Written by Alex Biese
History has seldom sounded so good, or so cool.
Released by Analogue Productions, Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue is an auditory revelation, a document from 1958 capturing the first recording session of the trumpeter and bandleader with the legendary sextet that would go on to record the landmark Kind of Blue LP a year later.
With Davis joined by Julian “Cannonball” Adderley on alto saxophone, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and James Cobb on drums, Birth of the Blue is a majestic act of table-setting, the sound of six master musicians getting to know each other and settling into a collective groove shortly before changing American music forever.
Birth of the Blue captures the sextet performing in Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York City, just a few weeks after first convening. Throughout the session – which featured the classic ballads “On Green Dolphin Street,” “Stella By Starlight” and “Love for Sale” in addition to the Davis original “Fran-Dance” – the band is already locked into a stellar hive mind, shot through with the tension of expert players collectively exploring sonic space together on their best musical behavior.
These recordings are now available as a standalone release for the first time, remastered from new transfers of the original session tapes, and the vinyl release is a work of art for the ears. Chambers’ bass and Evans’ piano sound particularly rich in the mix, especially on the sterling “Stella by Starlight,” and Cobb drives “Love for Sale” with a peppy urgency that is irresistible.
It may only be four songs but these performances, by these players, in this sonically immersive setting, serve as a brilliant introduction to a whole word of sound. It would be easy to chalk this up as a curio, a prequel of sorts to “Kind of Blue,” but this is an album that deserves to be reckoned with in its own right.
