hundreds of LPs strewn at random everywhere, as if a tornado had hit the room--which was impressive only because his cheesy combo was only going to be in town for about four days--why even go to the bother of feeling at home?

He begged me to buy his entire LP collection. I was deeply into the hot new release of the day, the Rolling Stones' "Exile On Main Street", and his jazz collection left me cold. Also, as a high school kid trying to save up a little money for college on a minimum wage job, it was ridiculous to think that I would buy a grown man's fairly extensive music collection.

He was so persistent that I bought the first album that I saw on the floor, for $3--a scratchy copy of "Kind Of Blue." He left me alone only after I bought SOMETHING.

I wish I could say that it was a revelation, changed my life etc. I found it interesting enough, but did not want to play it over and over or anything. It did not throw open all the doors to jazz fanaticism. No, that honor fell to McCoy Tyner's "Trident", which I heard when it first came out and that one did change my life.

Edited by Hot Ptah
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Back in college (probably around 1989/1990, either my junior or senior year), the first Miles date I actually owned was KOB (the CD with the crappy picture from the 70's, reversed right to left if I remember right).

But before that, for the first six months or so that I was getting into jazz, one of the very first things I listened to almost non-stop was a 90-minute cassette with KOB on one side, and Nefertiti on the other side (with the Nefertiti side filled out by "Prince of Darkness" from Sorcerer).

THAT was my first extended exposure to Miles, and what done sealed the deal for me.

(The one other jazz tape I had around the same time, which I also nearly played to death too --- had "Mode For Joe" on one side, and "Power To The People" on the other. Ain't no surprise that they're my two favorite Joe Henderson albums.)

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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